The Royal Treatment

Tomorrow is Aunt Dana's bridal shower. So, Grace and I headed to Nail Passion this afternoon to get pampered. I think it's imperative that the flower girl have flowers painted on her nails for the party! Grace acted like such a pro at her appointment:-) As soon as we walked in the door, she selected her colors, sat down at the first empty table she saw, and put her hands in ready position. She even tried to strike up a conversation with her manicurist, which was quite entertaining. Grace informed her that we were having a "Ladies Day" and "Andrew and Daddy [were] at home." I love having one-on-one time with my little sweetheart!

Can you tell she loves getting pampered?

The Royal Wedding

Our little Brit enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding with me this afternoon. It was exciting to see everyone dressed to impress. Grace was amazed at all the hats, and she said, "Mommy, you have a hat like that!" She was happy to don my Royal Ascot hat while we watched the footage. It was nice to hear all the British accents, see the familiar buildings, and reminisce about our life in London. I can't believe that we've already been back in the US for almost 3 years!

HRH Prince William, Kate Middleton (Catherine Duchess of Cambridge), and Princess Grace (showing of her jewels).

My beautiful British babe:-) Her royal connection... Grace was born in the same hospital as Prince William and Prince Harry (The Portland Hospital).

1st Solo Storytime

We signed Grace up for the 3 year old storyhour at the Montvale Library this morning, and she began class right away. She was a bit nervous leaving Andrew and me behind, but after some coaxing (20 minutes worth to be exact) she wound up going into the class on her own. She was excited that her friend Juliana was there, and they had a great time listening to a story, making music, and creating a craft. We're fortunate that the library offers so many wonderful programs! Hopefully, next week, the beginning of class will go more smoothly. After class, we had a lunch date with Juliana, Brandon, and Dina at Ridgemont Pizza... yum! I think we've found a new fun way to spend our Monday mornings:-)

At the end of class, Miss Julia invited everyone in, and we got to watch Grace finish her art project. She wound up having a wonderful time!

These are the art projects that I love the most... I can tell that she did it "all by [herself]!" :-)

"Hippity-Hoppity Happy Easter Day"

It's days like this that remind me how truly blessed we are! We spent the entire day surrounded by our family. After 8:30 Mass this morning, we had LuLu, Pop, Nana, Grandpa, Nanny, Poppy, Aunt Dana, and Vito over for breakfast. Grace and Andrew enjoyed showing off their Easter treats, and they were overjoyed to each receive two more Easter baskets! Somehow, every holiday feels like Christmas in this house... We spent the afternoon at LuLu and Pop's house, and the entire Klein family was there! Aunt Maylene always organizes the Easter activities extremely well! The children had such a wonderful time listening to LuLu read their letter from the Easter Bunny. It was priceless to watch each child's eyes light up when they were personally addressed by the Easter Bunny. After the letter, the children went on an Easter Egg Hunt. The eggs were filled with candy or letters (they had to piece together the letters to figure out where the Easter Bunny hid their gifts). This year the presents were hidden in the laundry room, and there was even a gift for Baby Colonna:-) We thoroughly enjoyed our Annual Confetti Egg Fight. There were 103 eggs this year, and everyone had at least one smashed on their head. They were all broken within a few minutes, and we were covered in sparkly confetti! Thank God the rain held off, and we were able to enjoy all of our activities! I loved our Easter celebration! It was nice being surrounded by our loved ones and watching Grace and Andrew play with all of their cousins.

Grace was anxious to open her Easter basket! She couldn't wait to see if the Easter Bunny brought her "Giselle and a Mary Poppins umbrella with a bird on it!"

Andrew loved his Easter basket... especially the Woody hat and candies!

Grace and Mommy outside of 8:30 Mass.

This was her favorite gift of the day!

Nanny and Poppy

We had a wonderful breakfast this morning:-)

LuLu and Pop

Grandpa and Andrew

Grace and Nana

Grace loved the Easter Egg Hunt at LuLu and Pop's!

Confetti Egg Fight = Klein Craziness

Shane, Genny, and Jameson

LuLu and Pop with their 10 grandchildren:-)

EGGcellent Day

We had a super fun day from start to finish! We started off at Grant's 3rd birthday party at JW Tumbles. Grace and Andrew had a great time playing with all their friends! When Daddy got home from work, we headed to Davey's for an early supper. By the time we got back, Grace was ready to start painting her Princess Easter Eggs, and Andrew and Daddy were anxious for me to start making chocolate chip cookies:-) We had a fun family night! We're all set for our brunch in the morning, and when I was getting ready for bed tonight, I realized that the Easter Bunny already came to our house! I can't wait for Grace and Andrew to open their baskets in the morning!

Grace showed off her balancing skills at Grant's party.

Andrew showed off his pizza and cake eating skills:-)

Check out the tiaras on our Easter eggs!

We're ready for company;-)

Thank you Easter Bunny!!!

Easter Bunny Cupcakes

Aunt Dana is the "Cake Boss" of our family, and she has started to teach Grace the art of decorating cupcakes:-) Grace had so much fun with her Godmommy this afternoon, and I was so happy to get some of my Easter errands accomplished! When Andrew and I returned, the cupcakes were complete, and they looked and tasted delicious! A big THANK YOU to Aunt Dana for such a wonderful afternoon! We can't wait to share the Easter Bunny cupcakes with the Klein cousins on Sunday! xoxo

Before

She had a great time frosting the cupcakes with Aunt Dana!

Hard at work... she wanted to frost all by herself!

The finished product! Can you tell how much Andrew enjoyed them? He has a frosting mustache!

Practice Makes Perfect

At Nana and Grandpa's Palm Sunday dinner, Grace and Andrew vied for their baby cousin's attention. Riley enjoyed being in the spotlight, and Grace and Andrew got some practice sharing, caring, and feeding. When their new brother or sister arrives in September, they are going to be pros!

Andrew brought Riley her food, and Grace helped feed her. They are a great team!

Lion's Park Easter Egg Hunt

Grace and Andrew had lots of fun at the Easter Egg Hunt at Lion's Park this morning, and we were fortunate that the rain held off until all of the candy was collected:-) It has been such a rainy April! I can't wait for it to truly feel like Springtime. Grace has been very observant of the Easter Bunny this year, and she was quite perplexed as to why there was a Lion in attendance instead of a Bunny. I tried to inform her it was because we were at "Lion's Park," but she truly felt that they should have had an Easter Bunny. Luckily, we had her bunny ears in the car!

Grace stepped in as the Easter Bunny this morning:-) Andrew was very happy with the lollipop he found during the hunt. He wanted it opened immediately, and didn't want to pick up any more candy. He just wanted to enjoy his lollipop and watch the children run wild for treats.

Grace was happy to pose with the lion, and Andrew enjoyed roaring at him from afar.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

We participated in the Montvale Library's Annual Easter Egg Hunt this morning, and we had an EGGcellent time! There were tons of activities for the children! They listened to an Easter story, colored Easter bunnies, and collected four fun-filled eggs. Grace even had an Easter chick painted on her hand! Everyone was happy that the Easter Bunny made an appearance (even Andrew, but he still will not pose with him for a photo). We ran into lots of friends and continued the fun with a lunch date at Ridgemont Pizza with Dina, Julianna, and Brandon.

They were so happy to find jelly beans and Easter stickers inside their eggs!

Grace and her friend, Julianna:-)

Andrew was brave enough to wave good bye to the Easter Bunny:-)

Spring Has Sprung!

It's official... Spring is in the air! We had such a fun outdoor afternoon playdate at Juliana's house today! The children had so much fun playing on the swing set, blowing bubbles, and driving around in Juliana's Barbie car:-) The battery operated car made me extremely nervous, and it looks like Grace drives like her Mommy (which is not a good thing).

Jake, Andrew, Grace, and Madelyn admiring the ride.

Easter Bunny

We had quite a busy afternoon! Grace and Andrew joined me at my 16 week appointment, and they slept like angels in their stroller the entire time. Grace woke up just in time to hear the new baby's heartbeat with me, which was 160 this time. She also informed Dr. Gerardis of her ingenious name for our new baby... "Cruella Deville!" Recently, she has been telling everyone her name choice. The first time she mentioned it, I was on the phone with Nana and my mouth fell open! Hopefully, by the time our new baby arrives she will like the names we've already selected!

After my doctor appointment, I took Grace and Andrew to the Paramus Park Mall to see the Easter Bunny! Once again, Grace loved the bunny and Andrew was happy to wave from afar. We stopped at Panera on the way home for some soup, salad, and macaroni and cheese. Grace loves to go out to eat! By the time we got home, Daddy was there to greet us:-)

Grace LOVES the Easter Bunny!

Andrew will give the Easter Bunny a high 5, but he doesn't feel comfortable getting too close to him.

Costume & Dance Recital Debut

Grace's dance recital is coming soon, and she's having so much fun preparing for it! At dance class today, she received her costume, and it's SO ADORABLE! She's going to dance to Three Dog Night's hit song, "Joy to the World." Her costume is meant to represent the world, and it is such a cute costume. I actually got a little teary eyed when I saw her in it. She tried it on at class this afternoon, and she would have kept it on all day (if I would have let her). She debuted her costume for Daddy as soon as he got home from work tonight. I'm so happy that Grace is enjoying dance, and I can't wait for her to perform in her recital!

Part I

Part II

Grandpa's 60th Birthday Party

We had an extra special Sunday dinner tonight, because we finally ALL got together to celebrate Grandpa's 60th! We had a wonderful time honoring an amazing man. I think Grandpa was psyched the party was on the same day as The Masters. The guys had a great time watching the tournament together. Nana made a delicious lasagna dinner (with plenty of leftovers... hooray). Grace and Andrew were delighted to help Grandpa blow out his candles, and Aunt Dana surprised Daddy with a cookie cake to celebrate his new job at UBS, which starts first thing tomorrow. It was a wonderful day, and Grace and Andrew were so happy to see their cousins James, Jenna, and Riley at the party.

The best things in life age with time!

Grace is CRAZY about her Grandpa;-)

Riley and Grace