Easter 2011

What a lovely Easter Sunday! Mom-mom, Opa, MiMi, Uncle Scott, Pop-Pop and Granny J joined us for a big breakfast. Hunter loved having all the visitors and was our little entertainer, as usual. His grandparents spoiled him with lots of toys and treats in his baskets...no surprise there. This was the first Easter that Hunter could participate in an egg hunt, but unfortunately due to all the rain we have been getting the ground was still saturated in the morning, so we hid eggs around the house instead. His little face brightened each time he discovered a new egg and he just loved opening them to get all of the goodies out.

After his busy morning, Hunter was absolutely pooped and took a nice long nap. When he woke, he got his 3rd and final Easter basket from mom and dad. Then we all went outside to enjoy the gorgeous day and Hunter played with his neighborhood friends.

Hard to imagine that next year we are going to have 2 little ones hunting for eggs...we are so very blessed in life!

Canines

Hunter's top and bottom canine teeth on the left side have just started coming in and it looks like the two on his right side are not far behind!

It has made for a bit of fussiness lately, lots of chewing on his cup straws, and fingers constantly in his mouth. Can't wait until they break all the way through so our baby is a bit more comfortable!

The CIRCUS!!

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus came to Baltimore and we couldn't resist taking Hunter! Admittedly, he is a little young, but he seemed to enjoy most of the sites. He LOVED the elephants and motorcycles that drove together in a sphere the best. He also got to enjoy his first taste of cotton candy - boy did his eyes light up when he had his first bite!

After about 3 hours Hunter started to run out of steam (and so were Mom and Dad) so we headed out about 30 minutes early. At that point, we had already seen all the big events and enjoyed spending the evening together!

A Surprise Shower and Birthday Dinner!

What a wonderful weekend! Mom-mom came to visit and I planned a wonderful suprise birthday dinner for her which included cooking my first crown roast with homemade stuffing and a layered carrot cake. We went out for a quick shopping trip and when we got back, my friend and neighbor Sofia asked me to come over real quick. When I walked through the door, it was my turn to be surprised, I was greeted by a gathering of friends, neighbors, and family!

Sofia had planned a baby shower for me and I was so completely unaware. It was so very sweet and generous for Sofia to have such a wonderful gathering in my honor! I had a wonderful time enjoying good food and conversation with everyone!

Play Dough Fun!

Hunter just loves making art - coloring, forming play dough and painting are among his favorite activities. Here are some pics of some of our most recent play dough sessions!

Happy 90th Birthday Ur-Oma!!

Special happy birthday wishes from us to Oma in St. Louis! Hope you had a wonderful day!

Playground Weather

We had some wonderful spring weather come in this weekend and took the opportunity to visit a local playground. We hadn't been there since last summer when Hunter was too small to enjoy much there. What a difference a winter has made. Hunter was everywhere, climbing on everything, going down the slides by himself, playing in the sand pit. We were there for 2 hours straight and he didn't want to leave, but he sure crashed hard at nap time when we got home!!

A Week with Mom-Mom

While Ryan was in Stratton VT for the US Open, Mom-Mom came to stay with us for the week. It became clear from the Day 1 that she was Hunter's new shiny toy. He took her by the hand and led her everywhere with him and there were certain things that only Mom-Mom could do with him, Mommy wasn't allowed anymore. Of course, she loved every minute...even after he exhausted her! She lavished him with attention (his favorite thing), new toys, and lots of hugs and kisses! In fact, she spoiled me, too, with lots of help around the house and yummy dinners. We both miss her terribly and wish she lived closer!

Hunter didn't want to stop playing with the new guitar and drum set that Mom-mom got for him...and he didn't want to let anyone else play with them either - not even Mom-mom or Mommy!

Hunter's Big Boy Room

With Mason's impending arrival, we have been preparing a new big boy room for Hunter over the last couple of months. We finally got everything in and had Hunter pretty excited about sleeping in a "big boy bed". Once we got it set up we decided we wouldn't have him sleep in there right away, but would give him time to play in there and get used to it first. Funny thing is, he immediately started taking his favorite blanket and stuffed giraffe (which he sleeps with every night) into his big boy bed at night time and getting into his toddler bed. Guess he was more ready to make the move than we were. We gave it a few weeks and upon putting the final touches on his room, we let him have at it.

When he went down for his first nap in his big boy room, Ryan laid outside the door and every time Hunter got out of bed he would tell him to get back in. This went on for a while but ever since then Hunter does NOT get out of the bed once we have tucked him in. In fact, he even stays in bed and calls out for us when he wakes up, waiting for us to come and get him before he will get up. It is pretty funny...we really expected to wake up to him banging on his toys each morning...so glad that is not the case!

Here are some pictures of his new Dr. Seuss Big Boy room!

Lollipop, Lollipop

Hunter decided he wanted to look through mommy's purse and found a Tootsie Pop during his exploration. He immediately said "OOOOOOOH. POP!" Ryan and I both looked at each other quizzically as neither of us have ever given him a lollipop before, but it was quite clear that someone has at some point. We decided to let him have it as a treat after dinner and he seemed to enjoy every lick!

Of course, now, he pulls at my purse and tries to get into it constantly while saying "Pop, Pop, Pop".