Easter "Eggstravaganza"

A local park holds an annual Spring "Eggstravaganza", so we packed Sydney up and had a blast!  We went last year as well, and what a difference a year makes!  It's hard to believe that last year when we went, it was just a few days before her surgery.  (You can see her fused fingers if you look closely)

Easter 2011

Last year we pretty much just walked around for a bit and had Sydney's picture taken with the Easter bunny.  This year, super different story!  Sydney was really into looking at all the exhibits and even sat on a tractor.  Chick-fil-a had a cow there and Sydney even let the cow hold her for a picture.  In fact, when we got home, the cow is what she talked about the most.  She kept saying, "Cow hold you" (meaning a cow held her).  We waited in line to see the Easter Bunny; I would have wondered about what her reaction would be, but she went so easily to the cow I wasn't worried.  She did scream out "Easter Bunny, see him" about 100 times while we waited, but I think that's funny!  She sat in the Easter Bunny's lap easily, although I never could quite get a smile out of her. 

"Cow hold you" :)

Sitting with the Easter Bunny

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Driving a tractor!

They also had an egg hunt, separated up by age group.  Sydney participated in the 2 and under group...which was the last group to go.  At first I wasn't sure why they didn't let all the kids go at the same time since they were all in different areas, but the older kids got their eggs so quickly it didn't even matter (ha!).  Sydney got the idea pretty quickly about what she was supposed to do, but there were so many people she only got four eggs (which, by the way, she called "Easter Bunny eggs").  I figured this was a good warm up for when the Easter Bunny visits our house.  She also loved looking in the eggs to see the candy hidden inside.  Here are some of my favorite pictures we took of her!

Lots of eggs!





I got some eggs!

Yay!!!

Sweet baby girl!

Candy!

First Beach Trip of the Season

Since we are finally thawing out from the winter (albeit a mild one), we recently packed up and headed to the beach.  We had not been in quite sometime, especially since we just had our house on the market and felt we needed to stay close to home for weekend showings.  With our house sold and the beautiful weather, it was the perfect combination for beach visiting.

We were interested to see Sydney's reaction to being on the beach because the last time she was there, she wasn't mobile yet and was only about 10 months old.  Lucky for us, she is definitely a beach baby!  She dug in the sand, was mesmerized watching kids riding on boogie boards and flying kites, and even enjoyed putting her feet in the (chilly) water.  I'm looking forward to when it's even warmer to wade farther into the water with her. 

Checking out the ocean

Looking at the water with Daddy

Sydney and her daddy on the beach!

Enjoying a little snack

Talking about all she sees

While there, we also took a trip to the aquarium.  We have been before, but this time Sydney was the most interested she has been.  At each animal exhibit, she would point and name the animals she knew and actually looked at them longer than she has.  I absolutely love watching take in the fish, turtles, alligators, and crabs- all animals we look at in books and talk about but that are much more exciting to see in person.  There is nothing like watching a child gaze in amazement at things we have seen so many times.  We will definitely visit the aquarium more this summer!

Arriving at the aquarium

Petting the turtle

Walking on the interactive mat

Checking out the fish

Marsh outside the aquarium

Sydney as a crab!

Thank goodness the warm weather is upon us!

Playing in the sand

Silly Daddy!

Testing out the water

So grown up!