Little Travelers

As I have said before, the only positive outcome of having far away family is that it breeds great travelers. Noelle is a pro at the five hour car ride and handles it with stride, of course the DVD player helps out considerably. We hoped Max would handle his first trip as well as his big sis. Being only a mere two and a half months, Max slept 90% of the time, big surprise there. Occasionally I would hear a squawk and reach back to plug him back up with the pacifier. He would fall back into a car induced sleep and that was that. One pit stop was required for all of us to fill all of our tanks and off we continued. Noelle was overwhelmed with joy at finally being able to see her beloved Uncle. All week long the anticipation had been building and Tom and I were about sick of hearing about going to Uncle's house! We made it up there about 2pm and the fun started.

That evening after bath time we decided that Noelle needed to try her hand at dying Easter eggs. The cups were filled and all was ready. We told Noelle to put an egg into the cup. Never thinking that specific directions as to how to put the egg in, very very gentle, were needed. Noelle jumped right in. She literally whipped the egg at the little dish and magically made it in. A huge splash of purple water went everywhere! Now Granma and Granpa have purple stained grout to remember this occasion by! After that little fiasco was cleaned up Noelle very much enjoyed making the eggs all different colors and then putting the stickers on at the end.

Saturday was spent hanging around enjoying each other's company. Tom and I were able to get out and do some last minute Easter shopping at Toys R Us. We went up and down the aisles wanting to buy almost every thing we came in contact with. After much consideration we settled on some little things for the children.

Back at the house we worked at preparing a yummy dinner to celebrate Easter when Granma came home from work. Noelle kept every one entertained with her antics through out the day. It seemed that her little voice reined supreme over the house and had everyone busting at the seams with every phrase that came from her sweet little lips. (On a side note: Doesn't my Mom look so young holding Max!)

After dinner Noelle opened her Easter presents. She made out very well getting lots of great presents. She received a dress up set from Uncle Alex and Aunt CeeCee. The pink feathered tiara, wand, and accompanying jewelry was too hard for Uncle to resist and he had to put it all on. Now, I may get in some trouble by putting the picture up, but what are big sisters for!?

The Easter bunny came and Noelle was very excited Sunday morning. Finding the hidden eggs were a big hit. A ridiculously bright smile appeared on her face every time she came across a well hidden egg. She was a riot to watch and we all had smiles planted on our faces as she searched high and low for eggs. There were also a bunch of plastic eggs hidden in the basement that kept her occupied for some time. Max was oblivious to the excited, what else would you expect for a two and a half month old!

After the excitement died down we packed up. It truly is hard to leave. For me it gets worse every time because the children are getting older (Noelle for the most part) and becoming more and more attached to their Granma, Granpa, and Uncle Alex. For days afterward she recalls many details and tells me story after story. If only we could live closer! For now we will have to settle for visiting as much as possible.

Here are some more pictures for those interested: