Easter morning

While we were sleeping, the Easter Bunny paid Lily a visit.

He left a fun filled basket of goodies to be discovered in the morning...

...and some hidden eggs filled with candy

She quickly figured out searching for eggs and was over the moon with each one she found.

modeling a few items the Easter Bunny left

and thrilled with more candy

She might have been on a sugar high - she was hyper all morning.

Jelly beans for breakfast makes for one entertaining hour at church.

After sorting through her basket, she showed off her loot to Nanny via Skype.

"Look Nanny, new slippers!"

We then cleaned up and headed off to church.

followed by Easter dinner and my very first attempt at baking a cake!

(idea stolen from here)

Though we missed our family, we had a very Happy Easter and hope each of you did too!

Easter Egg Hunt

This weekend was the first major holiday away from our extended family. So we had fun creating a few new traditions for our little family. On Saturday, we walked down to our local grocery store which was hosting a small Easter Egg Hunt, with a surprise appearance from a special bunny.

We've learned how to 'smile' on demand. Hence the cheesy grin.

"what the heck are we doing here?"

"and who the heck is that??"

The Easter Bunny!

Not a huge fan, but at least she didn't scream and cry like when we saw Santa.

Heading out in search of eggs.

She kept repeating "I look for eggs. I look for eggs."

She only found one during the actual hunt and was perfectly content with that.

But at the end, she yelled "I see more eggs Daddy, I see more eggs!"

Though she didn't quite understand why she couldn't put these in her basket.

That darn Easter Bunny popped around the corner again.

The best part...CANDY! Not sure who was more excited for the jelly beans...Lily or Daddy!

Next up, the Easter Bunny visited Lily at home!

Wedding day

My big brother tied the knot and I couldn't be happier for him. Growing up, Matt was always on the lookout for me - sharing his Tonka trucks by throwing them into my play n pack, letting me tag along with his buddies as long as I brought my green and brown eye shadow (camouflage of course!), or threatening Ryan if he didn't treat me right. I know he will take even better care of Kristin and their family. As for Kristin, I just could not imagine a more perfect match for Matt - she is calm, witty, patient, understanding, kind. And selfishly, I love her too and am so excited to have another strong woman in the family! :) Cheers, Matt and Kristin, to a happy life together!

Seriously Lily, it's NOT your party!!

This girl LOVES to dance. Too bad she inherited her mother's moves instead of her father's.

Rehearsal Dinner

We enjoyed the fun rehearsal dinner on the gulf side of the bay, outside overlooking a long boardwalk, beautiful views, and a live band. Not only did many family members make the trek to Florida, but also lots and lots of Matt and Kristin's best friends. I had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, and know the newlyweds couldn't imagine their special day without these people!

Ryan, Luke, and Reece

Casey and Auntie

Lily has a bit of a problem. She thinks every party is her party.

She monopolized the dance floor and insisted Reece join her most of the evening.

Maggie was a good sport too!

Uncle Tom and Pam

Uncle Kent and Aunt Donna

Rhonni and cousin Amy

Julienne, Kristin, and Rhonni

Michael, Casey, Jason, Ryan, Jesse

Judi (Michael's wife), Kristin and I

Next, the wedding day is finally here!

Beach Bum

Lily's first trip to the ocean was a success - she loved almost everything about it. Even though it was a very foggy morning, it didn't stop our little beach bum!

Not a huge fan of the sand in her toes. But she loved throwing it!

Next up, rehearsal dinner...

Wedding extravaganza

Last week, big brother Matt tied the knot after a weekend full of fun in Destin. We flew in Thursday and started the trip off by catching up with extended family.

We gained a new sister over the weekend and couldn't be more thrilled with Matt's choice. Kristin is such a perfect addition to our family!

Lily was Reece's little shadow the entire weekend. I kept joking that I needed to pay him for his babysitting services - here he is showing her a fun game on the Ipad. They cuddled like this for probably an hour. Lily was in heaven.

Next up, the rehearsal dinner and Lily's first day at the beach!