A Very Special Week!

We've had such a special week starting with a wonderful Easter! Andrea got in Saturday night; the next morning we all woke up to Easter baskets. Rob and I gathered all Madeline's stuffed bunnies from around the house and had them poking out of cabinets and peeking from behind pillows. Madeline got a kick out of it as she padded around in her PJs! After a breakfast of bunny-shaped pancakes, we went to church, then came home to an Easter egg hunt in the backyard (we've had them daily ever since...).

Then on Tuesday, my dad and Ning came to visit. We loved introducing my dad to Charlie! Madeline just loves her Papa and Ning!! She charged into their room early every morning and kept them busy all day long. Ning painted her toe nails, and my dad playfully sat at her tiny table-and-chair set to play with playdoh and feed her breakfast. It was a quick visit, so we really appreciated our time together.

Charlie's already eight weeks old and he's smiling! It starts with his eyes...you can tell he's about to grin, and then it slowly spreads to his mouth. Any new parent can relate to this -- when your child smiles at you...recognizes you! knows who you are!...your stomach flips over and you feel a surge of love and surprise that almost chokes you.

This weekend, Madeline declared it was Elmo's second birthday, so we made a very big deal out of it. We baked him homemade sugar cookies, sitting on the kitchen floor so Madeline could help crack the eggs and spoon the batter onto the cookie sheet (by the way, this is not neat. It helps to have a dog, but still...). Then we all got dressed up for the party, lit a candle and sang Happy Birthday to Elmo (three times). Later that day, Rob and Madeline went on a Maddie-Daddy date!