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

Captiva Island, Florida

We just returned from a fabulous week in Captiva Island, Florida! It was an amazing vacation! The resort, weather, and company couldn't have been better! We stayed at the South Seas Island Resort in a beautiful beach villa. We had such a gorgeous view of the Gulf of Mexico, and we enjoyed it every morning from our screened in porch while we ate breakfast. Our days were spent at the beach and pools. The beaches were teeming with seashells, and we found tons of shells along the shore including: a sand dollar, jingle shells (also called mermaids toenails), ands kitten paws. By the end of the week, Grace was able to identify a number of the seashells herself:-) Grace and Andrew loved the resort's trolley bus service, which we took over to the main pools quite a lot. South Seas is a fantastic family resort. We took some stunning walks along the bay. There's an abundance of dolphins in the bay, and we had fun watching them play and jump alongside the fishing boats. We were amazed by the wildlife in Captiva! We saw a frog, a turtle. and a variety of birds and lizards. Each night we tried out a different restaurant with the kids:-) We ate at the Harbourside Bar and Grill, Captiva Cantina, Sunshine Seafood, The Bubble Room, and The Mucky Duck. We also stopped for ice cream a number of times at Queenie's and Scoops and Slices. Our villa was in a great location, because in addition to being a stone's throw from the beach we were also super close to the town. It was nice being in walking distance to great restaurants, live music, and the infamous sunsets outside The Mucky Duck (where everyone claps upon decent). We had so much fun spending quality time together this week! Grace and Andrew even bonded a little more than usual. They enjoyed sharing a room (thank goodness, because they will begin sharing one this summer) and have declared that they are "Best Buddies!" Dan and I were delighted to hear this:-) We are extremely blessed, and it makes us feel so good to see our children getting along so nicely! It was nice to get away and give each other our undivided attention. I was so happy that we were able to take this last minute vacation before Dan's new job at UBS. Family vacations are the BEST!

Sunshine and a sleeping baby in my arms... life is good!

We had so much fun at the pool this week! Grace and Andrew loved repeatedly jumping into the pool:-)

Although Tuesday was a bit rainy and overcast, a little shopping brightened up our day. Grace took this photo of Dan and I in our new Captiva Island sweatshirts.

We loved watching the dolphins out in the bay.

The yellow flowers in Captiva are the most beautiful I've ever seen:-)

Trolley Bus

Ladies Day

We're leaving for Captiva Island tomorrow morning. So, it was imperative that Grace and I get manicures and pedicures today:-) This was Grace's first trip to the nail salon, and she wasn't the least bit shy. As soon as we got there, she selected two polishes... Long Stem Roses and Strawberry Shortcake. Her manicurist was fantastic... she alternated the colors on her toes and fingernails, and she also painted some beautiful flowers on them. Grace was delighted, and I enjoyed watching her get pampered:-) Afterwards, Grace joined me at Shear Passion for a much needed haircut. While Donna was blowdrying my hair, Grace helped brush. She's such a little sweetheart. I loved my one on one time with my baby girl, and I'm looking forward to making more memories this week on our vacation!

Ta Da!