Happy Easter!

We had a lot of fun celebrating Easter over the past few days. We started out by decorating cupcakes on Friday and ended up with more sprinkles on the floor and counter by the time we were done. Luke and Olivia thought it was hilarious when the sprinkles got stuck to their little fingers. Saturday we went to an egg hunt in our neighborhood and then had an egghunt in our backyard with Oma, Opa, MauMaw, and PauPaw.

On Sunday morning the babies woke up to their Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny and we had another egg hunt in the backyard with Grandma, followed by dying Easter eggs-a first for Dan and me in a VERY long time. Luke and Olivia had so much fun and it is truly wonderful to see them learning new things all of the time. It's such a privilege to be their mommy and daddy! Happy Easter everyone.

Pretty pink toes

Springtime means sandals and time for pretty pink toenails. Check out Olivia's pretty little pink toes just in time for Easter!

The loss of a family pet

Our beloved bunny rabbit Onyx passed away last night in his sleep. I have had him since 2001, and he has lived in 1 apartment and 3 houses with me/us. He lived a good life, and 10 years is a long life span for a bunny. I am so glad he didn't suffer.

Here is a picture of Onyx and the babies last year at Easter. I'm especially sad he won't be here for Easter this year, but he is going to be the Easter Bunny in heaven instead. We love you, Onyx, and you will be greatly missed.

Hugs

First Camping Adventure

Now that Luke and Olivia are full on walking, we thought it was a good time to tackle camping with them. Let's just say Dan's idea of camping and my idea differ quite a bit. He's good with a tent and sleeping bag while I prefer running water and a/c =). Luckily we went with MauMaw and PauPaw, who have a camper complete with running water and a/c. We went the past Saturday-Monday to Dan Nicholas Park, which is about an hour from our house. The first afternoon was a little crazy because the storms knocked out the power and we had no hot water, but luckily the weather improved and we had great days on Sunday and Monday.

There is a lot to do at Dan Nicholas Park, and I mean A LOT! There is a fast moving carousel, a little train, a petting zoo, a huge park, paddle boats, miniature golf, friendly ducks...the list goes on. Some of Dan's family joined us on Sunday and we spent almost all day outside, including eating dinner and toasting marshmallows around the campfire. There was so much for Luke and Olivia to do they didn't really feel like napping for very long. Needless to say they passed out Sunday night!

Monday we went back to the playground for a little bit and then it was time to return home so Dan could get some work done. The days went by so fast and I think we will definitely go camping again sometime this summer.

Happy Birthday!

Today we celebrated my 34th birthday. Luke and Olivia colored a picture for me and got me a birthday cake, and Dan got me 2 beautiful Pandora charms. We also had a fabulous dinner of Bojangles (my fav!) and went to dinner with good friends on Friday night. It was a nice and relaxing birthday, which is just the way I like it!

Japan

Dan is almost halfway through his trip to Japan, and he said so far everything is going well. We are able to skype at least once a day, which is a great way for Dan to see Luke and Olivia. It's so cute; I'll say let's go talk to daddy and they look for the computer. They will also put the phone up to their little ears and talk to daddy. Adorable! He gets home late Friday night, and we are looking forward to a relaxing weekend. He returns to Japan again in May, but for now we are just taking it one trip at a time. We stay very busy with playdates, trips to the playground, trips to Discovery Place Kids, and visits with family and friends.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

St. Patrick's Day was this past Thursday, but we celebrated on Saturday by going to the parade in uptown Charlotte. Marc and Sabrina met us there, and we met up with some other neighbors for a bit once the parade was over. It was really cool to see all of the parade participants and their crazy attire.

The parade started at 11am, which it was right at Luke and Olivia's nap time. We were hoping they would fall asleep for a little bit in the stroller, but all of the noise and activity kept them wide awake. Dan and I haven't been a parade in well, never, so it was fun for all of us to go together. The weather was nice, if not hot, and the parade lasted until after 12:15. We were starting to get hungry and the babies needed a nap, so we grabbed some Bojangles and headed to The Green, a really cool outdoor area that has lots of sculptures and art pieces. They were having a festival and live music, and it was the perfect spot for an afternoon picnic. Luke and Olivia napped during our 25 minute walk, and Dan and I were able to eat while they napped some more. Bonus! They had such a fun time playing under the trees until it was time for us to leave, well after 4pm. We thought they would nap on the way home, but they rallied (Luke took a 20 min nap once we got home) and fell asleep a little early. They were worn out from the day. Happy St. Patrick's Day!