The Rest of the Story....

We had a nice time away visiting friends and family. Anna Claire crashed when she got home...took a 3 1/2 hour nap! She had entertained the masses and was tuckered out!
While at Mr. Jim and Mrs. Pinky's house, Anna Claire was given a cupcake to "try". The cupcake was buried somewhere in all that icing! Anna Claire thought this was great, especially at 10:00 am!!!

Anna Claire took a liking to Mrs. Pinky's crocs. She tried the entire time we were there to put those on and walk in them! She even resorted to smelling them.

And here's how to tell your child is of the 21st century....When playing with her toy phone, Anna Claire holds it up, smiles, and says, "Cheese". Nice.
Our sweet friend, Irma, found this duck and knew Anna Claire HAD to have it. Oh my. You push it's foot, and the duck starts singing and flapping his wings. Anna Claire wasn't too sure about it at first, but now it has become her favorite toy...of course. The dogs flip out when they hear the duck, and Anna Clair tries to imitate the duck.

On the Road....

Anna Claire was able to have lunch with her friends, take a quick nap in the car (love the new neck pillow!), play peek-a-boo with Daddy's hat, and read a book on Mr. Jim and Mrs. Pinky's couch! It's been a day! Life is good.

Life is Better With a Side of Ranch Dressing

Today was going to be a big day in our house....Anna Claire had an appointment for her first haircut. We arrived a little early, and they were ready for her. She sat in the Barbie Jeep, and the stylist started asking questions...."What do you want?", "Do you want me to cut bangs?", "Do you want the length taken up?", etc. I was completely caught off guard, so I said, "yes, I want her to have bangs and everything trimmed." "Well, we don't do that on the first haircut. We just cut some off the back" was the reply. I'm thinking to myself, "Self, why did this lady just ask you those questions?"....Who knows. So, I say, "Well right, then I guess just give her a first haircut." We hardly had time to blink and she was finished. A certificate was given along with a small plastic bag of curls and a $20 bill. Ok. Lovely. She doesn't look any different than when she went in, and we still have a thin wiry mop on her head. So here are a few pictures from the outing.



Recently, Anna Claire has taken on a love for dipping her food in something. At breakfast, she is convinced her waffles taste better when dipped in yogurt. At dinner, she prefers to dip anything and everything in ranch dressing. Below, you will see her dipping her chicken in ranch, only to be followed by a few animal crackers in ranch...gross, but it makes her happy.

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

Anna Claire is getting her first haircut tomorrow! We can hardly wait! We're taking her to one of those kid-friendly places with "fun chairs", cartoons, etc. Fear not, there will be pictures.....
Until then...
We went outside tonight to play in the Cozy Coupe. We took the floor out and "unlocked" the door, so Anna Claire can get in and out by herself and push herself with her feet. Well, she was so fascinated with the door, that we spent the entire time watching her get in and out of the car. She didn't want to go anywhere.

As you can imagine, climbing in and out of a car can build up quite an appetite in a young gal, so dinner soon followed.
And last, but not least.....shoes. You see, Aunt Elizabeth found a pair of shoes for Anna Claire this weekend that she deemed "necessary" for every little girl, so she bought them. Oh dear. Anna Claire won't let me take them off of her. I think she may sleep in them tonight.

Kickin' It...New Orleans Style

Monday, Elizabeth's flight left out of New Orleans late in the afternoon, so we went early to see the sights of New Orleans. Cafe Du Monde was our first stop for some world-famous beignets. Delicious. Anna Claire thoroughly enjoyed herself...as did we all!


Then, we did some window-shopping in the French Market, and then off to Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral.


And finally....the azaleas are in full bloom here, and they are everywhere! Elizabeth, true to fashion, can't just stand in front of something...she has to pose. She was trying to figure out a way to climb in the bush and look like she was hiding. We settled on this pose.
Monkey see...Monkey do.

Happy Easter!

Our family had a wonderful day filled with a variety of Easter celebrations!
This morning, we had an early service at 7:30, followed by breakfast, Sunday school, and another service! Our sanctuary was full, and we were thrilled to have so many people worshiping with us on this beautiful Sunday! Here are a few pictures from church....


After church, we went to some friends' house for lunch. Good times. Anna Claire tried out some new sidewalk chalk, and her daddy "helped" her eat a cupcake that Elizabeth and I hade made for the kids.



We came home and crashed. A serious nap was taken by all. 3 hours. Love it. While we were napping, the Easter bunny arrived! Anna Claire was thrilled to see what was waiting for her in her chair! She went straight for the M&M's (that's my girl!), then she discovered that if she threw the big plastic eggs on the floor, they would "crack" open, and a "Little People" would come out (see the video below). She made a mess, but had fun, and then she tried a Peep. She wasn't too sure about it, but the girl will try anything.







Happy Easter!

Crawfish Boil and Easter Egg Hunt Extravaganza!

Today, our church hosted a crawfish boil and Easter egg hunt for our church and the community. We had over 2,500 plastic eggs (all filled with candy and other treasures!), and we had 1,200 pounds of crawfish (with corn and potatoes too)! Let me tell you....people in Lousiana know how to have a crawfish boil! Delicious! We also had a bounce house, hot dogs, and cotton candy! Fun!
The Easter egg hunt was a big success and the kids were able to take home a ridiculous number of eggs! Anna Claire LOVED picking up eggs and putting them in her basket! When she found out there was candy in the eggs, she was thrilled!
A fun time was had by all, and Anna Claire is sound asleep.....worn out from all the festivities!
Get ready....there are just a "few" pictures.....it was Anna Claire's first egg hunt...what can I say? Enjoy.