Spring Has Sprung!

Little Man had quite a time with the Easter Bunny today! His sister, on the other hand, refused to come within 5 feet of him. It was actually quite humerus to watch her turn the corner, spot the over-sized bunny, and stop dead in her tracks. She didn't turn and run. She didn't cry. She simply stood and stared at the sight before her... a 6 feet tall smiling bunny. Holy cow. Around 18 months, she started to become more cautious and reserved. She wasn't really excited with her encounter with Santa a few months ago, so I didn't expect her to enjoy the Easter Bunny this year. It is what it is. I don't fault her for it, and I'm certainly not going to force her to participate against her will. As obsessed as I am with getting pictures for seemingly every event, I will not ever force one of them to do something they are clearly afraid to do just to get the perfect shot. I did have a little hope that when I gave Liam to the Easter Bunny to hold, Maya would see that it was okay and stand by her brother. Instead, she pointed out a smaller, stuffed bunny, and said, "Ma-moe, ma-moe!" (One more, one more! As in, there's a smaller, nicer looking bunny... maybe I'd like to sit with that one instead!)

After visiting the Easter Bunny and eating a super-yummy lunch at Panera (all with our friends, Melissa, Ashley, and Brendan), we hit the mall playground to let the kiddos burn some energy. Maya was apprehensive about sliding by herself, but she thoroughly enjoyed going with Brendan and Ashley...


Here, she slides alone with Brendan... Ashley has such a great big brother!We left the mall around 1:30pm, and Maya fell asleep for about 30 minutes on the way home (quite the short nap for all the playing she did at the mall)! I actually had to stop at the dry cleaners, where I'm having all but one of my nursing shirts altered, to try on one of the shirts that's in the process of alteration. I pulled into the parking lot and told Maya that if she listens to me and is good, I would stop and get her a chocolate shake on the way home. She agreed, and I laid down the ground rules... "Do not touch ANYTHING." I knew that where we would be standing is tight quarters, and it's completely cluttered with a sewing machine, safety pins, straight pins, papers, thread, and clothes... not a great place for a curious toddler. In fact, some might call it a recipe for disaster. To my great relief, Maya was on her best behavior! I had to remind her a few times not to touch anything, but as soon as I corrected her, she immediately stopped what she was doing. I couldn't have been prouder! When we returned to the car, I thanked her for being so good, told her that made me very happy, and announced that it was time for a chocolate shake! I said to her, "Thank you for listening to Mommy in there!" Maya responded, "No touch!" I smiled and repeated, "That's right! No touch. Good job!" She's so cute and smart! We shared a chocolate malt on the way home... yummy!

After returning home to feed Liam and get some sweatshirts, we took off for our first trip of the year to Dinosaur Park! Brendan taught Maya how to go down the slide, feet first, on her belly, and she spent the majority of her time sliding down the dinosaur slide this way... Wheeee!
Mr. Liam also had his first trip to the park! He really enjoys being outside. He just looks around, completely content! Who's that face, peeking through the window? What a handsome little man!
Papa stopped by to play, and Maya loved walking across these little stepping stones with his help...Maya spent a ton of time running back and forth across this bridge. She loved this bridge last year, too. It's a little bouncy, so it creates a bit of a challenge for her. After a few times across, she had mastered the bouncy, uneven platforms and the sharp incline at each end. What a little adventurer...
This was the first day that felt like spring, and it reminded me of the promise of summer right around the corner. We're all feeling a little cabin fever from being cooped up inside during this long, bitter cold winter. I have a feeling that we'll be spending lots of time at the Dinosaur Park this year! We ended our trip to the park by racing down the slide, side by side. I'm so glad we were able to get outside and play today! We needed it!