Dyeing Easter Eggs

While Grandma and Grandpa Pierce visited, we dyed Easter Eggs. It was really fun! Alice was full of puckered lipped "ohhhhhs". I don't know why there aren't any pictures of Grandpa! He helped too!

Cupcake Walk

Ruby's always down for a cupcake!

Ali wanted one too, but after four times of not winning (and there were lots of winners each time around), she had forgotten about them and we were happy to move on.

Maltby Community Easter Fair

We went to a great, free fair-like thing at some church in Maltby. There were pony rides, eg

g hunts, a little petting zoo, face painting, big jump toys and a cupcake walk. The kids loved it.

Alice was positively not going to get on the pony, and Ruby tried to decide against it after twenty minutes in line, but we encouraged her to ride because we knew she would love it. She wasn't so sure, so she was mostly pretty serious and nervous when she rode, and then the guide asked her if she wanted to go back and forth again, the answer was a positive, "no". Her horse was named Simba.

Easter Egg Hunt

We had a little Easter egg hunt at Oma and Opa's house. It was fun for the kids. Alice knows by now that there will be treats in her egg, and she knows how to open them. She just sat right down and opened an egg and ate the candy. With this approach she only collected two eggs...fine with me!

Ruby's Easter Bonnet

Ruby made this precious bonnet at preschool! I just love it, and more importantly, so does she. Amazing the power of paper plate crafts!

So early this week while Oma was here, Ruby kept saying, "I see Popcorn!" as we'd drive. Sometimes, she'd say, "Can I have some popcorn". Oftentimes, I would think she was really asking for popcorn, then I would realize she was thinking of the primary song. So I would just agree, "Yep, there's popcorn!"

So then, we were at the park and there was a tree close by with white flowers. Ruby said, "Mom, can I have some popcorn?!" I said, "Sure," and we went over to the tree where I picked a little cluster of flowers for her. When the flowers got close to her, the excitement changed to confusion and she said (while reality was dawning on her), "That's not popcorn!"

For those who aren't familiar, there is a song the kids sing at church called "Popcorn popping on the apricot tree" that is about seeing the flowers on the tree and making a pretend popcorn ball out of them. Of course I explained that it is just a song and that it just looks like popcorn, but it is really flowers. We've been focusing on the part of the song that goes, "IT WASN'T REALLY SO, but it seemed to be...popcorn popping on the apricot tree!" She's had such fun eating things like blueberries and apples off of trees, it wasn't so far reached in her mind that there could really be popcorn growing on trees. I guess she was holding out for the white buds because we've been surrounded by pink flowering trees for weeks, and she's never said any thing about popcorn until the white flowers came on.

Ruby and Alice in Easter Dresses

We got some pictures of the girls together in their Easter dresses last week. Alice was not cooperative in the least, so some editing was necessary. I didn't spend the time to make it perfect, but you get the idea. Alice hardly has any hair at 17 months, but there's enough to get a little rubberband around a few pieces and attach a bow. That's the only option so far, and we think it is precious. They were very interested in playing in the pond that

had collected in our little "pond" in front of the house. Ruby was loving the camer as usual. THANKS RUBY!

A Day in the Yard

We had a really fun day outside as a family a few weeks ago. It was sunny and warm (enough) and we just enjoyed our backyard. Ruby was being silly.

Stink eye

Alice has so many funny facial expressions (see some in earlier posts). This is one that we named "Stink Eye". She gives it all the time. It isn't really a look that conveys the assumed emotion, she just randomly looks at us like that. So we do it back and then we laugh. She likes to play the game where she gives the stink eye and we copy her then she smiles and we copy...back and forth like that. Stink eye or no stink eye, that is one cute baby.

Alice: Daddy's Little Girl

Alice looks remarkably like her daddy. Someone actually had the nerve to ask me if I was her mommy because she had only met Chris and seen him with the girls. She said she could see a slight resemblance of me in Ruby, but not in Alice. Certainly she realizes that regardless of how much Alice looks like Chris, he didn't give birth to her and would've needed a different gene pool in order to have a child to resemble anyone. Anyway, this picture is one major piece of evidence that Chris had everything to do with the making of Alice. :)

Braden is Engaged!

My baby brother Braden is getting married the end of April. His future wife-to-be is named Amanda and everyone is really excited. I got to take their pictures on Lake Washington in Kirkland. It was strangely unfamiliar to have people look at the camera and smile. It works really well that way! Congrats Braden and Amanda!