Spring for Real

For Christmas last year, Nana got the kids a subscription to Highlights Magazine. It came with a 2019 calendar, and Aubrey got really excited about all the different obscure holidays that were coming up over the year. One she was particularly excited about was April Fools Day. As the day approached, she started saying, "I can't wait to see how you prank me!" So we were stuck; we had to do something.

After getting some age-appropriate ideas from Kara and John, we decided to draw mustaches on the kids' faces as they slept. Daniel did Aubrey's first, and I had a hard time stifling my laughter. Then I did Carter's; he was tougher because he doesn't sleep as soundly, so he kept rolling over while I did it. 

When she woke up the next morning, Aubrey thought it was hilarious. She kept it on all day, even when she went to preschool. Carter had already rubbed his mostly off by the time we went to get him from his room. Oh well; Aubrey's looked awesome.

That April 1st was also the day of our anatomy scan for the baby. Everyone but Carter was hoping for another girl. Unlike with Aubrey and Carter, I didn't have an inkling at all; I could have seen it going either way. At the appointment, we got this cute profile shot...

... then we got some balloons at the store and put them in a box to reveal the gender to Aubrey and Carter. Of course, we filmed the whole thing on Facebook Live.

It's a girl! Aubrey was so excited. I really do wonder how she would have reacted if it had been a boy. It may not have been pretty.

After the baby's gender reveal, all of our excitement and anticipation got redirected to Easter. This year, we actually made it to our neighborhood's Easter egg hunt. They split the hunt into multiple hunts based on age group. Carter went first...

Aw, happy boy!

Aubrey actually ran into a preschool friend while we were there, so they got to do their age group's hunt together.

And they're off!

Awww, happy girl!

I got a family photo afterward, and I was struck by the similarity between Carter's and Daniel's facial expressions. Hehe.

There was also a bouncy house, which we had to visit for a bit, of course.

And then it was finally Easter day! I must say, I think the kids looked very snazzy and particularly cute.

Anyway, Aubrey somehow decided a few days before Easter that we needed to have a whole set of Easter games before church. So she made a list of everything she wanted us to do. The streamers were done the day before; she basically just hung streamers around the house to decorate for the party.

Then, on Easter morning, we went down the list. We did pictures (with Rarity the My Little Pony, naturally).

We did the Banana Game (which turned out to actually be a race... while holding bananas).

We did silly dances.

We played the Zombie Game (though its appropriateness for Easter was a little questionable).

We did it all. And then the kids found their Easter baskets, which included Bubble Blasters. Daniel had to fix one that got broken (by Aubrey, ahem), so they didn't get to play with them until the next day. But oh man, they had a blast (no pun intended).

To make the most of the beautiful Spring weather, I tried to take the kids outside when I could. My bad pregnancy hips often prevented me, but we did take a few walks around the neighborhood. That was when we discovered a neighbor's awesome daffodils.

We also got to the park a few times. Some of those times, it was a little bit too cold!

Unlike me, Daniel is not pregnant and pathetic, so he continued to take the kids on our weekly hike. He got some awesome photos when they hiked Castle Rock. It made me wish I had gone, too!

He also got this cute video of Carter waving at the train as it went by. That boy and trains!

Haha yes! Carter has conquered the mountain!

Anyway, since I AM pregnant, I've had a lot of OB appointments. It's been a weird pregnancy in some ways, so I've had even more than usual. But hey, it has meant more ultrasound photos like this one (which was taken when they had me in to see about adjusting my due date since the baby was measuring large)!

And as for baby girl's older siblings, though they were often trying to torture or kill each other, they did also have a lot of sweet moments together.

Carter is obsessed with motorcycles (which he calls elasticycles after The Incredibles 2 movie), so Aubrey let him ride the Aubrey-cycle.

She also read to him a lot. (I love this!)

They built towers together...

... and stole my phone to film weird videos together.

They somehow discovered, as all children eventually do, the joy of sliding down the stairs on a blanket/pillows/sleeping bag/whatever.

And when we went to Ikea--which they completely loved, by the way--they played a cute game where Aubrey pretended to read Carter a bedtime story and then put him to bed.

Finally, to round out Spring, we celebrated Mother's Day. I had to make sure to get a photo of me with my lovies to commemorate.

They are pretty cute...

Now, bring on Summer!