Milestones and Easter plans

This week for the first time, Jonah reached out and grabbed something. I went to take him (in carseat) out of the car on Thursday, and noticed he was clutching his pacifier in his hand. He had an intense look on his face, like he wished he could figure out how to bring it to his mouth. Today he was stuffing his bib into his mouth, and he's started to drool. The teething begins.

Tonight after dinner we went outside to run around. Lavella was wearing a dress with a pocket in the front. Some neighbors came out and gave my children Popsicle (the kind that come in a plastic sleeve; sticks of icy, mouth stinging artificial flavor and color). Within moments, Lavella had ditched her plastic sleeve and was clutching the bare Popsicle in her little hand, juice running off of her elbow. After a few moments I heard people laughing, and realized that she'd put her Popsicle into her dress pocket for safe keeping while she ran around. It was a mandatory bathtime as soon as we got back upstairs.

Yesterday, we went to a friend's house (Heather, and her children Stella and Ezra) to dye and decorate Easter eggs.




After we'd completed our decorating and had eaten lunch (avocado, bacon and cream cheese sandwiches on homemade whole wheat -- so good!), we went out into the backyard. Heather has a huge, multi-level backyard that includes a garden house with fire-pit and mini-kitchen, and a huge trampoline on the highest (and biggest) tier of the yard. What follows is a random collection of photos from the day, as well as two super-short videos of the boys jumping (they especially wanted Greg to see them). You will notice an inordinate number of jumping photos -- I had a hard time paring them down, because the sight of a small child mid-jump is just too hilarious to me.

(These two small ones are videos -- click to view)









Heather walking with Ezra and Lavella










"I just like to sit somewhere comfortable." (Andrew and Stella in the garden house getting a drink -- quote by Andrew.)




I can't get over how much he looks like me in this pic when I was little. A very masculine version of me, of course. I'll have to try to locate some shots of me with that expression; I know I've seen it somewhere.




Elijah decorated Jonah with a dandelion. (Both photos by Heather.)






When the forsythia are in full bloom, I feel like it is at last truly spring.









Garden house




Lavella and Stella picking flowers










When I was reviewing these picks with the boys, this one made them collapse in giggles.










Tomorrow I will put together an Easter egg hunt for the children (with the candy filled plastic eggs from Poppy and Nana), we'll watch the Donut Man Easter video (can't remember the name of it, but we own it), and color pictures of the Biblical Easter story while discussing it. I don't have any special plans for dinner, because my little guys surely won't appreciate it, and it would be too sad to make something interesting to eat alone, so we'll have something happy and kid-friendly.

Hope you all have a wonderful, happy Easter, and are able to spend it with those you love.