Happy Easter!

We hope you and your families had a wonderful Easter!

Beach Bums

We spent our last day with Julie and Kalyn at our favorite beach. The water was clear and calm, like a swimming pool, great for my arm floaties and new noodle. It was a perfect day! Kalyn taught me how to lay in the sun to get a good tan (nevermind that our Moms sprayed us down with SPF 50+ sunscreen every hour). We swam in the ocean all morning, then relaxed by the umbrellas with a snack. Dad and Julie had some quality brother-sister bonding time. Mom hopes that I am good friends with my little brother when we grow up, too. Dad brought his fishing rod, and made our day when he caught a Lady Fish that was almost 2 feet long. It jumped and splashed and made everyone around us (especially me) squeal with excitement. He tried to bring it over for us to touch, but it jumped off the hook at the last minute. I didn't want to say goodbye to Kalyn when it was time for them to go, she is my favorite big girl cousin. I will never forget our good times at Chick Fil-A, singing the Gaston Song, eating ice cream or frozen yogurt every night, and coloring my nails with markers to look pretty like her mani-pedi. Mom says we will see her again in a few short weeks, but I can't wait!

Best Day Ever

We had a Girls Day at Busch Gardens while Dad was stuck at work. We saw lots of cool animals, rode the train on a safari, and walked until our legs felt like jello. Kalyn took on the toughest job, carrying me around for most of the day. She was so patient when I looked up at her, opened my arms wide and demanded/requested: "carry me?". She tried to help me overcome my gorilla phobia. I wasn't ready to embrace the ape, but did make progress by checking his nose for boogies.There was a magical moment with the orangutan, who climbed right up to the window to stare at us. He was amazing! The most hilarious part of the day was standing by the coaster, Sheikra, to cool off.We were ready for a little mist... but totally unprepared when it turned into a major soaking! Kalyn braved the splash many times while I stood on the side laughing, screaming "do it again!".It was the best day, ever!

Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny seemed like a good idea at first... until they wanted me to sit next to him. I agreed to sit with Kalyn, but I didn't have to be happy about it.

Spring Break 2011

We haven't seen Aunt Julie and Kalyn since the Christmas Blizzard in Boston, so I am ecstatic that they chose to stay with me for their Spring Break! We are going up to Boston next month for Aunt Joy's wedding, where Kalyn and I have crucial roles in the wedding party. This week they are going to teach me some favorite catch phrases from Nana so that I can make her laugh at the wedding (Mom is going to sprinkle some of the sayings into the blog this week). We spent a perfect day playing on the beach, and it was as good as Post Toasties. Most of the fun was jumping in the wicked mega waves. We even saw an adorable Jack Daniels Terrier running in the water. At home, Dad grilled burgers while we made a picnic with my plastic BBQ set. Dip me in mustard and call me a hot dog, but I thought it was the best meal we ever had. Mom and I unveiled our homemade-from-the-box Easter cupcakes in a hot minute. They were yummy and pink. The best thing about a sugar high is the Dance Party that follows! Kalyn is incredible, she has as many dance moves as Carter has liver pills. It was super fun, until Dad accidentally played the explicit version of Cee-Lo's "Forget You". Kalyn noticed the slip first, and Mom loved her expression! Next time we'll stick to the Disney playlist!

28 Weeks

My Baby Brother is 28 weeks old now, getting bigger every day. Sometimes at bedtime when Mom is reading to me, he kicks to say "Hi". She taught me how to gently push on her belly to get him to kick back. So, now I pull up my own shirt to show people the "little sister in my belly" and I push and poke my belly button to "wake her up". A couple of my friends at school have new babies at their house now, so they are teaching me how to be a big sister. I passed on a lesson to Mom this week: "Sometimes babies cry because they need hugs. And binkies". My parents have been reminiscing about my days as an infant, remembering how I loved (demanded) to be held during The Witching Hour at night... especially when they needed to do other things, like cook dinner or unpack boxes from the move. And look at me now! Can you believe it's been 3 years?Mom and Dad are joking that we need to schedule a big move, drastic career changes, or at least some major home renovations for this summer when my brother is born. They aren't sure how to handle a new baby while settled in a home in a familiar town with friends around. Dad says this will be the summer that a hurricane wipes out our house, it would be the only way to keep things equal and fair between me and my brother! We are ready for anything!