Easter Birthday

Last year we were dedicating our newborn daughter at church on Easter Sunday; this Easter we were celebrating her first birthday. Aside from the middle of the night feeding she woke us up for, Daddy was the first one to get up and spend some special time with her on her birthday. A bit to my disappointment, she found her "big" birthday gift from us before I woke up, but I still enjoyed watching her playing with it later that morning.

Exhausted from the party the day before, I didn't get up in time to make my early riser a birthday pancake like I had hoped either. Dave gave her her usual breakfast food instead, which she wasn't too interested in that morning. Later when he got out some grits though, this girl was all smiles.

 

Once Caleb woke up, the Easter basket fun began. Dave thought I was kind of lame for putting clothes, swimsuits, sandals, etc. for presents, but with as many toys as they got for their birthdays that same weekend, Momma was being practical. There were a few fun treats in there as well though and they definitely seemed happy with their baskets.

Hadley got baby snacks instead of candy. I think they were her favorite items in the basket.

"Just let me get this pack of yogurt melts open...."

Excited about his frog pool toy

Caleb is checking out everything while Hadley is still focused on how to get her snacks open.

I don't let Caleb eat much candy, so there weren't too many pieces in  his basket. However, I did get some Reese's eggs and, his favorite, jellybeans. I love this picture of him with his treats in a row because it is so characteristic of Caleb who loves to line everything up all the time.

Hadley decided a few of those Reese's eggs should have been hers. She took a couple and put them in her basket.

One of Caleb's favorite finds was this jump rope.

Now that Caleb was awake, Hadley also got to open the present he had picked out for her at Target with NaNa a few days prior. She loved her little baby doll. Good job, Cay-Cay!

Soon everyone got ready for church and headed out the door. While I originally thought I had nursery that day, the lady who alternates with me also thought she had it so she had a wonderful lesson planned. Since my in-laws, mom, sister, and sister's boyfriend were visiting that Sunday I was thankful to be able to go out to the service and sit with them.

The kids loved all that Kelli had planned for them. One of the best activities she had was teaching them the story of Easter using "Resurrection eggs." This activity must be pretty popular and trendy from what I've read online but I was unfamiliar. Though I'd heard them mentioned before, I really didn't know what they were until Kelli showed me. She and her daughter Kelsie took twelve eggs and filled each one with something that related to the story of Christ's death and resurrection. For example, one had nail, another a sponge, and another a piece of purple fabric. The last egg is empty representing the empty tomb to teach that Christ has risen. I loved it and may make it a tradition in our household in the future to keep the focus where it should be and break it down to a level the kids can understand.

I didn't want this Easter to be spent with so much running around and busyness like it was last year, especially with all the excitement of the kids' birthday parties so close in the mix wearing us all out. Instead of going to Granny's for lunch like usual, we ate at home and then made a quick trip to Granny's to let her give the kids her gifts, see the cousins, and do a quick Easter egg hunt - which ended up being in the living room since it was rainy outside. This gave us plenty of time to get home for naps and feel a bit more sane.

Both kids conked out on the way. Caleb woke up quickly and was raring to go while Hadley snoozed on for a bit longer.

Anabella loves Hadley and is always so excited to see her.

Hayden and Ryan hid the eggs for the little ones. Hayden was so sweet helping to make sure Hadley got a few for her bucket too.

A few more for you, Hadley. Thanks, Hayden.:)

Rather than going to visit my mom's side of the family, my parents, grandparents, and sister came to my house for supper and brought some good food with them! The weekend and the pregnancy must have caught up with me though because I was feeling pretty terrible at that point in the day. Thankfully, the whole family chipped in to do the work and get the meal together so by the time I pulled myself out of bed and down the stairs everything was pretty much already done for me. They have no clue how thankful I was! The grandparents and Aunt Courtney entertained the kids for a while before it was time to eat, and then we finally all got to sit down together.

Aunt Courtney gave Caleb his birthday present a little early. Grandma Nora Ann is showing off her skills on his new hoop.

Yay, Caleb!

Hadley was practicing with the cart while Daddy tried to protect the walls.

Dinner was followed with a few more birthday presents for Hadley, Easter baskets from NaNa and Pop, and fun with all the new stuff.

Dr. Suess from Mommy and Daddy...

...and a turtle puzzle that Caleb tried to take over.

Thanks, NaNa!

More snacks!

Hadley has especially excited about the basketball hoop and kept walking over to Dave to get him to lift her so she could dunk.

Easter also marked the ten week mark for this pregnancy - a fourth of the way done!

It was still a busy day but there was lots of down time and opportunities to enjoy the kids instead of feeling overly rushed all day. I was especially glad for some memorable moments with Hadley on her special first birthday.