“Hoppy” Day

How Easter has changed from last year! Helen Grace really ‘gets’ things more, so all the festivities were that much more exciting. Around 6:30 a.m. while Helen Grace and I were sitting on the couch watching cartoons, we heard a noise outside and ran to the front door where we busted Grandma and Peggy making a delivery for the Easter Bunny, complete with bunny ears. Ha! Later, Helen Grace spotted the gifts that the Easter Bunny left on our dining room table and immediately sat down on the floor to explore all of them. The Olivia jack-in-the-box, Hello Kitty watch, stickers, and parachute bunny and chick were big hits. Also, we spent a lot of the morning jumping around like a “hoppy” (bunny). We met Grandma and Peggy at mass at 10:00, and Helen Grace spent the first 40 minutes of the service with her face in my chest. Where is this shyness coming from??? She warmed up afterward when she could run up and down the steps of the altar and play with the flowers. On the way to Bubba’s, she fell asleep, and by a miracle, we were able to get her to Bubba’s bed where she slept for the next two hours. When she woke up though, the shyness remained, so we tried to wait it out for over an hour with not much luck. We threw in the towel and brought her home where she devoured spaghetti o’s and finally her Easter gifts and books from Spif and Granddaddy. All in all, it was a fabulous and “hoppy” holiday weekend!

Happy about her hoppy {Flashback to Easter 2010} {Flashback to Easter 2010} “What?! I don’t want to leave! It’s much more fun to run from you and twirl with my dress hiked up!” Snoozing at Bubba’s…I could just eat her up! Full on body cling…personally, I can’t say that it bothers me too much. I know that in a few years she won’t want to be this close to me or be seen in public with me!M-E-S-S

Egg Hunt

As a child, one of my favorite times of the year and best memories made with my cousins was hunting Easter eggs in Bubba and Popa Frank’s front yard. I remember the colors of the grass and sky being so vivid, the sun so bright, the yard so huge, and the adventure so limitless. We just ran from egg to egg and laughed and played. Now, I’m sure the reality is that we were all fighting over eggs and whining about the heat, but I’m grateful that time erases all of those memories (although I do remember William tricking all the girl cousins with a hand shocker thing one year and making us mad).

Yesterday, we planned on taking Helen Grace to Bubba’s church Easter egg hunt. She has been fighting some kind of cold or allergy these last two days, so she’s been a little tired and cranky. When we got to Bubba’s before the hunt, my aunts and uncles were there and Helen Grace became super shy and clingy. We decided that it was probably best to not throw her into a whole new environment in such a state of hot mess, so we just stayed at Bubba’s and hunted eggs in her front yard.

What a flood of memories! I was so excited to watch my little blonde baby running around Bubba’s big trees and flowerbeds with her Easter basket. I am so blessed.

She eventually figured out that there was “CHOC!” inside the eggs, so she got a little distracted as she tried out all the different kinds of treats. Enjoy the pics!

From the before mentioned hand shocker Easter egg hunt, probably 1990?? P.S. You are not allowed to make fun of my glasses and/or hair. The first pic of Helen Grace below makes me think of one of my favorite pics of my cousin Ryves, circa 1989ish egg hunt, at our egg hunt at Bubba’s. This was when he was still quiet and demure and let us boss him around. :) Isn’t he adorable? Back to present day… “Choc!”

Tuckered out from the hunt, she spent most of the afternoon in either my lap or Granddaddy’s lap.   Taking her shopping for Easter shoes on Saturday afternoon was probably not the best decision.But it’s amazing what a good bribe will do…

Getting "Horse"

I just told Helen Grace that her voice was getting hoarse, and she replied, "Neeeeiiiiigggghhhh!"

Easter Aye-ggs

I might possibly have been more excited than Helen Grace to dye Easter eggs. I have such fun memories doing this with my mama that I couldn’t wait to experience it with my own little monkey. We pulled up a chair to the kitchen counter and let her help. She loved the magic crayon to color on the eggs, and she *really* wanted to dip her fingers into the dye. :) We managed to stay pretty clean throughout the process though.

She seems to have inherited my tongue-sticking-out thing when I’m concentrating Daddy mocking her new habit The finished artworkShe was so infatuated with the eggs that she would kiss and hug them. Also, she says “egg” like “aye-gg.” Not sure where she picked up this pronunciation. Hilarious!

She was still in love with the eggs this morning, and she proudly told me the color of each egg. She continues to surprise me with how much she really is learning and comprehending.

This morning we made some Rice Krispie Treat eggs with M&Ms. Deelish, by the way! Helen Grace enjoyed pouring in the cereal, stirring, and adding the M&Ms. One for the treat, one for HG; one for the treat, one for HG!

“Ta da!” Totally busted…as if the chocolate ring around her face didn’t already tell the story

A Day with Daddy

Helen Grace and I have never been more excited about John having a bank holiday as today was Good Friday. We were thankful for a day off for ALL of us, and a beautiful sunny day to boot. We headed to the new playground at Shelby Farms and had a blast trying out all the new swings and slides and letting Helen Grace run and get some fresh air. I love any chance to watch John run around with her too, both of them smiling and laughing- those are very special memories! We rounded the day off with lunch at Chick-fil-A and a trip to Target. Productive AND fun!