Easter 2012

I love Easter.  The most important reason I love Easter is because it is the day my Savior rose from the grave!  I also enjoy the new dresses...the time with family...the Easter basket...and hiding eggs. :o)

We had a wonderful service at church this morning and then headed to Jonathan's parents' house.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and yummy banana pudding (delicious!).  Hallie got a really cool sticker puzzle that she worked on after lunch while Daddy hid her eggs.  Then Hallie had an egg hunt for one.

Watching Hallie run around, finding every egg herself made me long for what I had as a child...for Hallie (if that makes any sense).  I will never forget the days of heading to Mawmaw's house for Easter lunch. After lunch, all the aunts and uncles hide the Easter eggs for all 20+ cousins.  Those are cherished memories...and I wish so much that Hallie and her cousins could have the same thing...getting together at Mawmaw's house, waiting patiently while the eggs were hidden..and then running off all sides of the porch with our eyes on the prize (there was ALWAYS a prize egg).  Cherished memories.  :o)

But for Hallie...it's an Egg Hunt for One.  If we had time to travel to Alabama, it could be an Egg Hunt for Three with Abby and HG.  But if our Easters are spent in Waco, it'll be an Egg Hunt for One for quite some time.

Daddy & Hallie getting ready to dye the eggs...Hallie doesn't look too excited, but I promise she was. :o)

Easter Basket!

We don't make a huge deal about the Easter Bunny...so when Hal woke up, she didn't even ask about it.  She did want Katherine's brush (her AG doll).  So I sent her into the living room for it and she came back jumping that her basket was full! :o)

Ah...Chapstick...a girl can never have enough lip balm. :o)

The most exciting...the tiny egg with 50 cents in it. Haha!

She loves this and she and Daddy already wrote a story.  She chooses a sticker to put at the top (anywhere from one to three...there's a box for the stickers) of the page and then the child or a parent (or anyone, really) can write the story on the lines below the picture.  Hallie already wrote (with Daddy's help) a story about a porcupine building a tree house. :o)

Magnetic Puzzle...love Melissa & Doug!

Easter 2012...with Mollie

Hallie with Gramps & RahRah

Hunting eggs...Hallie found her "H" egg!

Checking out the goods. :o)

Photos by Hallie:  we each had to hold an egg.

Then we all had to hold a tiny flower.

Happy Easter!

Smile...

We took Hallie to the suspension bridge today to take some "Birthday: Age 5/Spring/Easter" pictures.  It was in the 80s, so it wasn't too terribly hot.  We got some pretty cute shots of Hallie...and then some pretty silly shots of Hallie. I'll share both. :o)

Happy Spring!

I have to mention that when she sat Mollie in her lap, Hallie crossed Mollie's legs and turned her head toward the camera. :o)  That made me smile.  She is too cute!

And now...a few outtakes. :o)

Hallie's "Nonna Pose" (Nonna taught her this one--lol.)

Her Egyptian pose.

Taking a picture of her Bitty Baby, Mollie. :o)

And lots of squinting eyes. 

Easter Party Pre-K Style

Since I was off yesterday and Hallie had school (we were both off today), I was able to take her lunch and stick around for her Easter egg hunt and a little party.  One of the other moms read two Easter stories and the kids played a few games.  One of the games was "Jesus Loves...YOU!" (played just like Duck Duck Goose).  The other was "Hot Easter Egg" (like Hot Potato)...the kids passed the egg around and when the music stopped, they yelled "He is Risen!"  Both were precious.  Then the kids dyed Easter eggs and made an Easter card.  I always relearn the same thing every time I visit Hallie's classroom.  And that is I could NEVER teach Pre-K. :o)  Many blessings on Hallie's teacher!

Hallie getting ready to hunt eggs.

She was counting...they were only supposed to get 16 eggs. :o)

Our sweet little girl!

Hallie and some of her friends-

Joe, Jordyn, Ellie, and Andrew

Checking out the candy...

It's really hard to get a picture of her class.  haha.

Mrs. Amy (Ellie's mom) reading the Easter story.

Sweet girl

This was the "Jesus Loves...YOU!" game like Duck Duck Goose...they had to hop like bunnies around the circle.  So cute!

This was one of their class Easter projects...some of the kids wrote sentences with Mrs. Beaudin's help.  Hallie's is in yellow. :o)

Hallie's sentence--Jesus lives in us! :o)

Little Love Notes.

I found this little jewel when I got to school. :o) Hallie loves her daddy!! I am so thankful for the sweet bond they have!

Practice Makes Perfect

Lately, Hallie has really taken to playing with her American Girl dolls. She bathes them each night and gets them ready for bed. As soon as we get home in the afternoons, she checks on them and feeds them! Hallie is going to be a wonderful big sister. I'm not so naive that I think it's all going to be roses; but I really do believe that she is going to enjoy her role as the big sister...as long as she gets enough Bug Sister attention. :o)

Mayborn Museum

Hallie and I met Hal's teacher and her two littles for the Free Sunday at the Mayborn. The kids had a lot of fun, and Hallie saw a few friends from her class!