Easter Vacation...

We took it literally this year, and actually went away on a vacation! We took the the girls to Williamsburg

for a few days, and had a great time!

The unseasonably hot (97!) temperatures made it feel like summer, so we were able to enjoy the pool at the hotel, as well as Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg. Emma loved the roller coasters, Lila loved the animals, Ryan loved the reenactments, and we all loved spending some of the time with our good friends: Bryan, Lisa, Hailey, and Ben.

We celebrated our risen Savior with our own family service in the hotel. The kids loved telling about Easter with the "Resurrection Eggs" activity, Ryan read the account from the bible, and we all prayed around the table. My only regret was that we didn't sing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" - can't escape my Presbyterian upbringing. We had a delicious breakfast cooked by Bryan and Lisa, followed by an air-conditioned egg-hunt.

The downtime of the vacation was really nice too. The kids and men enjoyed playing tennis and basketball at the hotel - until Bryan sprained his ankle. Lisa and I had fun chatting and talking about how we were going to lose our vacation weight when we got home. (Still working on that!) There was great shopping nearby, and Emma got to finish up some research on Martha Washington for a school project. The icing on the cake was a quick dinnertime visit with our great friends outside DC on the way home.

Signs of Spring

Our new Swingset.....

Jessica, Lila, and Trudy blowing bubbles....

My fresh pedicure......

Emma jumping for joy.....

Weeds in our garden.....

Might As Well Make It Two!

A few days after Lila lost her first front tooth just by gently wiggling it in the car, she loosened the other one with a face plant in Kohl's. It was a bad scene - tears, blood, ice packs. Apparently, while walking behind me, she tripped and landed on her remaining front tooth - ouch! The tooth hung on .... until this morning. She, once again, was thrilled. I just can't believe my baby will have no front teeth to start Kindergarten in the fall! She already looks old enough with her height! Now we're going to need to bring her birth certificate to Busch Gardens on vacation to prove that she is still under 6 and free!!

Notice Anything Missing?!

....from my five year old baby's face?

Hershey = Delicious Fun!

Ryan had to speak at a conference last week in Hershey. The girls and I just couldn't resist tagging along for a little outlet shopping and indoor pool fun! It was so nice to get away from it all for just two days! Eating close to our weight in chocolate wasn't bad either. :) Ryan was able to join us for dinner both nights and at the museum on the way home.

We spent about eight hours at this pool in the 36 hours we stayed at the hotel.

Happy swimmers!

The Hershey Story Museum was great! It was very interactive, and both girls really enjoyed it!

Lila wanted me to take her picture with E.T. He's a favorite with her, and Reese's Pieces are a favorite with him.

Thank you, kind stranger, for offering to take our picture all together!

Could It Be Almost Spring?!

Please? I'm so hopeful! This has been a long, cold, snowy winter, and we're all just so ready!

(Couldn't resist adding this one of my little German girl...)

No more indoor Moonsand!! :)

Mom's Birthday Events

My mom, aka Grammy, recently turned 60, so we had a great excuse to party! Luckily, she's so fun-loving and looks so fabulous, that she doesn't even mind me posting this for all to see...

First, there was the traditional pizza party at my house.

A few days later, the whole fam took a fun trip to NYC.

We had a wonderful dinner together.

Lila and Aunt Becca enjoyed sharing a Caesar salad.

We got to see Mary Poppins on Broadway! What a fun, all-ages, way to celebrate this lady we all love so much!

Funny....

Funnier....

Funniest....

A very late night dessert stop for coffee, cheesecake....

...and ice cream!