All Things Easter

If you know me well, you know I'm big on holidays.

Alden wouldn't sit with the bunny unless I sat there too. Next year, I need to make sure I dress nice too.

I like to do many of the usual holiday traditions and some things that are tradition for our little family. We had a fun-filled Easter weekend, which actually started early, thanks to a snow day on Thursday.

One of my favorite Easter traditions is coloring eggs. As a kid, we did this every year, and each of us got our own dozen eggs to dye and decorate. Surprisingly, I haven't done this with my kids until this year. Thursday afternoon was the day! We colored eggs after nap, but Alden actually took a little longer nap, so Leland dyed his and then while he was decorating with stickers, Alden woke up and then dyed his. This worked out pretty well for me, so I could focus on each one as they were dying the eggs and I think it ended in much less mess!

The boys loved it! Leland kept saying, "This is such a fun activity! I love this!"

Saturday was our church Easter egg hunt. This is always a big event, with 30,000 eggs and it's open to the community. We have enjoyed it for several years (I even went a few years before we had our own kids with family members and kids I babysat).

We arrived early, so we had to wait about 10-15 minutes before it started. I thought they were going to lose their minds, but we all survived the wait, and when Pastor John gave the signal to start, they went to work.

It took a minute for Alden to figure out what he was supposed to do. He was trying to carry all the eggs in one hand and his basket in the other, like he didn't realize that his basket was for carrying the eggs. Ha ha...once he figured that out, he was unstoppable.

Since Dave was working, I was doing this with both kids solo. I made the executive decision to let Leland do the 0-3 age group with Alden (instead of the 4-7 age group) so that I wouldn't have to worry about watching keeping track of one while the other was gathering eggs. That sounded stressful. Leland didn't mind. :)

They had quite the haul...and then they enjoyed some hot dogs.

Sunday was, of course, Easter. The boys woke up and checkout their Easter baskets before church.

Both boys got bubbles, books, sidewalk chalk, sunglasses, a chocolate bunny, and some candy-filled eggs.
Leland got some Legos and a Rescue Squad Mater tub toy.
Alden got a small garbage truck toy and a large dump truck.

Then we went to church and Leland came home singing some songs he learned in the church preschool program. I love hearing my boy praising God. It's the sweetest ever. We also sang some of my favorite songs and I always get emotional during Resurrection Sunday service. I'm not a big crier, but I definitely get teary on Easter Sunday. Every time.

After church, we had our own little egg hunt at home. The Easter Bunny didn't hide the eggs too well...they were pretty much all out in plain sight. Maybe next year he'll make it a little more challenging (if the weather is decent enough that we want to be outside).

Yes, there is snow, but it was close to 50 degrees, and we live in Michigan, so we're tough. No coats.

We had a packed weekend and I am so thankful that we are on spring break so we can recover from it easier. We've all had entirely too much sugar and not nearly enough sleep. I would hate to see what our morning would look like if we had school.

I hope all of my wonderful friends and family members had a blessed Easter. He is risen indeed!

Big Boy, Big Changes

As if I wasn't already aware of how big my baby is getting, this weekend has forced me to see how fast Alden is growing up.

Example 1:

Over Christmas break, we tried to get rid of the pacifier. He only uses it when he's sleeping or sick, but we figured he was old enough and it was time to be done with it. Usually, when we make any big change like that, we try to do it over an extended break (Christmas, spring break, Thanksgiving, summer) so that it doesn't affect their daycare/school routine.

Well, it didn't work. He wasn't ready. But last week, he went to bed one night without asking for it, so I thought we'd go with it and be done. We were paci-free!

Example 2:

A few weeks ago, he started climbing out of his bed. He was pretty good at it and never fell or got hurt, but I wasn't comfortable with him doing it. Also, sometimes he would get out to get something (water, pacifier, toy), but then couldn't get back in so it was disrupting his sleep (and mine) quite a bit. So this weekend, Dave made his bed into a toddler bed. 

Eventually, when we have another baby, Alden and Leland will probably have bunk beds, but for now they'll continue with separate bedrooms.

Alden wasn't sure what to think about his big boy bed at first. He liked it, but then at bed time asked for us to put the "ladder" (rail) back. He slept well the first night. The second day for nap and then at bed time, he had a rough time, so we gave him his pacifier back. The bed is a huge change, and he was sick this weekend, so...baby steps. I'm certain he won't go to kindergarten with it, and it's not hurting his speech or anything, so I'm okay with it for now. (And we can now cross off example 1 above.)

Example 3:

And finally, we put the high chair away. For the last couple of months, Alden hasn't been using it anyway. Leland usually asks to sit in it (because he wants to be a baby again), but it was time to put it away. At least until another baby needs it. In the meantime, we have two big boys who sit at the table as such.

I love watching my boys grow up and each new stage of development is an adventure. But it's still hard to see them grow up so fast. I miss them being so tiny. Thankfully, they're both mama's boys, so I still get all the snuggles I want.

In fact, here's an adorable conversation with Alden from yesterday when we were rocking before nap:

Alden: I wuff you.

Me: I love you, too.

Alden: A hugga? (hug)

(We hug.)

Alden: A kiss?

(We kiss.)

Alden: I go night-night now.

Sweet baby. No matter how big he gets, he'll always be my baby.