Hop!

We started off our Easter weekend with a little Easter party with some friends and their moms at our house.  We had a mini photoshoot (which was much more difficult than I anticipated!):

Rudy, the chick

Avery, the butterfly

Rudy and Avery as bunnies

Dominic, the flower

and chick

Nora, the butterfly

Avery, the flower

(she couldn't quite figure out why she couldn't get her whole head through the hole)

Lincoln, the bunny

Nolan, the chick

Griffin, the bunny

Levi, looking dapper

We also got out the paint and did a little project... colorful crosses and Easter eggs!



We finished out the morning with lunch, treats, and more play time! 

John and I attempted to take the kids to see the Easter Bunny at the mall.  It was a no-go for both of them.  Rudy was brave enough to walk up to the Easter Bunny and ask him to bring eggs to his house.  He said, "Me house?  Eggs?"  The Easter Bunny nodded his head and Rudy said, "Otay!  Bye!"  And that was that.  He was not interested in any picture taking.  Poor Avery clung on so tight and was not letting go.   We have had kid-screaming pictures before, but in our defense, we were able to set them down and then the screaming started.  We couldn't bring ourselves to push them off of us as they were crying!

So we rode the horses instead!

Next up on our Easter line-up was an Easter party on Saturday morning at Grandma and Grandpa Cicci's.  Maria and Andre came in town for the weekend, so it was nice to get to spend some extra time with them!

Complete with fun, new toys...



Attempting a nice picture of the three of us... pretty much impossible, but I love it just as much.

piano playing...

playing on the popular stairs...

coloring eggs...

We thought it best to let Avery stick to decorating with stickers and staying away from the dye...

and an Easter egg hunt with cousins!  Rudy could not wait to find eggs... definitely his favorite part of Easter!

Avery would eat the candy out of each egg before she moved on to the next.  

Rudy opened up each egg as he found it, just to make sure it was full, before moving on.  By the end of the weekend he had a pretty fluid motion down of picking up an egg, popping it open, throwing it in his basket, and moving on to the next.

Like Rudy's outfit?  We told him he needed to wear something nice.  He insisted those were his "nice" shorts... and we weren't up for fighting so this is Rudy's "nice" Easter outfit this year.

Such a sweet girl 

So exciting!!

I just love this picture!

Sorting through their candy...as Avery sneaks away.  Pretty typical.  The girl does not sit still!

The baseball eggs were Rudy's favorite, go figure!

Avery sure loves her Papa's!

That evening LeeAnn, Maria and Andre brought over Rudy and Avery's Easter present... a new sandbox!

Rudy was happy to help assemble!! 

The sandbox was a hit!  The kids had fun playing in it the rest of the evening!



John and I stayed up late to check on the Easter Bunny...

He really loaded us up this year!

He even brought us a new fish!

And left his mark on the kids' chairs

The kids were so excited to check it out the next morning.  Rudy had been asking about the eggs for a long time.

Scoping it out...

Mad dash for eggs!

Still opening each one to make sure he didn't get any duds...

Working hard for those eggs!

Yay!

Yes!

Affectionately named, "Fish"

Loving her new hat :)

And no holiday would be complete without holiday-themed pancakes designed by Dad!

Avery's were still hot and she was not happy about it!

Gran came by with the presents the Easter Bunny left at her house...

A rollercoaster!

Avery found a nice spot to rest while the guys did the heavy lifting :)

Woo-hoo!

And their own tents (Gran is so crafty! - as if anyone didn't already know!)

Poor Rufus is looking at me to save him :)

Rollercoaster?  Slide?  Whatever.

Our family Easter picture, 2014

Avery's favorite expression... she was so upset that Rufus was stealing her popcorn (aka "pop-pop")!

Then on to Grandma and Grandpa Cicci's for brunch with all the "Nan's" and "Papa's" - Rudy said, "Two Nans!  Two Papas!" and Maria and Andre.

Notice Rudy's other pair of "nice" shorts... this kid...

Not a lot of pictures from this morning... at this point, I was pretty worn out!

And later that evening it was time for haircuts back at our house.  We usually cut Rudy's hair with #2 clippers.  I had a good amount done with the 2 and asked John, "Should we try a 1?  It just seems to grow so fast."  One swipe with the 1 and I immediately regretted it!  At least now we know... 2 it is for Mr. Ru! 

We had a fun-filled Easter weekend with gorgeous weather!  So blessed :)