Oh-Bla-Di

For the second  year in a row (it’s an annual event now!), we joined a lovely group of families for a picnic in a nearby park during Easter weekend.   All the kiddos get dressed up in their Easter gear and we all enjoy a potluck picnic followed by an egg hunt for the kids.  Last year was Ava’s first egg hunt so she wasn’t so sure about the process.  This year, she did a great job looking for eggs and really had a great time playing with the other kids.  What a difference between ages one and two!

Here’s a shot of our pretty girl all done up in her Easter dress and fancy hair bow.  Just for reference, here’s last year’s shot.

As I mentioned, she was a pro (well, maybe with a little prompting from Mommy & Daddy) at finding eggs this year…even ones hiding in trees!

Of course, the best part of an egg hunt is the candy in the eggs!  Whoozy sure loves her treats!

Thanks so much to the Hoffmans for putting together another great Easter picnic.  Can’t wait for next year’s!

On the Friday before Easter, we took some time to color some eggs.  This was the first time that Ava actually got to help with this activity and, boy, did she have a good time!  The girl is a color-mix master and would have dunked each of the eggs in every color but, with a little guidance, she made some pretty good art.

While I’m pretty good about making sure we get to do these things (buy eggs and dye and having it all ready), the artistry of the event really comes from Matt.  He’s so great about modeling creativity for Ava and she just soaks it up. I’m so grateful that Matt can embrace the messiness and the creativity to easily.  Helps me to go with the flow of it too.  They’re a pretty funny team, so I’m usually very entertained.  We’ll just say that they both have very active imaginations!

Don’t they look like very serious egg colorers?  Here’s a peek at the finished product…

And, while pictures are worth a thousand words, I have to say that I love hearing the two-year-old speak for herself.  So, here’s a little video of the egg dying process – the oohs and aahs are totally unprompted.  

Yay!  You’ve made it!  Welcome to the brand-spankin’ new Oh Bla Di.  Nothing quite like a new blog for Valentine’s Day.  Matt’s been working a lot this weekend to get this up and running…bear with us as it’s a little bit of a work in progress.  We’re excited about the increased functionality, though, and the videos should work for you!  I’ll tell you, it’s nice when the people you love really “get” you.  So, since you’re here, how about a story?

Although we spent much of this weekend coping with various stages of illness (Ava had a fever Tuesday – Friday and I caught her bug on Friday), we had a lovely four day weekend during which to celebrate lots of love.  And then we took a nap.

On Thursday, after Ava’s doctor appointment, we stopped by Michael’s to pick up a quick craft she could make for Matt for Valentine’s day.  One wooden picture frame, some paint and Modge Podge later, and we had a bona fide “I made it myself with love!” gift for Daddy.  Plus, it totally gave us something to do besides watch Mary Poppins for the 55th time in three days.

Matt loved it, by the way.

Because I’m horrible at waiting for actual holidays to give gifts I think people will really like, Matt got to open his Valentine from me a day early.  As I mentioned on the bridge post from our old website, Matt really gets me and the way I like to communicate.  Turns out, that was a theme this year, as my gift to him was a set of hand-pressed stationery.  As much as I love the interweb, Matt prefers snail mail.  Now, he’s got a beautiful way to keep in touch with the folks he loves.  Although, since he’s been working as a web designer for the last three days, don’t think that you’re not on his list if you don’t have a letter soon.  

Ava had lovely surprises from her Valentines, as well.  Two lovely books arrived for her in the mail and, wow, does girly understand when we say, “Hey, Ava, this present is for you!”  She tore into those packages like she really knew what she was doing.  The best part is always the whispered “Whoa” when she gets something new.  Treasuring that sense of awe…especially when it’s for some new socks.  Thanks for the new books, Grandparents!!

Happy Valentine’s Day from our hearts to yours!