Our Easter

It's awfully nice that our families like each other so much! (Grandma, Grandpa, Mimi and Papa)

Easter dress. Worn for approximately 1.3 hours, exchanged for something more play-able. (Sigh.)

One (of several!) Easter baskets. Spoiled much?

Happy girl.

Birthday Egg Hunt

Our neighbor Reece turned four over spring break and celebrated with an Easter egg hunt - what a great idea! The party was a blast. There was a bunny hop sack race, egg-on-spoon relay, egg dying, and the egg hunt of course. While last year Violet wasn't quite sure what all the egg fuss was about, she knew exactly what she was doing this time around. I had grand plans of saving her eggs and redistributing them Easter morning, but she had those plastic cups pried open and all the candy gobbled up before I ever realized what she was doing!

Sampling the spoils of the hunt.

Working her way through the harvest.

Not too keen on sharing.

The sour gummy strikes again!

Birthday decor.

Cake time!

Bean bag toss.

In the basket.

Just in case you were wondering...

Just in case you were wondering... she's pretty much awesome.

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

Being back in my parents' house has made me revert back into a 15-year-old. Hopefully a less annoying one. But just as lazy and self-absorbed as ever. As a spring break mini-vacation, it has been wonderful. Exactly what I needed. My mom has been playing nanny, albeit the world's least paid one. Seriously, I have barely seen Violet since we arrived here. They have been going nonstop from trips to the park and down to the lake to feed the ducks to having picnics on the porch. All while I'm shopping or taking myself out to lunch or just laying on the couch reading Harry Potter and not lifting a single parenting finger.

And not only is my mom entertaining our little friend non-stop, she's also back to caring for her 31-year-old "teenage" daughter. She brings me snacks on the porch. She cooks dinner and cleans up the dishes in my wake. I'm encouraged to go upstairs for nap time. She forces me to eat ice cream every night while we watch silly reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond". Violet and I are both in for a rude awakening when we head home tomorrow.

Here are some highlights from today. (I'll leave out the real high points - me on the couch, Kindle in hand, completely absorbed in my book, or me wandering aimlessly but joyfully through Target - as they don't make for interesting viewing.)

Little sis Nicki and I head out to see The Hunger Games.

Discovering the community garden just down the street. Oh, and I finally joined instagram.

A brief sighting of Violet.

Class Pet?

To be (a class pet) or not to be?

I've recently been given the option of borrowing this little lady as a class pet.

For the record, I hate the idea of class pets. I don't have one. Never wanted one. They are distracting. Messy. You have to worry about them on weekends and find sitters for them over long breaks. It's one more creature to worry about in an already crowded room. Yet another creature that won't clean up after itself.

But... it would earn me some cool teacher points. Most of the other first grade classrooms have something, even if it's just a frog or two. I've caught my students staring longingly at Tad, the neighboring reptile, whenever we pass through his classroom. And we're about to launch into our animal unit.

BUT (notice the bigger but), Matt has already declared he will not have this rodent in our house. Turtle, maybe. Gerbil, no.

What to do? What to do?

Polka Dots!

Love me some polka dots!

Hello Spring Break!

Yesterday I dropped Violet off at her Mimi's house so I could enjoy a little getaway with my book club besties, just in time to kick off my spring break. We didn't get away far, just dinner at Serenbe (remember that place?), a showing of The Hunger Games, and then a restful night at the Loughman B&B. (Matt's parents graciously lent us their home for a night so we girls could have a sleepover together. My sweet MIL even stocked the fridge for us!)

It's always so nice to spend some time with good friends. We're all so busy these days, but book club is sacred and it always brings us together once a month. And I'm continuously reminded of the importance of treasuring and nurturing these friendships. It's right up there with nurturing and treasuring my me-time. Which is what I'll be doing this spring break.

Violet and I are spending a few days at my parents' house, which translates into lots of free babysitting for me. I plan to spend a few blissful hours shopping without having to remind Violet to sit down in the cart every two minutes. I might even take a book to a coffee shop and read uninterrupted, stopping only to smile indulgently at the self-important teenage girls that will flock around their caffeinated blended beverages hotly debating Team Gale versus Team Peeta. Even the teeth-gritting idea of a Walmart errand run seems relaxing when I know I won't have to tote Violet around with me. It's such a luxury to have doting grandparents close by.

Doing some exploring.

Throwing sticks in the water.