Abby at 18 months

Well, these are the best of the bunch. She was more than happy to stand or sit where told, but when it came to smiling, she wasn't so willing!

Off to the Zoo!

We took our first trip of the year to the zoo today. It was beautiful outside, so once we left church we headed straight there (hence the dressier attire). Our first animal to greet us was a beautiful peacock, sadly though, all I could think of were the fantastic feathers my friend Kiera used in her Derby hat last year!



Abby's favorite animal of the day was the giraffe, of course they were on her dress so I think she was a little biased.



We did get to see Scottie the baby elephant and his parents do some tricks!





Abby's first experience in a petting zoo.



And one of the highlights of a zoo trip is always to go to the playground. As you can see Abby loves the swings!





Our handsome boy.



"Well hello there little monkey, I'm so glad to find someone shorter than me!"



Finally, I'm free! This was Caitlyn's dress 3 years ago!



Pretty Miss Caitlyn



Welcome to dinosaur world. A current attraction at the zoo are the interactive dinosaurs. They were pretty cool and the kids really seemed to get a kick out of them.









This shot was meant to capture a scared look on Abby's face as the previous dinosaur made the loudest of the noises. Much to our surprise she growled back with a smile on her face!



And who wouldn't want to dig in the dirt for dinosaur fossils?!



Aiden's favorite since we visited the Indianapolis Zoo three years ago, the lorikeets! They were much more interested in nibbling at his shirt and pulling his hair. There was actually a third bird on his left side that can't be seen in this picture.



Daddy's favorite, the geese and ducks, although I believe he was imagining shooting something else besides our camera at them!



Caitlyn's favorite, the flamingos. Poor thing is always puzzled as to why they aren't that pink!



Another Aiden favorite, the white alligator.



A nice, cool trip around the carousel is a treat at the end of each visit! This was Abby's first time and she loved it as the other two do. Although at first she was shocked by all the animals!

Spring is Here!!!!

Finally, the flowers are in bloom! My sister had given us extra bulbs in the fall that she had run out of space for, so fortunate for us, we now have these beautiful red tulips in two clumps in our front bed. The redbud tree is centered along our fence in the backyard and we fear it may be dying out. The white blossoming tree is along the outside of our driveway in the front, beautiful and highly fragrant, but we have no idea what it is! The white tulips were planted by a previous owner and went unseen until we completely gutted the front shrubs 3 years ago. They failed to bloom until last year. What a great surprise!

Hoppy Easter!!!

So of course the day started off with the discovery of the Easter Baskets! Each kid woke up at different times which made photographing the surprises a little easier. First up, Aiden, who loved his new DSI games and sunglasses!





Caitlyn came down next to find the Barbie she had seen 3 weeks ago and reminded us about last night! Her new sunglasses were a huge hit too! Alice in Wonderland, the cartoon, is the movie she was shocked to see.





What would Abby be without a new baby, and this one babbles and moves which thrilled her!









After that excitment was over, we were off to church and then Nana and Papa's for Easter lunch. The following desserts were my contribution, starting with Nana's grandmother's cutout cookies.



In honor of my love of making, and eating, Springerle cookies, I ordered an Easter Bunny mold and made them in lemon and orange flavors. These also made their way to Florida with John's family.





These little beauties were a find from the February 2010 Southern Living. Fresh Citrus Poundcake mini cupcakes were their name with an orange buttercream frosting! The batch made so many that the lucky ladies and gentlemen at Tassels will help me finish them off tomorrow. They gave the website for the liners that I immediatly ordered when I saw and fell in love with the article. They are meant to look like daffodils! And yes, I tried to take magazine worthy pictures in abundance because I think they are sooo great!









Ashley and Andy brought a bunny bread, vegetable plate that was sooooo cute and delicious!



The pretty lunch table.



The complete dessert table that also included the "Not yo'mamas Banana Pudding."



Looks like the Easter Bunny made it to Nana and Papa's too!





I lovvvveeee this picture of John and Caitlyn!



Nana was giving Abby a little help with a troublesome egg.



I decided to have pictures taken of me with the kids since I am always on the other side of the camera!





A great family shot.



Lets find some eggs!











I've started a new resolution to include at least one goofball shot of John in each blog.