Song

I need to post this before I forget what happened, as I want to cherish this memory. Isabelle has a way of calming Eli at nap or bed time. She normally reads a book to him and sits by him as he gets tired. A few nights ago Isabelle volunteered to take Eli to bed. As I was in my room getting jammies ready, I over heard her in the monitor. It was not reading that I heard this time. It was singing. Intrigued, I moved closer to the speaker and what I heard made tears sting my eyes. It was Belle singing "How Great Thou Art" to Eli. She had every word correct and her voice displayed the true faith that she holds. It is in moments like these that I know what we are teaching them is being instilled.

Easter

Too much time has passed since I have sat down to update you all on our life around here. I figure today is an important day and I no longer have an excuse to open my laptop and type. Each night I am so tired by the time the children are in bed and since Scott is gone 2 nights per week, I am even less inclined to open my laptop. Today was a beautiful day. Kids eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Easter bunny and therefore rose at the break of dawn. Ollie first and the rest followed. They each studied the contents of their baskets and whether or not they were brought what they wished for. They waited patiently before touching anything so that I could take my typical pictures with each of them, in the same pose, with their baskets in hand.

After they enjoyed their new gifts, we got ready in our Easter attire and headed down to the Albert's for a photo shoot with their 3 day old chicks. ALL 12 of them! I The most satisfying part of my day was to sit and take in the look on their faces as they studied these tiny, furry creatures. I love how Ollie was so gentle with them. I love how Isabelle found the chubbiest one and named her "Eleanor." I love how Preston taught Eli how to handle them carefully. I love how Amelia had the idea to name them all and color code them with nailpolish. Finally, I love how Eli says "chicken."

Our day continued at the country club for brunch. The first thing we saw when we entered was the Easter bunny himself (or herself?). Eli made a mad dash to the bunny and hugged him and told me to hug him. Most kids at 2 are afraid. Not Eli. He stood by the bunny and monopolized his time, while other children tried to squeeze in. Brunch was delicious as usual, especially since I sneak to the kids buffet line for chicken tenders and tater tots. :)

The festivities continued with a trip to the vineyard for an Easter egg hunt. The bunny left a sign in our home that said "Go to Vineyard." The kids were sure he meant Mimi and Papu's vineyard. The bunny had indeed visited and hid eggs in both the living room and the vines. The kids did not take long to scoop them all up and compare what was inside. They had to compare how many dollars each had and there was a little sibling disagreement about the fairness of equal amounts. Isabelle gave in and spread her wealth to her younger siblings. Eli only cared about the candy. Exhausted, we loaded up and headed home.

Hope you all had a peaceful, happy Easter. He is risen!

*Just a side note that I cannot help but add: when we got home tonight Ollie said to Scott, "Daddy, the Easter bunny did not hide eggs." Scott reminded him that yes he did, we just went to the farm and found them all. Ollie replied, "that was not the bunny, that was Mimi. I saw her outside hiding eggs."