This was the year that Mags became an expert in the easter egg hunting part of Easter. Earlier in the week we went over to visit the Merks and had a practice session of finding eggs. The eggs were stuffed with crackers, cheese, and slices of sandwiches, so that at the end of the hunting session, each kid had their lunch to dump out on their plate. Both Connor and Cameron were remarkably sweet to Maggie in helping her find her eggs. After doing the hunt, we walked to a nearby park and Maggie’s dream came true when she got to wear a shark helmet and use Connor’s scooter. It was a fun way to get a bit of practice in before the Easter Bunny arrived on Sunday and a great way to get together with our friends.
I never paid much attention to the Fancy Nancy book series as a teacher, but we were gifted with a Fancy Nancy book and that was the end of it for Maggie. The character, who could possibly be Maggie’s twin, has been a favorite of ours since we first cracked the book open. We’ve since checked out almost every single Fancy Nancy from the library and Mags has gotten a few of her own books along the way and they are frequently pulled off the shelf to be read. I really like the books because they encourage creative word usage and the character is kind to her friends and little sister. I’m not ready to introduce the idea of ‘an annoying little sister’ to Maggie yet, that will probably develop on its on, no need to rush it.
There was a Fancy Nancy tea party hosted through the parks and rec department in Anacortes a couple weeks ago and we decided to go with Caroline, Cole, Erin and Mara.
*mara, in her red cowboy boots, not pictured
The description for the tea suggested that EVERYONE dress fancy. It took Maggie all of two seconds to decide what was fancy (her cape, tiara, and tutu, of course!), but I was a bit worried that my post-baby wardrobe was lacking. I think my dress, boots and babywearing front was ultra fancy, if not lacking in color….but we all felt and looked fancy in our own way.
All the little girls were sweetly dressed up in a variety of fancy things and so were the moms. We spent the first portion of the event doing tea-related crafts and the second half enjoying tea and treats. If anything, it was an opportunity for the girls to make a connection to the books that they’ve been reading and to me that is EXCITIING! We clinked our glasses together, toasted Fancy Nancy, and laughed at the fact that we were in the Anacortes Senior Center eating cut up sandwiches and having the greatest time. Not once could I have thought up such a scenario before I became a mother, certainly not with such a fancy daughter at my side.
Every single year I get this feeling when the first days of REAL Spring weather arrives. I get all giddy and ‘we need to get our projects in order’ feeling. The sun just has to make a tiny bit of an appearance for us to drop what we’re doing and head outside. We busted open our shed and pulled out some of our toys. Maggie pretty much remembered the entire inventory and wanted to take EVERYTHING out. I’m not entirely convinced that this weather is here to stay, so we left many things in there.
Maggie spent the afternoon practicing on her bike and Audrey enjoyed sitting in the bumbo watching Syd roll in the grass. When Barry (a.k.a. Captain Safety) got home, Maggie was strapped into her helmet and she continued to ride her bike until dinner was served. Seeing her enthuasium for her tricycle reinforced the birthday present that we got for her this year, a balance bike. She’ll be pumped.
I finally looked at my garden, probably for the first time in nearly a year, and called my mom to find out what some plants were and what I should do with them. I really love the part of gardening that involves rippin’ stuff up and I’m not so good at the planting part. Describing plants over the phone, when I know next to nothing, is very funny. I think this year, after tearing out that dang plant that went to seed, I’m going to actually plant some things so that our late summer garden will look beautiful. I’m determined to have some dahlias this year!!!
We also shot Maggie’s 3rd birthday pictures. This is the first year that she was involved in the process and helped to pick out fabric and set everything up. She was also very helpful and cheerful when getting her picture taken. If I hadn’t been wearing a baby on my chest while taking the pictures, I would have said it was no sweat.
Today we’re headed over to the Merk’s to do a practice egg hunt and tomorrow Bri & Darcy come to be here for the REAL egg hunt on Sunday morning. I can only imagine where ‘the Easter Bunny’ will hide eggs this year, especially with both Barry and Brian together.
