Easter Pics

We took Sydney to the park to take some pictures in her Easter dress. What? "Easter" you say! But, Brenna, Easter was 3 weeks ago! Yes, yes, I know. But this was the first nice weekend since then, and better late than never is the motto in our house.

Enjoy!

April Showers bring May Flowers

One of Sydney's new thing is "feeding" her baby. Apparently this pretend play is a measurable milestone, so I'm happy to see her passing & enjoying it.And, her baby doesn't just get a bottle. She also gets fed crackers before bed. And in the morning, when I make Jeff's lunch, Sydney has learned that cheese goes on the sandwiches. As soon as she sees me take it from the fridge, she says "CHEESE!!!" with a big grin on her face, and she eats it while sharing with her baby. Her baby is almost as well fed as she is.Sydney also makes sure that all of Baby's leftovers are taken care of.

We went to the park almost every day last week. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! I can't really say the same about this week, hence the title of this blog. Sydney doesn't have the guts to go down this big slide by herself yet, even if I am coaching her at the bottom, but she likes to tease me from the top.
She also loves to spin this wheel thing at the top of the playground, but she doesn't like to share the wheel with any smaller kids. For the big kids, she'll happily get out of the way and come looking for Mommy.

Anyone who has been to the park with us knows that Sydney isn't fond of walking on rocks, mulch, or grass. She's good on any inside surface, or cement. She would stand like she was frozen and wait for me to come hold her hand. Well, I'm happy to say that we've pass that little phase. She'll happily run along any outside surface now. The below pictures document her breaking out of that shell...see the worried look on her face?

After playing at the park, she's quite a dirty girl-she's been leaving a ring around the tub some nights! I'd never bathed with her before, but I thought it might be fun. She splashes so much, that I get pretty soaked even when I'm not in the tub with her.

Its about time!!!!

Okay, okay, I know it has been a while since I posted....and you're all needing a Sydney fix. I'll do my best to deliver.

Here's a documentation of her crazy hair. I know she'll curse me for it one day, but its just so darn cute & we're always getting compliments on her curls. Its funny to me that people ask where she gets the curls from. To me its so obvious, but I forget that I straighten my hair every day before leaving the house, so only a few special people have seen my own fro.

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun she is every single day. Its just so great. She's like this little walking, talking dolly and I just can't get enough.

Despite the snow we had this weekend, it was actually warm for a few weeks prior to Easter. Here Syd is in a little number my mom bought her. She's playing peekaboo behind the stacking cup.We went to the new Bass Pro Shop in Olathe because we heard they had an awesome display of fish. Sydney appreciated the large fish tanks and was sure to let everyone around know just how exciting they were. If you've been around Sydney at all lately, you know that she doesn't really have an "inside voice" yet. We're still working on this, but for now she is sure to bring us all a lot of attention.

Ryan & Trevor came to visit the weekend before Easter. Trevor was such a good sport with Sydney. She gets more fun everytime they see eachother, and they can actually play together now, instead of along side eachother. Sydney shared her bows and her toys with Trevor....what a fun time!We had an inside egg hunt since it was too cold to play outside. Hopefully next year Sydney will be as skilled at finding eggs as Trevor was. For Sydney, we just have to put them right in front of her or she gets off task.Easter morning! It was bitter cold outside, but at least the sun was shining. I can't believe I'm positing this picture of me with no makeup, in my pj's, haven't even brushed my teeth yet-gross! Sydney couldn't wait to get to her basket. She saw it right away and dove right in.

Enjoying her new found Easter treasures while tearing through the house at mach 5.

A fun little puzzle we devised out of a muffin pan and plastic eggs. It kept her attention for at least 10 minutes, so I give myself crafty mom points!

Easter Breakfast was plenty messy, with jelly everywhere-even in her hair. As you can see, we didn't even bother to put a bib on her.

We had a belated Easter party with Brynn, Maddie, and Tanner. The girls made clay handprints to commemorate the event, and then celebrated with an egg hunt. As soon as the food was found, the hunt was over and the feast began. Sydney discovered dried apple chunks in some of the eggs, and I think she ate her body weight in them!
Doesn't our little princess have such wonderful table manners! This cute little crown is from Maddie's birthday party and Sydney is feasting on the royal brunch.

Happy Easter: A Baby's Hug

I received this in an email today, and it brought a tear to my eye. It was a nice change of pace from the candy filled weekend we've been having.

A Baby's Hug

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi." He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby. Hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik.

My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi" Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo." Nobody thought the old man was cute.

He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skidrow bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's' "pick-me-up" position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship.

Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby." Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift." I said nothing more than a muttered thanks.

With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a Mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a Child who was not. I felt it was God asking, "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" when He shared His for all eternity.. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God we must become as little children."

Happy Easter!