Easter Fun

Earlier this week we went to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny. 

Then this morning we went on an Easter Egg Hunt at the local library.

And visited with...   Ummm....  
The Easter Bunny's Sister??

I guess you really can't fault a sweet older lady who loves hanging out with kids and dressing up like the Easter Bunny.  And Jocelyn loved it!

Just a little early for the beach

Last week, Jocelyn and I took a short trip out to Rehoboth Beach to visit Grammy and see her new house.  We were so lucky to have amazing March weather, as are many regions this spring.  (We have had the 3rd warmest March on record!)  Auntie was also at Grammy's house.  Our ever present traveling companion.

So we checked out the beach side of Rehoboth.

And then the next day we went to the Bay side of Lewes Beach.  I have to say I like the calmer, shallower side of the bay.



We found a couple hermit crabs and a shrimp and Jocelyn gave them a ride on our plastic boat.  I think they were happy when we left!  :-)

Now that Grammy is living so much closer, we will have to spend more time at the beach.  Jocelyn certainly likes making sand pies and playing in the water!

Big Girl Bed - The Shorter Version

Another milestone has been reached.  As of tonight, we have officially retired the crib.  After 4 years and 2 months, Jocelyn has outgrown and over crowded the crib space so much that we have finally moved on.

I love IKEA!  They have such creative stuff.  Jocelyn's new Big Girl Bed is a perfect example.  Her bedroom is not very big, so even though her crib will one day be turned into a full size bed, for now she has the EXPANDING TWIN!  It starts out as a twin sized bed with the bottom cut off and as she grows, it will expand twice until it's the full length of a twin.  (I hope by then one of her sisters will be off to college so she can have one of the bigger bedrooms!)

So 3 1/2 years ago, this is where we were.

Then 6 months ago, we finally moved on to this.  See related blog here.

And today, after a little construction...

And rearranging...

We now have this...

And Jocelyn seems pretty happy about it!!  Now if we could only get her settled down to go to sleep!

A Long Time Coming

Last weekend I traveled ***alone*** for the first time to Connecticut, for a very special occasion.

My Uncle Stephen and adopted Uncle Clayton got married after being together for 30 years!!  Yes, 30 years!!!

It's hard to imagine just how much adversity they have faced over the years.  But after all they've been through, they were finally able to be legally married.  (Unfortunately, when they return back to their home state, the marriage will not be recognized, but who cares.  Their marriage isn't about that.)
I have been married twice in the time they have been together, (as freaky as that sounds).   They met when I was 15 years old.  Someone please tell me why they had to wait so long???

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.....

It was a small but very love filled event.  The people who witnessed their day, me included, were absolutely thrilled for them.  When the wedding was over, there was not a dry eye in the place, and the guests weren't just applauding, they were outright cheering!!    It was an incredible day!!

I love these two very much.  It was such an honor to witness their special day.

The other thing that was a long time coming was a chance to see my friend Joye and her family, after about a year and a half.  She also lives in CT, so it was the perfect timing for a visit with her.  We only took a couple pictures, but here's me with her brood!

I hope to bring Jocelyn for another trip up to CT to see Joye and her family in August.  It was way too long between visits this time!   And I think Jocelyn would have a blast with all the kids.... and chickens and ducks and swimming pool and 5 acres of land to play on!!!  I can't wait!!!

Still the ones...

In case there is any doubt in your mind,
the Loveys are still as loved as ever. 

Today they were used to decorate the livingroom.

As Jocelyn's mini blankets....  all 33 of them.

And as fuel for the OCD personality.  She must have folded and organized them for a half hour.

But always, at the end of the day, when bedtime comes,

they are still her Loveys for snuggling.  

Good Night Jocelyn!

4 Year Photos

We went for photos for Jocelyn's 4 year birthday a couple weeks ago.  I think they came out pretty good!

4 Years Old and So Sweet!

With our friend Gus

What does she know
that we don't?

With Mommy

With Daddy

And just so we're clear that she is not ALL sugar....   Here's the spice!

How?! When?! What?! 4!!!!

Here it is....

Jocelyn's 4th Birthday. 

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Sweet Girl!

But how, when, where did the time go???  How is it possible that 4 years have passed since my little baby was born???

This has been such a year of great accomplishments and firsts for Jocelyn:
In May, Jocelyn went to her first independent class.
In June, she spent her first night away from Mommy and Daddy.
In September she finally decided to escape from the crib and in October we removed the railing and turned it into a big girl bed.
And in November Jocelyn succeeded at potty training. 

Jocelyn has also discovered how to challenge Mommy and Daddy's patience.  Obviously, every kids goes through the stage of testing boundaries, but some days.....!

Jocelyn has her first imaginary friend Froggy.   She loves to pretend she's a doggy.  She collects "Stuff" and keeps it all around the house in various containers, bags and boxes...   She has some of her first friends, and loves to play tag and hide-n-seek. 

Jocelyn is still an observer.  She wants to see what everyone else is doing before she checks it out herself.  Just like her parents, she is hesitant in new situations with new people, but she's very curious and ultimately can't resist trying new things.  There's very little she's actually afraid of.

She's a great hugger but doesn't hesitate to tease before giving them over!  She's learning to use her manners and comes out with them at the best times.   Jocelyn is a sweet, loving girl.

It is truly hard to believe that it has been 4 years since she was born.  But every night, when I say "Good Night" and kiss her on the cheek, I feel so lucky that she is mine. 

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Ballet

Jocelyn has regularly participated in classes offered through our Parks and Rec programs.  She has really loved them all.  In the fall, my baby will be starting preschool, so I decided to let Jocelyn try out some classes that are completely new to her.  One of them is a Science Class.  Last week was the first class and she learned about the different forms of water -- liquid, ice, steam.   When I went to pick her up, the kids were "ice skating" around the floor with paper plates under their shoes!  How fun!

The other class that Jocelyn is taking is her first Ballet class.  The first day, she was a little nervous and not sure what to expect, but I reassured her that she would have fun and I would be watching from the window.  (Every once in a while, she looked up to check and make sure I was still there :-)   So she went in a little nervous, but she had a great time!  She particularly likes the outfit.  I would have to agree!

 
















As of the second class, she has started to learn some of the ballet positions, and steps, but the class is about having fun, and the girls don't even realize they are learning in the process, so I won't tell her!     :-)

The pictures aren't great because they're taken through the window, but she's pretty cute anyway!
Since her sisters are already talking about summer camps, Jocelyn is asking about them too.  We might have to look into Ballet camp!

Holiday Mish Mosh

I have fallen way behind in blogs, so here is just a sampling of the crazy, loads of fun, Christmas at our house.

Making mini Gingerbread houses.

Night before Christmas preparations for the special arrival.

Leaving the key for Santa

And cookies and milk

Guess he liked his cookies!

Opening presents was a lot of fun.  We started with the stockings, where once again, Santa remembered the red present and the green present.  Then we moved on to the pile!!  Jocelyn literally took all day to open her presents, but it took that long because she took time to play with each thing she opened before she moved on.  She took a couple breaks in between and then was pleasantly surprised to find she still had more to open later.  It was a really nice way to spend the day.  No rushing and not much insanity.  I'm not sure that we'll always have the leisurely approach, but it was nice this year.

You may not be familiar with the show Phineas and Ferb, but around here, they are BIG, and I mean BIG hits.  Loving Perry most of all.  So our Christmas was full of Phineas and Ferb and Perry stuff - blankets, slippers, t-shirts, books, and more.

After Christmas the sickies invaded our house.  It was miserable for days and we are just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (as long as Pat and I have escaped it, that is).  But in between everyone's germs, we piled into the car to visit the Symphony of Lights.  Here is just a sampling.

Now that everyone is mostly healthy again, I have finally been able to start taking down the decorations, but Jocelyn is just not ready to let go of the Christmas season.  Every day she reminds us that Santa is coming
"to-my-yo".  No Honey, he's not, I'm sorry...
But she is determined to keep the spirit going.  She has decorated and undecorated these two 8 inch trees at least 10 times in the last two days.   Gotta give her credit for enthusiasm!

Here's hoping that the new year

finds you Happy,

and Healthy, and Enthusiastic too!