Easter!

In spite of some rainy weather, we had a beautiful Easter. The fun actually started when Grandma Karen arrived on Thursday the 21st in time to tour Emma's new preschool and later to see her swimming lessons. She brought a new outfit for Emma's bunny and a few other goodies. On Friday, Karen, Emma and I made cut-out cookies and went to Emma's gymnastics class. On Saturday, our church held an egg hunt, then we went home and dyed Easter eggs, a first for Emma. On Easter Sunday, we went to church, then we came home to find Easter eggs and a basket from the bunny, as well as a new picnic table! Finally we headed to Grandma and Papa Isch's house for Easter dinner and another egg hunt! With Easter so late this year, it feels like we stretched it out more than usual, but Emma's not complaining! Not only that, but Emma's getting pretty good at relaying the Easter story from hearing it so many times this year. When I asked her if she remembered why we celebrate Easter, she said, "Jesus died on a cross, they put him in a cave, and now he's fine!"

Preschool!

Emma started preschool today (April 19th)! I know it's an unusual time to start, but there IS a reason. It's a long story, though, so let's just say it involved potty training and Mommy getting her act together. The preschool is a part of our county's vocational school, where high school students-including a couple of MY former fourth graders-receive training in early childhood education by working with preschool teachers like Emma's. It's a beautiful center, and Emma's already in love with it! She wore her Dora backpack, which she put in her cubby and settled in as if she'd been there all year. I hustled over on my lunch break to snap a few pictures and help her get settled in for her first day, but it was Mom and Dad, not Emma, who were having a harder time adjusting! She looked so grown up walking in there!

A Victorian...Easter?!

Usually, we go to the Davis-Shai house, a restored Victorian house used for several community events, to see it decorated for Christmas. This spring, however, it's decorated for Easter! Monday evening (April 18th) kids were invited to dress in their "Sunday best" and come to the house to tour through and find all of the bunnies-some obvious,and others not-so-obvious-displayed throughout the house. As we went, we encountered several volunteers in Easter bonnets-both conventional and unconventional-who were passing out candy. I don't know which Emma enjoyed more, the candy or showing off her (first) new Easter bonnet!

Early Easter Fun!

A church by my school was hosting an Easter Egg Hunt today (Sat. April 16), so we decided to head over there. Luckily they had a backup plan for rain! Although the kids didn't hunt for their eggs inside, Emma got to experience the best part...opening them and discovering the candy and other treats inside! She also got her face painted with a rainbow, decorated an Easter Egg cookie, and even had her first visit with the Easter Bunny! The biggest surprise, though, was that she won a giant Easter basket full of water toys in a ticket drawing!

Daddy's Little Gardener

Emma has "helped" Todd in the yard before, but since she's not napping anymore, Todd has gotten extra help as she joins him in the yard whenever I'm not home (of course, I WAS home when these pictures were taken...Franklin and Sox aren't very saavy with the camera!). They've planted seeds in small pots (including a sunflower, just as they did last summer), raked leaves and grass in the yard, and dug in the dirt (Emma has her own spade and gardening gloves). Emma even looked outside Saturday and said, "Oh good, it's raining. That will help our plants grow!"

Two Peas in a Pod

Emma met Maci at church when the girls were a year old, and they've developed quite a strong bond over the past two years. They both initiate get-togethers ("Can Maci come over soon?"), and when one gets upset, so does the other! They potty-trained at the same time, with Emma lending Maci her potty chair (Maci's was pink, but she preferred Emma's blue one). Their favorite things to do together are to see who can climb the highest at the mall playground and to make a royal mess at each others' houses. Whenever they greet each other, whether it's been a day or a month since they've last seen each other, they call to each other and run into a hug (cue the slow-mo)!

Storytime!

Todd and Emma have their own little weekday routines, which include a visit to the Granville Library every Tuesday for Storytime. While I was on Spring Break the last week of March, I was finally able to join them...and unlike Todd, I wasn't too embarrassed to snap a few pictures!

I-Scream!

A few weeks ago (late March), Emma and I went to Jason and Kristen's apartment after going to Uncle Ray's Kiwanis Spaghetti Dinner. However, it wasn't until we made a trip to Graeter's Ice Cream headquarters near J and K's that I thought to snap some pictures! If you took a good look at Emma's ice cream cone, you probably think I'm a horrible mom for letting her eat all that. But the truth is, she only had a few bites before she ran off to play in the ice cream playground area; I ate most of the cone which we were supposed to share!