Spring Break: Part One

Helen Grace has had a big spring break stay-cation! She was out for a half day on Friday, the full week of March 21st, and then Better Monday too.

On her first Sunday-Monday, she had a slumber party with Grandma and played with her that next day. After Addie got out of MDO, they had a Chickfila playdate. When I picked her up to go to dance, they weren’t quite ready to say goodbye!

I took off on Tuesday, and she was so excited to have a ‘Mama day.’ Reminded me very happily of the days before she started school. We spent the morning making cookies with Darby, Mary Mason, and Mary Chris. Darby had a great time following ‘heggrace’ around, and HG was tickled to have a shadow.

On Tuesday afternoon, I headed to Oxford to get ready for Delta Gamma’s Founders Day. GD and Spiffer came down a little later with HG and Bubba, who was honored at Founders Day as a 75-year Delta Gamma member- wow, what an accomplishment! While Bubba and I were at the ceremony, GD and Spiffer chased HG around the square. We all had a great day!

I didn't get a video from Founders Day, but Bubba did share this Delta Gamma song during her recognition. We all loved hearing it as we don't sing it anymore. Maybe we'll have to bring it back!

Easter Bunny is on his way!

On Saturday, March 19th, we met the Hudsons at the zoo on a beautiful but chilly day (in the mid to high 50s). HG was most excited about chasing the boys around, and we were thankful that it kept her warm and her mind off the cool breeze, although it resulted in a very dramatic blister! We barely saw any animals, but we sure did let her get her face painted and made a stop at the carousel. As John and I stood on the side and watched her ride, we laughed at how it would be one of the last times that we could stand by and watch our kiddo, as she was able to get herself completely settled and then came right back to us. We’ve gotten one child to the point of independence, and we are just about to start at the beginning all over again! And for the record, HG was a big girl about her face paint and wore it proudly to mass and to family dinner afterward- not a single complaint.

On Sunday, March 20th, we started the morning off lazily by dyeing (glitter, of course) Easter eggs in our pjs. Then, we finally got ourselves together and met the Eldreds at Cedar Hill Farm to hunt some Easter eggs. Since we had been so chilly at the zoo on Saturday, we bundled up in our puffy coats since it was in the mid-40s on Sunday, but we were still COLD. HG rode a pony, and then the kiddos fed the animals. While we were playing with the goats, it started SNOWING, and the sleet kept up in spurts the rest of the afternoon. So bizarre! (We seem to have started an unusual and unfortunate tradition. See last year’s neighborhood egg hunt.) We rode the tractor out to hunt some candy, I mean eggs, then they played on the playground until they couldn’t feel their hands, and finally we rounded off the afternoon with hot chocolate. A quick but fun outing with our friends!

“What?! It’s snowing?!”

She was determined to get past the big goats and get some feed to these two little baby goats.

Since she wouldn’t agree to take a pic with me, I pretended to take a selfie and then panned it over to snap her in it. “You tricked me, Mama!”

She’s a sucker for a tire swing! She got brave this time and climbed up to sit on top. “Just swing me once, Mama!”

Helen Grace’s SAA Big Sis Shower

One of HG’s friends’ mamas, Dawn, approached us several months ago about having a special big sis shower for Helen Grace, a mother-daughter gathering. I thought that was a fabulous idea and a great way to help HG feel a part of the process and feel celebrated in her new role. Grandma and Spiffer came along to the shower at the Garibaldis’ to make the day extra special.

The little girls immediately ran upstairs to play in Mary Kate’s room (HG adds, “My mommy later said it sounded like a thunderstorm”), and the big girls (mamas and grandmas) circled the counter in the kitchen to catch up. Soon enough, it was time for HG to open gifts, and her friends surrounded her in a circle in the den floor, taking turns reading the cards out loud to the group and proudly watching their gifts being opened. It was adorable! Our friends were so generous, and so many gave HG gifts too- a teething necklace for her to wear and tons of matching sister outfits! Cressey now has tons of burp cloths with her own monogram, beautiful non-hand-me-down blankets and books, and adorable bloomers, sleepers, and loveys.

We later indulged in some delicious (and beautiful) cake made my Rachel’s mom, Perla, and it was totally worth the sugar spike! We all had such a good time celebrating the new sisters, Helen Grace and Cressey!