Our Spring Break was pretty uneventful, but we tried.
Easter was celebrated with a Putnam tradition: string (yarn) was stretched spiderweb-fashion throughout the house to lead Lucy to four Easter baskets. I put them all together in the garage. She followed a whole skein of yarn upstairs and down while I wound it back into a ball. She did wind some of it, but when I realized how long it would take for her to do it on her own, I followed her and just wound it myself. Gabe toddled around while Brian made puff-up pancakes, then Brian finished up the hunt with Lucy after most of the yarn was in a ball.
Because I got to see Brian navigate over and under string all over the house (remember Catherine Zeta-Jones in that movie with the lazers?) and because of Lucy's reaction when she found the baskets, I am logging this Easter as a success: both were very entertaining. I do wish I had thought to get Lucy's reaction on video. It was similar to the reaction she gave when she found what "The Leprechauns" had left for her and Gabe on St. Patrick's Day (shoes).
Wow. She completely surpassed all of my expectations.
She SCREAMS with excitement and squeals. And maybe best of all, she declares how absolutely certain she has been that the Easter Bunny (or leprechauns) would leave her a book of princesses to paint along with treats (or a pair of sneakers). She is equally effusive about the books in Gabe's basket and the (ahem) mascara in my basket.
"I knew it!"
It was interesting to hear her theories on why Brian and I didn't get as much candy: we weren't as good, or as sweet, maybe. We would have to try to be better next year.
After listening to
General Conference and painting fairies and princesses, we headed to Brian's mom's for lunch. With Grandma and plenty of cousins and aunts and uncles, Gabe and Lucy were in heaven. Plus, there are some things at Grandma's that just aren't available at home; at the end of this post, there is a mediocre video of Gabe on Uncle Davin's 40 year old hobby horse.
Monday, Gabe was sick with the stomach flu and it snowed. We recovered from Easter. Lucy watched "Babe," painted, and colored.
Tuesday was snowy: We went to the Rec Center for swimming. Lucy left from there to go play at her cousins'. I worked out with (the infamous) Amy in the afternoon. (Gabe loves her...I love her! On the down side, I couldn't point my feet much afterward, or my calves would cramp up.)
Tuesday: Enjoying the snow and recovering nicely!
Wednesday, we made a trip to the (very crowded) Discovery Children's Museum with some of Lucy's best friends and capped off the outing with ice cream. To her delight, Lucy was successful in inviting herself to play at their house afterward.
Wednesday: Lucy in front of the green screen with Kaylee.
Thursday, a beautifully sunny day, we spent outside helping a friend in his yard: Lucy's idea (she's quite taken with George), then got to some of our own yard work. Because all of our time outside was impromptu and I didn't anticipate it lasting, I never did get out the sunscreen.
Oh well. Sunburns all around. Gabe got the worst of it, of course. He's now peeling on his forehead, nose and cheeks. I bought more sunscreen over the weekend in hopes that I won't make that mistake again.
Thursday: Lucy with George, showing off a "petrified bird." (A chunk of mulch.)
Friday, we cleaned and tidied like madpeople then spent some time in our back yard with Aunt Monica. Fun! Afterwards, we headed north to Lucy's cousin's birthday party. We are so lucky to have family close enough to spend time with them! In a perfect world, all of our loved ones would be so accessible. Friday night, we talked our niece 'Cole into tending the kids so Brian and I could go out. I got applause from our friends for actually making it out of the house (really--no
really..they clapped for me). We had a great time. Interestingly, Zoey picked that night to run off and not come back. I got 6 calls from an unfamiliar number while we watched a movie. I decided it must be important, so stepped out to return a call and discovered that Zoe-the-Intrepid had turned up more than a mile from home. My wonderful sister-in-law came to the rescue. So glad I didn't have to leave to go pick up the wayward dog. (Thank you
again!!!)
Friday: Gabe's morning nap in the closet. Note the sunburn. := (
Saturday was pretty normal. Yoga for me, errands with the kids, Cafe Rio, cuddle time etc. Poor Brian wasn't feeling well, so he missed his opportunity to go skiing. There was no soccer because of spring break, but I forgot, so Lucy spent quality time in her soccer uniform anyway.
Saturday: Cuddle time. This is what I came home to after yoga. : )
Mixed in with these outings, Lucy had more good times with friends. She
can not get enough time with friends. When one friend leaves or she comes home, she instantly requests more time with someone else. Girl, boy, younger, older, she couldn't care less. (I like that. It makes me happy.) Here's a picture from last month of a playdate she had with the boy she has decided to marry, Davis.
Good taste,
right?
Easter Sunday: After riding for a second, Gabe tucks his head to the side for a bit until his auntie guesses what he wants. A trick he learned from his sister?
