Easter

We had a fairly quiet Easter in town this year. We've had a tradition of hiding Spencer's entire Easter basket for him to find and we added Claire's to the mix this year as well. Her's was under a chair in the dining room. It had an Elmo doll and book (her favorite character at the moment) and a couple eggs with jelly beans. She seemed to really like the doll.
We did a small egg hunt in her room. Each egg had only 2 jelly beans in them, thinking she would want to eat them all right away. We were right.

We had a late lunch at Lucian's parent's house and had a larger egg hunt with all of the kids. They hid around 100 eggs in the front yard. Claire had so much fun walking around and putting them in her basket. It kept her so entertained, she didn't even think about eating what was inside!

After the hunt, all the kids started to eat their candy and Claire asked for some. Here she is enjoying part of a peppermint patty. We gave the rest away to the older kids.

The weather was a little cool, but that didn't stop us from playing outside. Claire had fun interrupting the kickball game and chasing after her big cousins.

We even had a few Easter bunny sightings...

I was testing the lens I put on the camera when I took this handsome shot. Just wanted to share:)

I'll post some egg hunt videos next. I didn't get around to editing them yet.

Weekend Notes

Lucian, Claire and I dined at his favorite Vietnamese restaurant Friday evening. We ran into his sister Sarah and her family while we were there. This is not unusual. We typically see someone from Lucian's family there every time we go. If not, the waiter usually says "Oh, your sister/mom was here yesterday." We may single-handedly keep the place in business.

Claire enjoying a jackfruit shake

I was having Claire make a thank you card with markers and crayons Saturday morning and she started playing with tubes of finger paint in the box that were a Christmas gift. Relaxed parenting is an exercise in patience, allowing your kids to make messes you know you have to clean up. I had avoided the paints until Saturday, but talked myself into the project.

I suited Claire up in a smock my mom had made me as a baby and strapped her into the high chair. She had a blast and only ate a little of the paint. I had two mini canvases I wanted her to paint (a gift from last mother's day). She did a great job and had a lot of fun. It was pretty easy to clean up too.



Claire is very into helping and doing things for herself. I was putting away laundry over the weekend and left her in her room a few minutes alone. When I returned, she had placed all of her clean socks from the basket into a drawer. Such a good helper.

She is displaying more imaginative play as well. She received an Elmo doll in her Easter basket and carried it around all morning. She put him in chairs, gave him medicine, fed him candy and played paddy cake with him. It is so cute to watch.

Saturday night, Aunt Mimi (that is her official name now) watched Claire while Spen, Lucian and I went to dinner and a concert. We chose a Cuban restaurant, knowing Spen's love of the Cuban sandwich. He said it was the best he's ever had.
We saw the Pixies, giving Spencer a taste of a real rock show. We warned him he would likely get pushed around by the crowd, have beer spilled on him and see some interesting people. The show did not disappoint:)

My rocker boys

Me and Spen

I have a ton of Easter photos and videos I will add as a separate post later in the week. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Betty Brinn

There is a children's museum downtown (Betty Brinn) which I had been to once many many years ago. I took Spencer, if that is any indication. Lucian was supposed to be out of town at a bike ride (it was canceled due to weather) so my sister and I had made plans to take Claire Saturday morning.

I am a fan of getting to places when they open. Claire eats lunch around 11:30 and naps at 12:30 so a 9-11am activity gets us out of the house and fits in well with her schedule. Saturday was rainy, windy and cold, so an indoor activity was the perfect solution.

The museum is filled with different areas that teach kids about life. There are stores, a TV station, a construction area, farming area and much much more. Claire was a little timid to touch and climb onto things at first. But Auntie and I showed her how it's done and she was off exploring in no time.

Claire and Auntie driving a truck

Truck driving works up an appetite

Claire drove the bus to the TV station

Where she produced the news

Time for some well deserved coffee. Claire picked up this mug at one of the exhibits and carried it around for a long time. She pretended to sip out of it as she walked around. I guess she's seen mommy and daddy do that a few times.

We worked on cars

Washed up

Played in the sand

And went for dip

A good time was had by all. We will definitely go back. What kind of mom lets her daughter's hair hang in her face? The kind who has the same problem herself.

On Friday, Claire and I met Sydney (and Amanda) out for dinner. The girls sat and ate while we all chatted. Amanda and I were like well oiled machines feeding the girls, avoiding spills, picking up dropped items all while balancing conversation. Toddlers keep you on your toes, that's for sure, but they are a lot of fun.

The dinner table

Bye bye kisses

A Knight at Sea

Spencer went to prom this weekend, he was asked by a junior girl (sophomores cannot go without an invitation from an upper classman). So, some simple math would tell me we have 2 more of these to look forward to. The theme was "A Knight at Sea," his school's mascot being the Knights. Here are some highlights.

A quick photo taken at our house outside. Too bad it was snowing!

We brought Spencer to a friend's house for photos before the dance. My main job was keeping Claire from breaking something in the amazingly beautiful home we were in. But, for a minute I had to pin on Spencer's boutonnière. It's nice to feel needed. What you can't see in the photo below is Claire behind me raiding a bowl of M&Ms on the coffee table. Whatever works, right?

The big group

Spencer and his date, Katie

A lovely candid shot, courtesy of Lucian

Boarding the limo

We think Spencer had a good time. One of the kids in the group hosted an overnight where they stayed up all night! Spencer slept for 8 hours Sunday after returning home, so I only visited with him over dinner Sunday night. I'm sure he will be more energetic today and we can hear more about the dance.

Quick Weekend Recap

Saturday I went to a friend's bridal shower and then met my sister to tailgate and attend the Brewers vs. Cubs game at Miller Park. It's hard to remember the last time I was away from Claire for a chunk of time like that (on a weekend). Selfishly, it felt pretty of good.

The tailgate was a little chilly, but the roof was closed on the stadium so we were warm and cozy for the game.
After heading to the park Sunday morning, the weather got warmer and warmer. We decided to go for a bike ride and have lunch somewhere. We found we were all a little over dressed.

Our timing was a little off, pushing Claire's meal time and nap time back further than she's used to. She was a trooper until we were headed home and cried most of the way.

It was great to play with Claire outside, she absolutely loves it. I know this summer will be filled with lots of activities. She is at such a great age to interact and play with. We are ready for continuous warm weather.

We were hanging out on the deck last night before Claire went to bed. We all played ring around the rosie and enjoyed looking at the moon. Here's a quick vid of Claire talking about it.

Fun at the Park

We were playing in the house Sunday morning, swinging Claire by her arms in her room. She wanted to do it over and over again until Lucian looked at me and said "Let's go to the park and swing." There is a park very close to our house and we were there by 8am. We were also the only people there.

Lucian has been educating himself about photography and how to best use our camera and lenses. He brought it with us and took some amazing shots.

Warm weather please?

Although Lucian braved the outdoors for a bike ride Saturday morning, Claire and I were not up to the challenge. Instead, I took her to an indoor play place to get some exercise and have fun. We got there right at 9am when it opened to avoid the crowds.

She had a blast crawling through the jungle gym...

grocery shopping...

and playing giant connect four.

Who doesn't love bubbles? Here is a very short and very small video I shot with my phone. I have to remember to turn it the other direction!


Here's a shot of Claire with some of her buddies at daycare. Ian is the boy on the right. She loves to say his name when I ask her about daycare. She also wants to know where he is when she wakes up from her nap during the day.


Lastly, here's a little note about some of Claire's favorite foods. She loves pesto! I sneak broccoli in there and put it on gnocchi. She can't get enough.

She also loves yogurt and is getting much better at feeding herself.