Mall Fun

For Easter this year we went to my parents house to have Easter with them and my brother and his family. We got there late Friday night and missed out on seeing Miss Tinsley because she's on a schedule now and had to go to bed at 7:30. I may mention the schedule thing a couple of times in this post, because I like to pick on Josh and Andrea about it. Some people (no names mentioned) used to make fun of me for having Eli on a schedule when he was a baby and these same people now see the merits of having a scheduled baby and stick to it like clockwork. It makes me chuckle :) The next day Josh had a golf game scheduled with some friends of his, but the rest of us got dressed and went to the mall. We wanted the kids to visit the Easter Bunny and then Eli kept mentioning Build-a-Bear so my parents wanted to take him to that.

When we got to the mall, it was time for lunch so we all grabbed something quick to eat. Having the carousel there was a great incentive for getting my non-eater to eat, so after he scarfed down the required number of chicken nuggets and fries, he got to ride on the carousel a couple of times. I accidentally got $10 worth of tokens, so I had plenty for the two kids to share between them. Tinsley was a little apprehensive about her first ride on the carousel, but now we can all say that's one "first" she's gotten to experience. Since they live so close to the mall, I'm sure this won't be the last time Miss Tinsley gets to experience this!

Eli was an old pro at the carousel and quickly chose the animal he wanted to ride. Since I had so many tokens, he got to enjoy the carousel not once, but twice!

While Eli was riding the carousel the second time, Tinsley enjoyed her lunch. She had to eat right at 1:30 because she's on a schedule and all ;) Okay, what I'm about to say may shock some of you....Josh and Andrea do not own a real camera. I know. It blows my mind every time I stop and think about it. They're just not picture people. I am SUCH a picture person, so it's hard for me to grasp the concept that they are not taking hundreds of pictures of this doll face every day. Anyway, Tinsley was mesmerized by the camera (because she's never seen one), so I got lots of pictures of her smiling at me. Isn't she just the cutest thing?!?

Eli asked Pop to ride with him on the carousel the second time around. Those two have such a special relationship and I love watching them with each other. They both adore the other one and it's so sweet to watch. 

Dad even hopped on a horse next to Eli for the carousel ride. 

I thought that was so sweet!

After Eli's second carousel ride, it was time to go find the Easter Bunny. Eli hasn't had his picture taken with the Easter Bunny since he was a baby, so he was really excited about it. Tinsley didn't have a clue about the bunny, but we were all curious to see how she would react. At the old mall where Eli first got his picture with the Easter Bunny, they allowed kids to take pictures with the Easter Bunny and you could use your own camera. This mall didn't allow that. I pulled it out to start taking pictures and got fussed at by the workers. Oh well, I tried. Eli and Tinsley each saw the Easter Bunny individually and then we got a picture with the two of them together. They all turned out so cute! Tinsley wasn't the least bit scared of that bunny!

Tinsley waiting to go see the Easter Bunny.

She couldn't keep her bow on her head!

My handsome little man looking all grown up.

Eli's Easter Bunny picture

Eli and Tinsley's Easter Bunny picture

After visiting the Easter Bunny, it was time to head to Build-a-Bear so Eli and Tinsley could each make a special friend. That morning when Eli first brought it up, my mom and I got on the computer and we showed him all the different friends he could build. My main goal was to steer him away from animals that were bears and blue. We managed to convince him that a puppy would be a really special friend to make and he agreed with us. When we got to the store, Josh helped Tinsley pick out which friend she was going to make and Eli set out to find his puppy.

Thankfully, one of the dogs we had pre-selected on the computer was in the store so Eli was all ready to go!

Tinsley had to choose between the white bear and the pink princess bear. Guess which one she picked :)

The pink princess bear!

Now it was time to make their cuddly friends!

Getting stuffed

Kissing the heart

Bathtime

Eli and his new friend, Buddy!

Eli helped Tinsley wash her bear.

In love with his new puppy

Me and my sweet boy

Grammy and Pop with the grandbabies.

Thanks so much for the new friends!

It was an incredibly busy afternoon at the mall and we had so much fun! I love making memories with my family!

Eli's 1st Wee Ball Practice

T-Ball is in full swing and my little man is loving it. He's only had a few practices because the weather rained out some of their practices, but he's already learning important fundamentals of the game. I think the biggest adjustment for him so far has been the realization that he's not going to get the ball every single time. He's so used to practicing with Josh at home and every single ground ball that is hit his way is always his. Now he's having to learn about sharing, taking turns, and staying in your position when the ball isn't near you. A couple of times I saw him hang his head at practice because he was sad because he missed getting a ball or because he didn't get to the ball (when it was in play for him) as fast as some of the other kids. I had to keep myself from going to him to reassure him that everything was okay, but these are lessons he's going to have to learn on his own. I know it's all part of the game and it's great that he has the chance to learn these lessons now when he's four years old rather than when he's much older. He'll be a much better ball player because of it!

Here are some pictures from the one practice I was allowed to go to :) Mommies tend to have an adverse effect on their kids when they're at ball practice, so Josh said this was my first and last practice to attend. 

Some of the sweet girls on Eli's team

Miss Molly

Eli's friend, Hayden, and his Daddy, Guy

Great hit!

Nice, level swing!

Haha! His expressions when he runs kill me!

Nice form, Hayden!

Getting ready to field some ground balls.

This little girl cracks me up! She's so precious!

Our little team is doing such a great job of listening and following directions! All the coaches and parents are so proud of them! I can't wait to see them all in action at their first game!

PreK-3 Easter Egg Hunt

The Monday before Easter, Eli and his class took a field trip to a beautiful plantation home to have their Easter Egg hunt. I was able to leave school for a couple of hours so I could join in on the fun. As soon as the kids got off the bus, their teachers had them all sit on the steps for a big group picture. That was a disaster, but I did end up with a picture of all the kids...they're not all looking at the camera, but it was the best I could do. 

After the group picture, it was time to hunt for the Easter eggs! The kids took off and started throwing eggs into their baskets. Each parent was asked to send in 24 candy filled eggs for the party. Multiply that by 38 kids and you have TONS of eggs! All the baskets were overflowing with goodies!

Eli's friend, Scott

Hannah found lots!

Hannah and her Daddy

Me with my little guy

Sweet Stella and her Mommy

I asked Eli to take a picture with Hannah and this is the face I got. 

I told him if he did it right he wouldn't have to do it again :) 

Eli and his two best friends, Logan and Charlie

Before going inside to eat their Easter lunch, each kid got to sit on this wooden rabbit and take a picture. I thought Eli's turned out so nice! It was a beautiful, albeit a little cold, day. I'm so glad I got to spend it with my favorite little man!