Spring Break/Easter Weekend

Last week, the girls had "spring break" from preschool. That's right, they needed a "break" from that all that finger painting and play doh, school is rough for a 2 and 4 year old. So, we took a little trip down to Atlanta on our week off. Papa had a very special treat and got tickets for Ella and I to go to see the Lion King play with him at the historic Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Ella was watching the DVD on repeat and knew every line and song and was so excited to get dressed up for her big night out.

 Her first real play and this one did not disappoint at all.

 Special Daddy/Daughter/Granddaughter night

Inside the theatre taking it all in

 Ella loved every minute of it, she watched every scene and stayed awake and never once said she was tired or wanted to leave. It was a long play, almost 3 hours and didn't end until 10:30 which is very late for her and as soon as we were in the car, she was asleep within seconds. A big thanks to Papa for taking us and having such a special night.

 Unfortunately, the weather that week in Atlanta was not great. Mike drove down on Thursday night to join us and play golf but it was cold and rainy so plan B was bowling. DeeDee stayed home with wild one, I mean MG because we know she would have been everywhere in that bowling alley and a wreck but Ella loved it and it was actually a lot of fun.

 We mixed it up a little bit this year and went to church on Saturday evening and it worked out great. They had a great nursery that the girls went to and the adults went to church. It made for a much less hectic Easter morning. And finally a picture of the 4 of us, we don't have enough of these.

 And speaking of Easter morning, the Easter Bunny got the memo and delivered the girls baskets and treats to Atlanta. "He" made a trail of eggs from the front door to where the baskets were hidden.

 The girls were excited to see the eggs in the morning and start hunting!

 Yay, candy!!

 This girl has a love for chocolate like no one else. She could care less about any other candy or sweets but chocolate, oh yes, she LOVES chocolates.

 My big girl also discovered a new favorite treat, Peeps! That was her absolute favorite candy that the bunny left her this year. Nothing like some marshmallow wrapped in sugar, I mean, what is that even made of?

 They found the baskets!

 The Easter Bunny had a tall task this year. All Ella asked for was Elsa stuff from the movie Frozen. Well, Elsa dresses and pretty much anything Frozen is completely sold out, everywhere. The E.B. went to every Target in town and even stalked the Disney store and finally found an Elsa and Anna nightgown and luckily it was a huge hit and she was worn it every night.

 Yup, she could care less about any of the toys in her basket, she only wanted chocolate, more chocolate.

 And...this is the aftermath of all that chocolate when you tell her she can't have anymore because it is 9:00am and she needs to eat some breakfast first. Full on temper tantrum, pulled and threw her hair bow, dress up and tears galore. Not a pretty picture but it is real life.

 Shortly after that, we all had breakfast and then the weather finally improved and the guys went out to play some golf and I took the girls for a walk and this happened, the aftermath of a sugar high.

 Shortly before lunch, we headed up to my parents club for an Easter egg hunt and to see the Easter Bunny himself. Ella and Ms Laura discussing egg hunt strategy. 

 These two didn't know what to think of the E.B. At first very curious and then a little scared. Maddie wouldn't take her eyes off him all day and but when we tried to go closer, she would give me a death grip.

 Ella was definitely more open and wanted to give him a big high five and thank you for all the great Easter gifts!

 Me and little bunnies on Easter

 Despite the bad weather and tantrums, we had a great week and were so happy to spend time with family and celebrate together. Now, if I could just get rid of all this Easter candy.

Hippity Hoppity

This past Saturday was one of those great days! The sun was shining the perfect shade of Caroline blue, the temps were in the mid 70's, and we had a fun filled day. Ella had a soccer game in the morning and then went and had a special lunch with Daddy while Maddie stayed with me and napped. After naps, we woke up to get ready for our neighborhood Easter egg hunt. There are so many things I love about this neighborhood and one of them is the events for the kids. But before we went over, I had to get pictures of the girls in their matching outfits. As you can have probably seen on this blog before, I am sucker for matching outfits. I know they won't let me dress them like this forever but while I can and they think it is fun, I am going to take advantage of it!

 Credit goes to Daddy for the great looking green lawn!

 This girl and her many faces. She is a natural born comedian and loves to make you laugh so the sillier the better for her. And the even more amazing thing, I got them both standing still long enough for a couple pictures, that's a miracle in itself!

 Then we headed off for the hunt. The kids 3 and under were in the front yard and 4 and over were in the backyard. So, I took MG and Mike took Ella. There were probably only about 5 kids 3 and under so no fighting for eggs (unlike on the big kids side!). Last year, she still wasn't walking at this time and didn't really participate so this year was her first time. It was hilarious to watch. She would check out each egg, put it back if she didn't like the color (she only wanted yellow and pink ones!)

 Oh yippee, a pink one

 And then stop to open it and see what is inside!

 When she realized there was chocolate and candy inside, she got a lot more excited!

 Then she spotted something shiny, the magical golden egg! She LOVED it! She opened it to find a Ben and Jerry's gift card, jackpot!

 This girl is obsessed with my wallet! Wants to play with it all day long pulling all the cards out and putting them back in. So, she grabbed the gift card and said, "Mommy's wallet." Smart girl!

 Daddy went with Ella so there aren't too many pictures of her. There were a lot of kids in 4 and over and Ella was probably the youngest so she didn't get tons of eggs but she was still happy.

 After the hunt, all the kids gathered on the front steps for a picture!

 Love these sweet little bunnies!

Following the hunt, I had a little trick up my sleeve for Mike. His actual birthday is tomorrow but I told him we were just going to dinner with some neighbors of ours for dinner that night but surprised him at the restaurant with a bunch of friends. I think he was surprised and had a good time (maybe a little too much!) So, it was super fun Saturday and we are all so happy it is finally spring and warm weather again!!