hoppin' down the bunny trail

     We joined friends for a pre-Easter celebration at our neighborhood playground on Saturday.  The big girls had a ball making a bunny craft, hunting treat-filled plastic eggs, decorating (and eating!) sugar cookies, and devouring slices of bunny cake with lots of sliding, running, hopping, and skipping in between.  The babies enjoyed being passed around from mom to dad (and one sweet grandmother!) while taking in all the action.  Each of the big girls got a special egg with a dollar bill inside at the end of the day.  Emma Jane obviously has no concept of money since I found her dollar hanging from the playset as we were leaving.  When I handed it back to her and told her that she could use it to buy something special, her attitude quickly changed!  It was a beautiful day to make some great memories!

 

 

vivi boo!

    Our sweet Vivian is five months old today!  We have lots of nicknames for this cutie.  I like to call her Vivi Boo, Viv, or Vivs.  Paul calls her Vivster or Vivinator.  Emma Jane calls her all of the above!  Vivian now weighs 16 pounds and is growing stronger everyday.  She is a very happy, easy-going baby and smiles all the time.  Vivi loves to chew on her hands and hold soft blankies.  She really likes it when we sing to her and she definitley likes to hear her own voice.  We love to hear her happily cooing and squealing.  She is still working on sitting up and rolling over, but she's getting better with practice.  She's  finally getting the hang of eating from a spoon and REALLY likes bananas.  One of her favorite things to do is watch her big sister do ANYTHING.  Vivi's face lights up as soon as Emma Jane enters a room or gives her any attention.  We are crazy about our little Vivi Boo and can't imagine what life was like without her. 

old stompin' grounds

   We spent our first two days of Spring Break at one of our old stompin' grounds...the Riverwalk.  I used to take Emma Jane there every other day when we first moved to Columbia.  It was only a 5 minute drive and a great place to take a 6-12 month old for stroller walks.  The park is further away from where we live now, but it's worth the drive when the weather is nice.  I took the girls by myself on Monday and then we had lunch with the Sadlers there the next day.  Paul was even able to join us.  It was fun to have Vivi sitting in the same stroller that Emma Jane spent so much time in during our many walks at the Riverwalk.  Before we know it, Vivi will be out of that stroller too and running behind her big sis!


Emma Jane & Walker at Riverwalk in 2009.

Riverwalk with TWO girls in 2011!

Lunchin' with the Sadlers.

 

barefoot in the grass

     We enjoyed yesterday's beautiful weather by spending some time at Riverfront Park.  Paul took Emma Jane on a bike ride while I sat with a sleeping Vivi.  We spotted a "wizard" and lots of turtles sunning themselves by the river.  Emma Jane took her shoes off and ran barefoot in the grass.  She even picked some flowers for me.  Vivi slept soundly and missed most of the fun, but Emma Jane told her all about it on the way home!

little helper

Yesterday Emma Jane "helped" her daddy replace old splintered boards on the playset in the backyard.  She thinks she is quite the expert with the hammer and drill.  Although that may not be true, the girl IS pretty good at climbing up ladders!

hippity hoppity

I've had fun decorating for Easter these past few weeks.  I hand-painted a cute little sign for our front door.  I like to keep the same wreath up and add a little something to it for each new holiday or season.  I also made some yarn wrapped eggs using multi-colored yarn and foam eggs.  I hung these from the fireplace mantle under the Hippity Hoppity banner I made from scrapbook paper.  I ordered the most adorable Easter baskets from Etsy.  They are actually apple baskets with personalized liners.  I think they are really unique and I love how roomy they are inside.  Stay tuned to see what the Easter bunny leaves for the girls in their new baskets.  In the meantime, Emma Jane is practicing her Easter egg hunting skills in our backyard.  Of course, the best Easter decorations of all are the girls themselves wearing their adorable Easter outfits and the many Easter art projects Emma Jane has brought home from preschool!

a night on the town

Last Thursday night we took the girls downtown for The Vista After Five, a weekly spring music event in the streets of downtown Columbia. The weather was perfect and we had fun walking the streets together. Emma Jane was especially excited to explore everything in our path: from fountains to newspaper stands, from a solo cellist to a peek into the art museum windows. She thought she was super-cool since she decided she HAD to wear mommy's sunglasses. I even had a "yippee!" teacher-turned-mom moment when Emma Jane started tracing the letters engraved in the side of the fountain outside the art museum. She correctly named the letters while carefully tracing them with her finger. Now if I had asked her to do this, it NEVER would have happened, but because it was her idea, it was lots of fun for her. Vivi was happy to bounce around in the carrier with Paul as long as she could chew on her hands. By the end of the night, we had two very tired girls on OUR hands!