Eggcited for Easter!!!

Well pelt me with eggs and slap me silly...it just can't be possible that we just celebrated Hallie's second Easter.....WOW! It just couldn't have been a year since we were in Enid for her first Easter. I have a confession to make: I had this silly expectation and hope that Hallie would be able to say "Jesus" by Easter Sunday. We gave it a really good effort at learning that special name...but we will keep working on it. It shant be long my friends.

We had a very busy Easter morning as is every Sunday morning. Riley snatched Hal from her crib while I hurried to get her Easter basket set up in the living room so that it would be her first sight.

Oh she saw it alright......

And promptly dumped it out to better assess her goodies.....

I guess my basket arranging skills weren't to her liking

The sidewalk chalk that I'd picked out for her was quite the hit. In fact she wouldn't put it down to look at everything else the Easter bunny had to offer....

Mr. Bunny hooked the girl up. She's all set for movie watching in the car....

She's ready for lots of summer walking.....

Ready for bedtime stories...

And every girl could use a couple more cup options...

Moral of the Easter basket story....the girls' just a tad bit spoiled. Sheesh! But in my defense I could not help myself. Every time I made a trip somewhere I found something else that needed to go in the basket. Mom used to prepare the prettiest, most eggstravagant Easter baskets for us girls.....so I'll blame my madness on her. ;)

Like I mentioned we had a very busy morning. Hallie downed some breakfast, took a bath, got all gussied up, I did the same (a lot less gussied up than my darling lil lady though) and prepared a lil somethin' to take to the church potluck Easter breakfast.

The night before was a little bit hectic being that Hallie and I didn't get back until 10:00 and I needed to get her to bed, make a Walmart run, get some gifts ready and do a little bit of decorating. Not that anyone saw or cared, but I enjoyed it if only for a day....

This little gal had other things on her mind when it came time to get pretty. I'll give you a hint. His name starts with 'M' and ends with an 'ickey.'

"Mom, I ain't got time for this dressup business"

After a little convincing (aka bribing her by promising a turkey hunt outdoors) she laid eyes on her precious outfit.

Can I just tell you how much I die everytime I look at this picture??? She's got the model pose down!

Do you think she knew she was looking pretty cute??

Just maybe. Geez, she's a pretty little girl. Ok, I'm done bragging.

Ok, maybe not done just yet. ;) Can I brag about how adorable I think these two people are walking into church together??

And can I talk about how stinking precious I thought it was that she waddled herself all the way to the door carrying her bee basket???

Ok friends, thanks for letting me do that. I just couldn't help it. ;)

The entire morning of events at church was just eggcelent! First the three of us ate breakfast together....

"When's the egg hunt start?"

The egg hunt was about to begin but Hal and I unknowingly broke the rules when we went outside to pick up some eggs. Oops. Riley came out to tell us that we had jumped the gun a bit. Cheaters. Nanny served as a very good distraction for Hal so that I didn't have to drag her away from the eggs. She was preoccupied after seeing Nanny afterall. Is this not the sweetest hug ever??

The egg hunt began for real this time so we made our way to the courtyard where the three and under kiddos were able to search for eggs without being in the big kids' way.

All of the sweet babies running around were absolutely adorable....

Hallie's little cousins Bowen and Bhric posed alongside her for a picture with their baskets full....

And I convinced forced Riley to sit for a family pic. My two loves cooperated very nicely I must say....

Our egg huntress played the part well in her dress. She was very lady-like and polite with her egg hunting. I am just so in love with this child....

Hallie went to the nursery with Aunt Christy while the grownups went to church. Carmen came to service and Nanny went to snatch up Hal when it came time for children's moment. Kylie held Carmen on her lap and Hal ran down front (after faceplanting from tripping on her dress) and found a seat on the outskirts of the crowd of kiddos. Then the children's sermon began. I cannot be held responsible for all events that happened after that moment. ;) Yes, I just typed a smiley face because now I laugh about what happened. But in the moment I was dying just a little bit inside...dying of embarrassment. My dainty little, well-behaved (up to that point) little girl began to pull the cushions off of the alter rail and waved them around a bit. Then she decided to make a balance beam out of the rail. A few seconds later she spotted her "dada" who was an usher at the back of the congregation. Well of course she jetted off in his direction racing down the aisle. He had plans to grab our crazy lady but she darted away from him at the last second and made her way down the aisle by where we were all sitting. She continued to wander around up front. By that time I was shaking my head and mortified. As she darted back up our aisle I finally decided that this wasn't going to end so I stepped out and grabbed her out of Riley's arms (he finally caught her) and off we went to the nursery. The congregation was entertained, no doubt about that. Me, I was too embarrassed to return to service. The little toot had a silly little grin on her face like "mom, did you see what I just did?!?" Yes. Yes, baby girl. I did. Everybody in church and God just saw what you did. Ok, maybe I was being too serious about it. Yes, yes I was. Ok, it was flipping hilarious. Riley still laughs about it every night since it happened.

After service we had our Easter celebration at Nanny and Papa's house. Aunt Kylie, Grandma Ida, Aunt Katie and Uncle Luke and cousin Carmen rounded out the guest list. Gman had plans to come to Woodward for lunch and spend the afternoon with us but he hurt his back while cleaning out the garage so decided to stay home and rest. The boys were laying low to avoid our pleas to take family pictures but we somehow managed to wrangle them up.

The beautiful Shirley fam!

Hallie changed into her second outfit of the day. This one being a precious Eastery two piece MudPie  outfit that Nanny picked out for both of her grandbabies. It even came with a matching duck purse with a little egg inside. The weather was gorgeous.....sun and 70s....couldn't ask for more.

Don't let this picture fool you....Riley was about one picture away from sticking his tongue out or just covering up his face completely. I love that man for putting up with me!

And this silly girl making faces....I happen to love her too.

It wouldn't be a photo shoot without getting the girls in coral in on the action....

Is that "Mr. I Hate Pictures" I see????

The snapping fun moved to the backyard where I'd put a bright pink mat down for the girls to play and open their gifts. But before I could corral my gal she spotted the mother of all Easter eggs across the yard. I mean HUGE!! She approached with caution.....

"I come in peace....I'm new at this"

The egg was nearly as big as her torso. She seemed a bit stunned...

"Was this chicken on steroids?"

She carried her prize over to the mat with Carmen where she found a surprise that popped out!

Carmen found one too!!!

The girls rolled around and sorted through their gifts while Kylie, Katie and I paparazzi'd the heck out of the girls in their matching outfits....

You didn't think we were done taking pictures, did you?? Not even close......

Hallie opened a recorable penguin book and a cute zebra outfit from Nanny and Papa....

Nanny attempted to show Hallie how cool the book was but it was the gift from cousin Carmen that had Hallie a little bit occupied.....

"Give me just a minute to down these Nanny"

Cousin Carmen, Luke and Katie got Hallie a bunny container full of her favorite snacks, a couple cute outifts and a sweet little nightgown. The guys stood on the porch and wondered if we would ever stop taking pictures so that we could go eat lunch. So inside we went for that much-anticipated Easter lunch. I was a little less excited than normal this year. It had something to do with these relentless allergies and by inability to taste food. I hear the ham that Luke cooked was stellar. And the cheesecake too. I hear that was good as well. ;)

The girls were definitely ready for the grown ups to finish eating and join them in their adventures. Kylie and Carmen got some snuggle time on the couch....

Papa and Hallie did some turkey calls from the back porch...

"Teach me everything you know about turkeys Papa"

It was time to finish up the hunt after lunch so Hal set off with Aunt Ky to find the remainder of the eggs....

She found the one in her tiny little purse

Loving this picture

Carmen and Papa finished out the egg hunt by inspecting the basket for defective eggs....

Both of the girls were looking undeniably sleepy so we all went home to tend to our droopy eyelids. Well, at least Hallie and I did. But first there was one last package waiting for Hal. Meme had sent the Easter bunny on an extra special mission for some learning cards and books. Hal opened her gift in the same fashion as before and dumped it out on the floor for better viewing...

She seemed pretty intruiged by these Dr. Suess shape and color cards which I promised her we'd open after a very long nap! Wishful thinking, huh? ;)

"Can't we start learning now??? Must I take a nap?"

Yes, baby girl. You must. I haven't really mentioned yet the kind of mood I was in by the time afternoon rolled around. A giant funk just came and overtook my Jesus-worshipping, Easter-celebrating, family-loving body. And that funk wouldn't budge all day from then on. I didn't invite him over but he stayed. That's for sure. It mainly revolved around these reasons: 1) my sinuses felt like it was about to explode 2) I couldn't stop coughing and I hadn't slept well in three nights 3) I'd spent 8 hours the day before driving in the car (part of the way with a screaming and tired daughter) 4) Hallie was not the happiest of campers since we'd decided to wean her from her binky and 5) there was just a bit of sadness over missing my mom and family over the holiday weekend. There you have it....my pity party in a nutshell. So after a failed nap attempt I woke up along with the funk laying right beside me. I'm tellin' ya, he was persistant. If only I could describe my bad mood in terms like this to Riley and have him laugh instead of want to hurl sharp objects at me for being a cranky and not-fun-to-be-around kinda person, wouldn't that be nice. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a tad bit but not much. Lord bless their souls for not strangling me. I tried with all my might to dig out of my funk and sickness to make the best of what was left of the beautiful holiday but it turns out I had no energy left.

So now that I've totally been a Debbie Downer and yuckied up the beautiful Easter post I'd like to say something POSITIVE......God's grace sure is a beautiful thing. Despite the darkest of days the sun always rises the next and gives new hope. Hope. Isn't that what everyone's looking for anyway? God is so good. Hallie would have to agree because this is how she ended her Easter Sunday....

Hallie's Day with the Fan Club

Hallie Grace was blessed with a day full of time with her Enid fan club. They were my heroes and kept her entertained all day while I went to cousin Angela's baby shower in Tulsa. I dropped Hallie off around 11:00 and she was just as pleased as I was to get out of the car and stretch. We were greeted by Gman, Dara and Aunt B.....they were just a little bit excited to see their girl. ;) Gman and Dara took her for a wagon ride and did some swinging in the backyard while they waited for Aunt B and Uncle Spencer to go return.

First order of business: lunch time.

Hal's first Happy Meal...and possibly her last. I hear she was a fan. ;)

Second order of business: naptime.

The girl got a late start with lunch so she snoozed almost the entire afternoon away. The fan club had big plans to take Hallie down the road to the park to fly kites, have an egg hunt and play. After the girl awoke from her chicken nugget coma she got all prettied up and loaded up for a ride to the park...

Even more fan club members joined them once they got to the park. Aunt Lisa and Uncle David brought some eggs and a basket so that Hallie could go for a hunt and Spencer's brother and girlfriend were also there to meet Hallie Grace. Based on the enormous amount of pictures I received that day she was eating up every last second of the attention.....

"You can feel free to leave me any day mom"

Gman has been waiting and waiting for the perfect day to take the big kite out for a flying session. I wasn't sure how much Hallie would be aware of it or how interested she would be but judging by this picture it didn't matter because it looks like the three guys over there are having a blast on their own.....

;)

Nothing makes my heart smile more than to see my dad and my girl together....

No need to worry Gman, it looks like your girl is a kite flying fan!

Looks like a pro

How incredibly sweet are these next few pictures that Aunt B sent me?!? I just can't get enough. Makes me wish I would've been there to see her joy first hand.....

Any picture with "two men and a baby" always puts a smile on my face....

She showed her fan club members how a big girl gets her play on......

The afternoon must've been exhillerating by the looks of her hair.....

I had a very long day in the car but it was broken up by time spent at the baby shower and some shopping time with Nanny in Stillwater. We had a good time and made some quick buys before it was time to hit the road. Nanny headed straight to Woodward and I to Enid to pick up munchkin. She was waiting at the door for me and when Aunt B opened the door she came running full speed into my arms. Holy sweetness!

I think I missed her more

I just feel blessed. These awesome people in our lives don't have any idea how happy it makes me to know that they love this little girl of mine so much. Enough to make a special day for her. Enough to surround her with love. Hallie Grace doesn't even know how lucky she is.

My girl's growing up on me

Learning new things by the second.

Saying new words my the minute.

Doing new tricks by the hour.

Fulfilling us by the day.

Growing by the month.

And she's almost two years old.

Along with this big girl status comes some big girl expectations.  We have recently taken on quite a challenge. Saying "bye bye" to binky. Aunt B has been reminding me often how unhealthy it is for her little teefers. But I've honesly been terrified to even begin weaning off her beloved bink. But we finally bit the bullet and started last Sunday afternoon. I decided we would wean slowly instead of rocking her world and just taking it away. I'm telling you, this girl had a super addiction. Notice I said "had." She's made some huge progress this week. She used her binky only for naptime and nighttime (and one day when she was sick and I felt downright mean for taking it away.) When she woke up I'd pop it out of her mouth and say "big girl don't need binkies." She seemed alright with that. She hasn't asked for it or looked for it. But I don't want to disillusion you and make you think that everything has been peachy keen because that is far from the truth. Her binky has obviously been "plugging up" a lot of her whining. I didn't realize how much whining potential she had until we took it away for good today. Oh my. Why did I choose Easter to do this?? I'll never know. I figured that I'd been up all night coughing this whole week so I might as well do it now since sleep hasn't been easy to come by anyways. I'm so happy to say that she took a nap without binky and went to bed without binky tonight. No cries from her. Yet. Fingers crossed.

Despite the extra whining and overall restlessness, things have gone better than I'd expected. In fact she has been talking a lot more and saying more two word phrases since we unplugged her pretty little mouth. It turns out she has a lot to say. One two word phrase in particular had me rolling on the floor. "Meme" is Emmi the puggle's new Hallie-given name. Well "Meme" was in Hallie's way today so she patted her on the back and said "move Meme!!" It should come as no surprise that a lot of her phrases are commands. She's not shy about telling people how it is. I knew this was coming, all of this talking business....but I can't help but be a tad bit sad about it. Before long we will be practicing with a big girl potty.

Tonight was a special moment for the two of us. Probably silly and simple to most but I got a thrill out of cuddling up in our new bed with her. We pulled out her new learning cards and books and got to reading. To my delight she was a big fan of her Dr. Suess shape and color cards. Wahoo! She didn't want to get down when we were done but her head was drooping and she was obviously in denial that sleep was coming after her quickly. I laid her down in her crib without the security of her binky, sang her a lullaby and closed the door....she was out like a light.

I'm thrilled to be mommy to a pretty special gal.

Baby Jesse's On His Way

Saturday was Riley's cousin Angela's baby shower in Tulsa. Although there were many requests to bring little one along with me I decided to forego the terror in the car and keep the screaming to a minimum. Riley spent the day at home painting the outside of our house (that man will take on any job, I tell ya!) so Hallie made the first leg of the long trip with me and I dropped her off in Enid for a day with family. Judging by the drive to Enid neither of us would've been in a great mood upon arriving in Tulsa had we ridden the entire trip together. I pulled into the church at 2:00 on the dot. How's that for Mr. Magellan's calculations. I had to rely on my friend Magellan this trip considering that Tulsa and I are not familiar with one another whatsoever. In fact, I'm just downright terrified of driving there....but I must say I was proud that I only got two honks and one not so nice hand gesture. I had expected more! ;)

There were a lot of faces that I hadn't seen in a very long time. Riley's grandma, Aunt MaryAnn, Aunt Sandy, cousin Hannah, Linda and Lonna and of course the woman (and man) of the hour....proud parents-to-be Angela and Don. Don's mom and Aunt Sandy hosted the beautiful shower. You could tell how much thought and effort they put into making it a special day for Angela. Here are a few pictures I snapped of the shower.....

This was delish! It had blue raspberry Koolaid in it

An adorable cupcake cake

Some of Don's baby gear

She had a very good turnout...which meant tons and tons of gifts!!

Aunt Sandy embroidered this precious little bib for the monkey she placed on top of the diaper cake....

Might I add that it was her first stab at a diaper cake and I'd say she did a pretty great job!

Finally! I got a picture of the momma to be!

Angela and Don with the hostesses and Jesse's grandma MaryAnn

 

It was nice to catch up with everyone at our table. It'd been quite awhile since we'd all been together. It won't be that long until the next get together because Angela and Don are having a celebration in July. Baby
boy is entering a family with a LOT of girls....he's gonna be a pretty spoiled little guy with that being said. ;)