~ COLORING EGGS ~

We got together with our friends and had our Easter Egg Coloring party over the weekend. We always look forward to these traditions and spending time with these wonderful friends. This year it was at Barb & Tom's house ~ they set up the garage for the egg coloring ~ it actually wasn't too messy this year?! Do the little ones look happy or what?!

Aunt Michie helps Eddie out!

The girls first choice was PINK!

Mia is still light enough to hold "football" style :)

While the kids colored eggs, the daddys' were assigned a very important job: hiding the plastic eggs around the house! Each kid had their own color and the dad's hid the eggs according to age. They were told to hide the eggs still in the plastic bag in a more difficult spot, since these eggs were filled with money!

Mia ready for the egg hunt

Madison's ready too!

Eddie is doing pretty good!

So, the egg hunt was going real well, until the kids were all having trouble finding their last egg. . . we tried to help as best we could, but even the mom's couldn't find them! We complained to the dad's and told them they shouldn't have made it soooooooo hard. After some bantering back and forth....um, the dad's realized they NEVER hid the eggs with the $ in them! They were still in the plastic bag ~ while we feverishly looked for them...

The kids all agreed, next year the mom's were in charge of the egg hunt :)

Anthony & Alexa at the pool table

Uncle Tommy helps Anthony out

We always joke how much Eddie looks like Brandon & Max

The triplets :)

HAPPY EASTER

a bit early :)

P.S. Thanks B&T for another great night ~

~ BASEBALL ~

Now we have two "ball players", as my dad calls them, in the family. My little guy had his first ever t-ball practice, and the cuteness was almost too much :) My cheeks hurt from smiling when practice was over ~ Oh, he is just adorable!

Daddy asked if "E" was waiting for a

bird to fall from the sky:)

Love how his leg comes up when he throws the ball!

"Hi Mom!"

My big guy is really into pitching this year. He had his practice earlier in the day and said it was his best practice! The coach spent a lot of time with him and he has been perfecting his "pitching skills". I caught a few photos of him in the batting cage during Eddie's practice.

Mia had fun just "hangin' " out :)

Love how he's "watching" himself run...

What a boy!

~ EVEN "DOLLHOUSE MOMMY" ISN'T ALLOWED OUT ~

Mia has been playing with her dollhouse a lot lately. I just love to ease drop on her little "conversations" ~ she has the baby jumping with daddy, which is one of her favorite things to do with her daddy when he comes home :) I was playing with her the other day and doing a bit of role play: the mommy & daddy were going out to eat and the baby was staying with poppy & gma. Mia still gets very upset if I go out of the house, she always has to know where I am. Two weekends ago, we went out to eat with another couple (Hi Jenn! and had a fabulous time), but Mia got extremely upset and did vomit a bit on the floor after I left! Grandma played it down, but Mia tried to make herself do it again ~ oh, when I hear these things is just breaks my heart in two... anyhow, it is very important that Mia knows I will ALWAYS come back - I try soooo hard to convey that, but she really just freaks out if I say I'm just going up to the store for a minute...it's so hard.

So, I thought a bit of role playing might help. I kept saying over and over "the mommy always come back!". Mia would make the baby get upset if the mommy walked out the door - she's such an actress too :)

Do you know what she made the baby do when the mommy & daddy left? Well, she made the baby follow them and she exclaimed "EAT....TOO!" ~ yup, the baby went out to eat too ~ with the mom & dad :) It was really cute. We won't be going out to eat a-l-o-n-e anytime soon...

P.S. The table & chairs from my previous post worked well during speech this week. Mia sat there for a while, but then the therapist told her if she finished what they were doing, they could go sit on the floor and "play". It worked for the most part. When Mia sees her "lady" drive up, she will run to her table & chair setup and arrange them ~ she really is such a cutie pie :)

~ SIGNS OF SPRING ~

Last weekend we had a warm and sunny Saturday ~ this first sign of Spring brought all the kids out on our court ~ boy have they grown :) Spring around our house = baseball! This year Eddie is very excited to start t-ball with our towns little league. He was very hyped up to go outside with Anthony & daddy and learn a few "tips":

It is funny that my post is titled "Signs of Spring" and there is snow still on the ground! We will take what we can get around here. By the end of the day, the snow was all melted and we continued to have mild weather (for NY) for the next few days. . . until today that is- it's a bit chilly again, in the 40's.

Anthony already had his first practice this week...a two hour practice. His coach seems like a great guy and he seems dedicated and involved. Eddie & Mia kept busy picking up sticks and rocks; and then they watched some DVD's in the car; and then we made a quick trip to McD's. For a first l-oooong practice it wasn't bad :)

~ frustrated ~

Looking for the bunny

(or "hop hop" as Mia would say)

Anthony takes a rest with Mia

ahhhh, what fresh air does :)

Come back "Spring" ~ we miss you !

~ DANCING THROUGH LIFE ~

Mia Hope, you just love to dance! It doesn't take much; a commercials' jingle, a cartoons theme song or sometimes you break out into a dance all on your own :) You have such a personality honey ~ and I am not the only one who can just sit and watch you ~ you are very entertaining!

One day when Aunt Barbara was over, she commented,

"Mia just dances through life!",

how true!

Mia is most likely a desendent of the Zhuang minority people (she has many of the characteristics; one being her prominent forehead); and they are known for their love of song & dance ~ how fitting:

"The Singing Festival is a traditional occasion which was held before 1940 to visit graves of the ancestors. Now it has become a grand sentimental occasion using songs for their expression. On that day, the Zhuang people will sing to each other to challenge each other not only the song itself but also wit. Lyrics are usually improvisational and humorous that makes every one burst into laughter. It is also a perfect day for the young men to express their love to the girls by singing, so it is also reputed as the Valentine's Day of the Zhuang ethnic minority."

"Zhuang dances are characterized by distinct themes, forceful and nimble steps, jocular and humorous gestures and true-to-life emotions. The Rice-Husking Dance, Silk-Ball Dance, Shrimp-Catching Dance, Tea-Picking Dance, Shoulder-Pole Dance and Bronze-Drum Dance not only vividly depict the Zhuangs' life and work, but also display their straightforward, unbending nature."

My little monkey

jumpin' on the bed

I love these photos

my girl is beautiful from any angel :)

P.S. I found this dance/leotard at TJ*M*xx for $12.99!!

Mia found her dolly in her keepsake box.

This is the doll from her care package.

I know it must have given her so much comfort,

and it still does :)

Dance Class Video: "hopping"

Dance Class Video: "Meg helping Mia along":

~ SNOW! LOTS & LOTS OF IT! ~

We were hit with over a foot of snow Sunday night into Monday morning! Our school district sent out announcements closing the schools on Sunday night ~ not that anyone slept late the next morning :) We woke to a snow covered yard and it continued throughout the day. I have been soooo ready for Spring, but it was just beautiful outside, really beautiful :)

The kids were all smiles as the cold & snow hit their faces ~ you couldn't help but smile :) I couldn't get over how deep the snow was - Mia's little legs were lost in it!

As I was video taping, I looked down to find Eddie scooping snow into a shoebox he found in the garage. . . who thinks of these things? . . . . Eddie does :)

For a southern girl, Mia sure doesn't mind the cold!

Look at those luscious, rosy cheeks :)