My 31st Birthday

After the depression of turning 30, my 31st birthday was no big deal. I am a 30-something. I don't feel that old (most days). We kept it low key this year since L and I are going to Texas on the first of May. Lyla and I went for a swim and then met Daddy, Poppy and Grandad for dinner at T.Bonz Gill and Grill. The big parties are fun, but spending time with my family is more important to me now. I guess I'm grown up! Ha ha!

Easter Sunday

Lyla woke up to find a trail of eggs left for her by the Easter Bunny. They went from her bed, down the stairs, into the kitchen where he had left her bunny donuts and Easter presents! She was most excited about the candy! But she did love her stool and the precious lamb that Nana sent her. There is enough candy at our house to last us through the summer. She also got a pink doctor's kit so we have all been having our blood pressure taken and our hearts sound "terrific", according to Dr. Watson. She is so much fun! The stories she tells are hilarious and more often than not, exactly what happens. Her ability to recall events, people and places astounds me. I have to remember that even when I don't think she is paying attention, she is a sponge, soaking it all up.

Thank you God for blessing us with such an amazing gift and for sacrificing your Son for us. As a parent, that kind of love and sacrifice for a world of sinners is unfathomable.

Goose Creek Easter Egg Hunt

Lyla and her sweet friend, Caylin, participated in the Goose Creek Easter Egg Hunt. They had so much fun! Caylin's mom, Peggy, had the girls over for a practice run on Friday afternoon. Lyla really had the hang of it last year, but it was good to get the dust off and form a strategy. Lyla was in the 3 and under group and cleaned up! She won the prized Golden Egg (with a little boost to the top of the slide from dad)!! She even took a picture with the Easter Bunny. Lyla is not a big fan of being close to costumed humans, so I was so excited that she wanted her picture taken with the sweet bunny. After a big morning of hunting eggs, we spent some time on the swings, enjoying our victory candy. Lyla was so impressed with her Daddy's swing acrobatics. At 32, he can still do a back flip off the swing! It was a great way to kick off the Easter Week!


She was ready for the action.

Bucket full of Eggs!


Lyla and the Easter Bunny

Lyla and Caylin

Caylin & Lyla

Lyla with her Gold Egg Prize - Bunny Dog

Marissa & Lyla

Trickster T.J. & Lyla

Spring!

I love spring! After being inside all winter it is so nice to get outside and get your feet in the grass. Spring time in South Carolina is amazing. The flowers are beautiful and the weather is perfect. I am not too into lawn maintainence so we have a lot of dandelions. Lucky for me, Lyla loves to pick the flowers and "wishes". She gets so excited when she sees a "wish" flower. I have stopped many a run/walk (mostly walk-ha!) to pick them for her. We have also been enjoying a lot of al fresco dining. L loves having picnics outside and eats so well when we do that we have lunch in the back yard several times a week. Our new beach cabana is the perfect picnic spot. We have even started taking our books out to read. I think our Lyla-bug is going to love spring as much as her mommy.

Flowertown & Cajun Festivals

Spring means festivals everyweekend! And I love a good festival. The food, the rides, being outside with my family; they have to be one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend. My friend and I took our girls to the Flowertown Festival in Summerville. They have a huge craft show and lots of small rides for the kids. My favorite hairbow vendor participates so I have to stock up since she won't be around again until Christmas! Lyla had a blast with her friends, Tyler and Caylin. I wasn't sure if she would like the rides. We have tried a few quarter rides and she always wants off after about 5 seconds. Maybe strength in numbers helped her out, but she loved getting on their with her friends.
T.J. was able to join us for the Lowcountry Cajun Festival on James Island. The food was a fairly close subsititute for Lousisiana. It was so crowed that they were running out of food and the adult beverage lines were outrageously long. We stayed and listened to a few zydeco songs and left. It is already getting really warm. It's going to be a hot summer!

Bowling

We took all the kids bowling, and truthfully, the adults too! I still did not break a 100 but it was fun. Lyla was hilarious. Her dad helped her get the ball down the lane, but once she released it she was turning around and attempting to fist pump and saying "YES , I did it!". She would then give everyone a Lyla Thumbs Up, which actually doesn't use thumbs, but pointer fingers raised and a grimmaced face. I wish I could have taken a better picture of her victory stroll. Priceless.

Beach!

With Alayna and Alijah here for Spring Break, we made a trip to Isle of Palms for some beach fun. It was over 80 degrees and not too windy, so it was a great day for it! Lyla got to wear her new mermaid swimsuit. Even though the water was still chilly, they all 3 got in. L mostly played in the sand. She loves going to the beach!