The Great (and Freezing Cold) Easter Egg Hunt of 2009

On the Sunday the week before Easter, we went to an Easter egg hunt at the church (King's Way). I was so excited, because all week everyone had been talking about the plan to drop 6000 eggs out of a helicopter. They called it an "egg drop." Creative name, huh?

Well, on the day of the hunt, it was reallllllllllllly cold. In the 30s. And the wind was blowing really hard. 20-30 miles per hour. So Daddy got us dressed really warm for the Easter egg hunt. Doesn't Sissie look warm?

Because it was sooooooooooooooo cold, the church had some craft stations inside while we were waiting for the egg hunt. I colored some Easter eggs (with Daddy's help). I did one yellow one with stickers and one yellow and green egg.

Then Daddy and I decorated an Easter cookie. It took everything I had not to eat the icing....

I put my eggs and cookie in my Easter basket and I was ready to go. Ready to go find some eggs!

Daddy and I designed a fancy cookie. And then I ate it when we went home!

Then it was Easter Egg hunt time. Because I am little, I didn't participate in the big boys' and girls' Easter Egg hunt. Instead, I got to do an egg hunt with all the kids who were 2 and under. In that group, I was one of the "big boys."

And we were off. How many eggs did I find?

Well, I found one of the eggs on the Hippo's back. That Hippo is lucky that I didn't jump on his back and ride him like a horse. Well, anyways, after I found the Hippo egg, I started finding all kinds of eggs. They were everywhere!

One proud egg wrangler! And every egg had a special treat inside.

Since it was really cold outside, everybody else went inside as soon as the egg hunt was over. But not me. I wanted to play bus driver. Daddy had to talk me into going inside.

Nothing like a cookie at the end of a cold, hard day's work....

The only thing that can beat a cookie is a clown. And they had two clowns who took turns talking to and playing with all of the kids.

Thanks for participating in our egg hunt!

It's My Birthday and I'll......

Although Sissie (Lena Grace) turned 1 on March 22, we didn't celebrate her birthday until last Sunday, when PaPa and Mimi came to visit. Everyone was there, including Nanny and Great-Granddad. Sissie got all dressed up. Here she is in a picture with Nanny.


Mommy made yummy cupcakes. They were pink. Sissie's favorite color is pink. Pink with sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles. After the party, we took the extra cupcakes to our neighbors. Daddy pulled the wagon and I carried the cupcakes.

Mommy and Mimi and Auntie Rachel decorated the house really pretty for Sissie's birthday party. Mommy made cookies and they looked like butterflies. There were butterflies everywhere.

Mommy also made yummy strawberry soup. I usually don't like soup, but strawberry soup is so good that I asked for more.

Sissie had a big white bow in her hair. Here she is with Doll. Don't they both look happy?

There were balloons, and little tables and chairs, and lots of other boys and girls.

Sissie ate her food in a chair with a cool butterfly balloon attached to it. It was Granddad's high chair from when he was little. It was my chair when I was little too. I'm not little anymore. I'm a Big Boy.

Sissie thought her candle was pretty cool, but she didn't know how to blow it out. So Mommy had to blow it out for her.

But she sure knew how to eat the cupcake.....

She even got the pink icing on all over her face.

After we had cupcakes and cookies, Mommy and Sissie opened Sissie's presents.

Sissie and Sarah had fun playing together.

One of the presents was for me. It was a very special quilt from Doll. Doll made part of the quilt. It was so much fun to have our family here for Sissie's birthday and to share that day with family and friends. Thanks so much to everyone.

Lena Grace is One. Can you believe it?

Yesterday was Lena Grace's first birthday. Daddy is going to be our guest author for this special occasion. Here's Daddy....

Wow, my little girl is one. I can hardly believe it. A few thoughts on this past year, which I have described as the "fastest and most exhausting year of my life:"

My memories have to start with the fact that I almost missed her birth. Shay was visiting her mom and dad across town after a "false alarm" labor and they rushed her to the hospital and then came over to tell me -- I got to the office 15 minutes before Lena Grace was born.

Graham Henry was a great and easy sleeper. Let's just say that Lena Grace is "sensitive" and "hears everything." She is not a very good sleeper, and as a result Mommy and Daddy have been largely sleep deprived for the last 12 months

Lena Grace has the biggest and prettiest smile in the whole world.

Lena Grace's nickname is "Sissie." Graham Henry came up wih the nickname on his own. Sissie recognizes that name easier than she does Lena Grace.

Like her big brother, Lena Grace doesn't crawl. But unlike Graham Henry, she also does not scoot. Instead, she bounces anywhere she wants to go like she is a bunny rabbit.

Lena Grace likes baths. She really likes baths. And when you pour water over her head, she starts shaking while smiling. It is really cute.

Lena Grace loves her big brother. And she will follow him anywhere if he will let her.

While Graham Henry has always liked slides, Lena Grace loves the baby swings.

Lena Grace is very little, but for a very little girl (for her age) she is a voracious eater. She is also a slow eater. She really enjoys a "five course" meal that she can eat over a 45 minute period...

There is nothing better than a sloppy "kiss" from your little girl.

Here are a few pictures from Lena Grace's special day. We started with a nice brunch with Granddad and Doll and finished with an afternoon in Phelps Grove Park. It was a beautiful day and a great way to kick off spring.

Happy Birthday Lena Grace!

Ode to Lena Grace

Today was Sissie's (Lena Grace) birthday. Can you believe it? She is my favorite. I love her. Very much.

We had a lot of fun today celebrating Sissie's bithday. We went to brunch with Doll and Granddad and Aunt T and Cousin Nate. I ate lots of fun things, but the best part was that I got to have birthday cake (ooey gooey cake). And the very best part was that we didn't even have Sissie's birthday PARTY today. We're going to have the party next weekend when PaPa and Mimi are in town. So I get cake on two weekends!!!!! And I guess that means that it is Sissie's birthday all week long....

To celebrate Sissie's birthday, I wanted to share a few more of my favorite pictures of Lena Grace. The bottle pictures are from our visit to GiGi's.

Hope you have a great week!

Snow at Gigi's

Daddy asked me to apologize to everyone because we haven't posted for a little while. It has been a crazy few weeks. Three weeks ago, Daddy went skiing with his friends in Colorado. I tried to hide in his suitcase, but he wouldn't let me go. He said that because I am 2, I am too little to go skiing. I don't really know what skiing is, but I know that I am a Big Boy, so I bet I could do it. Don't you think I would be a good skiier?

Then when daddy got home, he found out that GiGi was in a hospital in South Carolina. And then she was moved to a nursing home for a little while.

Daddy decided that we should go visit Gigi because we have a lot going on between now and the summer and we might not have another weekend. So Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Rachel, and Sissie (and me of course) drove to St. Louis and stayed in a hotel. Then we flew to Greenville, South Carolina. I have only been to South Carolina one other time and I don't remember it at all. And Daddy told me that I have flown in a plane, but I don't remember that either. This time, I got my own seat. I had so much fun. I watched other planes take off and I said whooosh when our plane took off.

When we got to Spartanburg, Aunt Sandy and Uncle David were at the airport. They let us drive GiGi's car. I wanted to drive, but Daddy said I was too little. What is with all this "too little" stuff? Like I said earlier, I am a Big Boy. I know I am big enough to drive. I drive my car at home...

After we dropped our stuff off at GiGi's house, we went for a special meal at the Beacon. We had hamburgers, french fries, and onion rings. AND THEN, as a SPECIAL TREAT, Uncle David and Aunt Sandy's friend Mr. Kenny gave us two really big banana splits. I have never seen so much ice cream. I called it birthday cake and started to sing happy birthday (cause I only get ice cream on people's birthdays). It was so yummy.

After we went to the Beacon, we went to GiGi's special apartment (the nursing home). We played with GiGi and I showed her how I make pictures with markers. I also sang my ABCs and Jesus Loves Me for GiGi. Then we went back to GiGi's house and went to sleep.

I think GiGi was really happy to see us. And we were happy to see her too. Especially Auntie Rachel.

I was wearing my PaPa hat. I call it my PaPa hat because it is like the hats my PaPa wears. GiGi told me that Great-Grandpa Satterwhite (I call him "Great-Pa") used to wear PaPa hats too. That's pretty cool.

GiGi said she liked watching me draw and color with markers. I am happy she liked it.

No, Daddy. Not another picture. Take pictures of Lena Grace, please...

So Daddy listened and he took a few pictures of GiGi with Lena Grace. Lena smiled and so did GiGi!

On Sunday night, it started snowing. We drove through the snow to say goodbye to GiGi at her special apartment. GiGi read her book to me and Sissie and I helped her read it too (Daddy reads it to me at home a lot and I know some parts of the book, like I know that Great-Pa's name is Norman and I love the pictures of Aunt Barbara. I also usually call pictures of Uncle Ron when he was little "Dean."). I really liked it when GiGi read the book to us.

On Monday morning, we got up early to go to the airport. There was lots of snow on the ground. I went outside with Daddy while he was loading the car at GiGi's house. He wouldn't let me play in the snow, but he did make me a mini-snowman. We had lots of fun at GiGi's. GiGi -- thanks for letting us stay at your house!

Oh yeah, I just heard that GiGi is getting to go home from her special apartment. We are praying for you GiGi and we hope you feel better soon. And we hope you get to play lots of dominoes...

LG's First Day of "School"

Today was an exciting day. It was Lena Grace's first day of school. She was very excited. Since she has started her own brand of scooting (hopping on her bottom) around, she was "bouncing" all over the house. Then, when she got to school, she immediately took a nap. Way to go Sissie.

Doughnuts with Doll

Doughnuts with Doll -- one of my favorite things in the world to do is to go to Church and have doughnuts with Doll. After Sunday School, we go down to the King's Way Cafe at the end of the verrrrrrrrrry long hall and I get to eat one doughnut hole and I drink a big glass of white milk. Doll talks to me while I eat my doughnut and drink my milk. Sometimes I talk to her. It depends on how hungry I am. Then I go up the circle stairs and play in the balcony with the other kids. I love it. I really love doughnuts with Doll.