Easter 2014

Our Easter weekend 2014 was MUCH different than Easter 2013…

Honestly, it just doesn’t get any cuter than this, so I didn’t even try this year.

For one, we actually got out of the house! Last Easter, the twins were barely a few weeks old, so we dressed them up, took some pictures and called it a day without any more ado.

This year was a little more festive (warning: LOTS of pictures to follow).

Our Easter weekend kicked off with dinner at the Kagel’s. They usually have a Seder at their house for Passover, but this year, Auntie Lynn made it casual, for which we were grateful since I have no idea how we would have gotten the twins to sit still through an entire Seder service!

Auntie Lynn made all the traditional foods–Matzoh with Charoset for an appetizer, followed by Matzoh Ball Soup, Potato Kugel, chicken,and of course, her delicious Fruit Kugel. Samantha and Amelia loved their first Passover!

Samantha ~~sips daintily~~ slurps her Matzoh Ball Soup.

Full from all that kugel!

On Sunday, we postponed giving out Easter baskets until the afternoon so that we wouldn’t be rushed before church. Jake gave a great talk on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the girls and I were very proud…well, for the five minutes we were able to hear it, that is! The girls had just gotten up from their nap, but Jake needed to leave for church right then so he wouldn’t be late to get up on the stand for his talk. Five minutes after he left, I got a frantic call. “YOU LEFT YOUR KEYS ON THE HOOD OF MY CAR. THEY FLEW UP AND HIT THE WINDSHIELD AS I WAS DRIVING!!”

As Jake recounted later, as soon as my keys hit the windshield, he switched on his hazards and pulled into the median of the busy street next to our church so that he could grab the keys before they flew into the street. Then, he returned home to drop them off and hurried back to church (he made it right on time). I have no idea what my keys were doing on his car (Mommy brain?), but I consider it an Easter miracle that the keys didn’t fall into the road. I can only imagine what my stress levels would have been like had I rushed to get the girls ready, only to find that my car keys had vanished without a trace.

Anyway, while Jake was at church, I changed the girls, fed them (BIG mistake), changed them into their backup outfits, packed the diaper bag and flew out the door. Since I can’t carry both girls by myself, I brought the double stroller, threw the girls in it once I had parked, wheeled them to the front of the church, grabbed Samantha and dropped her off in the foyer where a friend was sitting who could watch her for a minute and then ran back to grab Amelia. We made it just in time to hear the last five minutes of Jake’s talk. I had already proof-read it, so I already knew what it was about, but it would have been nice to hear the whole thing in person. Judging by all the compliments he received afterwards, I’m sure he did a great job. Getting to church that day is definitely on my list of top ten stressful moments of all time…well maybe not of all time, but definitely out of 2014 so far.

Our neighbor, CJ, is our designated Easter Sunday photographer. He took our photo last year too!

Easter 2013

Easter 2014. Yep, same dress. I just fit in it a lot better now!

After church, the girls went down for a nap, which gave me just enough time to set out the girls’ Easter baskets, stuff some plastic eggs with Cheerios and prepare roasted chicken and potatoes, honey-glazed carrots, and homemade parmesan pull-apart rolls for dinner (actually, my rock star of a husband made the rolls AND dessert…chocolate molten lava cake….yum!)

Samantha’s basket included a book, a stuffed ducky, and a new sun hat. If you were being observant, you would have noticed that the baskets and the ducky are the same ones we used last year in the above photos. Yes, we like to take advantage of the fact that the girls have no memory while we still can.

Amelia’s basket included a book, a new sun hat, a stuffed bunny and a new monkey Wub since the pacifier part of her old one became detached from the monkey a few weeks ago. Every time she’s seen the pacifier-less monkey lying around, she’s been picking it up and looking forlorn once she realizes it’s no longer a pacifier.

The girls also received a joint basket with sand toys, new sippy cups, some suction bowls, and toddler utensils. Basically I threw in everything I already needed to buy them and called it an “Easter Basket.”

Samantha was very methodical about going through each item in her basket.

Whereas Amelia was not.

Samantha opened her card while Amelia photobombed her.

We still haven’t quite got the hang of what the actual purpose of a card is.

Amelia was pretty happy with her bunny.

Easy to please. Duly noted for future Easters.

Amelia’s walking skills have increased exponentially since last week. Thursday, she took her first three steps in a row and steadily improved her balance over the weekend. At the Kagel’s on Saturday, she was taking five to six steps at a time and by Easter, she was a regular pro, taking ten plus steps at a time! Go Amelia!

Sticking her tongue out in concentration.

All these presents and it’s not my birthday…what’s the catch?

These were taken this morning, but out of all their Easter presents, who knew the girls would get most excited over their new suction bowls and utensils. The suction bowls don’t actually suction well to their trays (the reviews I read before buying said they were good for toddlers learning to eat from a bowl without them sliding around, but wouldn’t stay put if said toddlers were purposefully pulling on them), but as far as Samantha and Amelia were concerned, the suction was the best part! They loved pulling the bowls up over, and over and over…

Sending Cheerios flying, obviously.

We’re big girls now.

The toddler spoons and forks were also big hits. In an attempt to begin civilizing the girls, I bought them in the hopes that they would eventually eat like human beings if we practiced everyday for the next few months. I’m not holding my breath.

The girls got the hang of it with our help guiding the spoon or fork into the bowl and then placing it in their mouths. Now, they insist on “feeding” themselves using the utensils, even if the food in their bowls are not conducive to toddler utensil maneuvering.

Back to Easter…after opening baskets, we went to the park and had an Easter Egg “hunt,” which consisted of me throwing plastic eggs filled with Cheerios across the grass in every direction. The girls went wild trying to pick them up.