Easter Weekend 2011!

We had a very special Easter this year. We spent the weekend celebrating by coloring eggs, having an egg hunt, a visit from the Easter Bunny and Easter Mass. 

 On Friday night, we colored eggs. The girls had a great time. Adriana was really into it this year.

She kept laughing and smiling as she pushed the egg around in the cup.

 They were delicious, too!

On Saturday, Uncle Tommy and Aunt Danielle came over and we had an Easter egg hunt in our front yard. Heading out to find eggs! 

So fun! 

Gabby of course found the most but she was a great big sister and helped Adriana find some, too.

They were everywhere!

Opening the eggs to find candy and money!

Easter morning was so much fun! Gabriella and Adriana were both so excited to find what the Easter Bunny left for them!

Inspecting the bunny tracks in the kitchen. Adriana was fascinated! Gabby remembered these from last year and kept asking all week if the Easter Bunny would leave his prints again this year. 

The girls received baskets full of candy, bikes, the Disney movie Tangled and the Good Night Moon counting board game. 

The Easter Bunny hid their baskets again this year. After they found them (Gabby's was behind her coat on the coat rack and Adriana's was nestled behind the TV) they ate several pieces of candy!

Our family after the girls hunted for a few eggs on the church's lawn.

A Week of Fun

Nonna's visit lasted a little over a week and we had so much fun! Last Tuesday was her birthday and we celebrated with a movie, dinner and cake. We went to see HOP and the girls really enjoyed it. It was a cute movie and perfect to see before Easter.

Nonna and the girls outside of the theater.

Gabriella and Adriana were so cute sharing a seat and a bucket of popcorn. Sisterly love for sure!

After dinner, we came home and sang "Happy Birthday!" to Nonnie and enjoyed some chocolate cake. Yum!

*** 

Thursday we headed to Tulsa to spend a long weekend with Daddy who is now living there and has been for nearly a month. Need less to say, it was nice having Nonna with us all week, and especially great to have her drive down with us. We took the girls to a place called Incredible Pizza for dinner and they enjoyed the games and rides afterward. 

Riding in the Flintstones car!

Gabby on the train.

Gabby and Daddy racing. She loved this one!

Adriana and Nonnie watching Gabriella and Daddy go around the track.

On Saturday we went to Norman for OU's Spring Football Game. The girls had a chance to sit on the Sooner Schooner which they loved. Seeing the horses up close was the best part for them. G-Pa was down there visiting friends so Nonna and G-Pa met up there and flew back to Florida a few days later. It all worked out so nicely. We had a great time at the game and we had a wonderful visit with Nonna! 

Cousin Mangino's Baby Shower!

He's almost here! On Saturday, Mommy, Nonna and Gabriella went to Aunt Danielle's baby shower. It was such a fun afternoon! We are so excited to meet this baby boy. He is due to arrive in early June. The shower's theme was "Bookworm" so he received many great books for his library. 

Aunt Danielle is showing everyone the football onesie Gabriella and Adriana got their cousin. How appropriate for our family, right? The girls also chose the book Goodnight Moon - one of their favorites -  and sippy cups. There is a really cute story behind the sippy cups. A month or so ago, our family went out to dinner with Uncle Tommy and Aunt Danielle. Gabby was inquiring about the baby and asked if he eats and drinks in Aunt Danielle's belly. Aunt Danielle replied with a yes and then Gabby asked, "Does he have a sippy cup in there?" It was so cute and funny! 

Aunt Danielle asked Gabby if she'd help her open gifts. Gabby was so excited at the invitation. She did a great job and even commented on how she was starting to sweat and needed a drink. But, she powered through and helped with just about every gift and there were lots! Here they are opening the stroller that our family got for them. We also picked out some accessories for his room and the book  Where the Wild Things Are. 

Aunt Danielle and Gabriella after they finished opening gifts.

Gabby was also a big winner! She had  (with Nonna's help) the closed guess as to how many gummy "bookworms" were in the jar. The winner got to take the jar home so now we have a lot of gummy worms to enjoy!

Aunt Danielle's Mom and sister hosted the shower and had these adorable center pieces that they handmade. The bear on the motorcycle was darling (above) and the bear in the bassinet was just as cute (below).

Nonna, Mommy, Aunt Danielle and Gabriella after the shower.

Adriana wasn't able to join us because the shower was during her nap time, but she had fun with all the goodies we brought home. She is wearing the glasses that the table centerpiece bookworm wore. She's such a ham! 

Adriana's 18 months!

As mentioned in the prior post, Adriana turned 18 months last weekend. David took this picture on his phone on Saturday and we think it's so sweet! We had to share it with everyone. She is so stylish in her hat!

At her 18 month check-up yesterday, she weighed 21 pounds (8th percentile) and I believe 31 1/2 inches (40th percentile). She is a growing girl! She got one vaccination but it was her last until she starts Kindergarten. Like her Daddy, Adriana walks on her toes and has done so since learning to walk at 13 months. I discussed this with her doctor and she recommended that we meet with a physical therapist so that we can learn stretches and exercises that will encourage Adriana to put more weight on her heels. The doctor wasn't overly concerned, but Mommy wants to improve her walking so we are going to start PT soon. We'll keep you posted!

A Great Spring Weekend

We had a really fun weekend while enjoying the warm spring weather. We soaked up as much sunshine as we could since it's been chilly and rainy most days in recent weeks. On Friday, we met up with our friends, The Wrights, in Kansas City at Wonderscope, a children's museum. The kids had a really great time. The last time we visited, Adriana and Jace were just a few months old and slept most of the time in their carriers. This time all four kids had a blast playing and exploring!

Pretending to be doctors examining the babies. 

Adriana loved the water tables. We had a hard time getting her to leave. 

Concentrating in the art room.

Gabby and Jaxon painting their faces. They really enjoyed this one.

Gabby's final creation. She did it all by herself and she was quite proud of her work!

***

Saturday was another sunny day. It was also marked Adriana's half birthday. She is now 18 months old! We truly cannot believe it. She is a busy and funny toddler. She talks non-stop. She speaks at least a couple hundred different words and is starting to put two word phrases together like "let's go!" and "socks on." She has a sweet and hilarious disposition, but has also started throwing tantrums. Her tantrums are rather dramatic and are more frequent than we remember Gabby's at this age, but they are short-lived (thank goodness!). If we ignore her, she will stop fairly quickly. Despite this, she really is a an adorable and loving little girl.

After dinner, we potted some white pansies and red begonias. The girls had a great time - what child doesn't like playing in dirt?

 Adriana trying to give Mommy her glove. She really liked how all four of us had our own pair of gloves.

Digging and making room for the flowers and new potting soil.

Helping Daddy set the flowers in the pot. Next weekend we are hosting an open house and we hope the flowers will add a special touch!