Dresses From Gramma

About a month ago my mom called to ask if the girls had Easter dresses yet.  She said that she had stumbled upon some perfect dresses but that she was not sure if she should get them or not and asked if I could go online and see what I thought.  As I was chatting with mom and looking at all the different dresses there were to choose from my two sweet girls showed up and plopped themselves on my lap.  They quickly (and unbeknownst to me) chose the two dresses that my mom had fallen in love with.  It was clearly a sign that these were the dresses that needed to be purchased for these two sweet, little girls.  She brought the dresses up with her last time she came to visit and they have been quietly waiting in the closet for Easter day to arrive.  Yesterday morning we gave the dresses to the girls who gasped with excitement the minute they laid eyes on them! They were clearly over the moon to get to wear such beautiful dresses!  Thanks mom for making their dreams come true! XO



Happy Easter!

Easter Box Saturday

This year we decided to do things a little differently.  Usually we host Easter Sunday dinner, but this year we decided that it would be fun to meet up with my parents, sister and her boyfriend for Easter Sunday brunch and an egg hunt in Providence.  We decided that since the usual festivities were not going to be taking place here on Sunday that we would just hold them a day earlier and celebrate with just the four of us.  So, while Dave was at work, the girls and I got to the task of coloring more eggs, and making some super sweet nest cupcakes (some of which will be going to good homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island tomorrow)!

After we were finished decorating the cupcakes we opened the Easter box that arrived from Dave's parents.  They have sent an Easter box chock full of goodies every year since we were in college.  It arrived during the week and sat taunting us all week long.  In years past we would opened the Easter box on Easter, but it was nice to open it a day early this year and give it it's own day to shine!

While Dave made the glaze for the ham I set up an egg hunt for the girls.  We had hoped to be able to hold our egg hunt outside like we usually do but sadly by the time he got home it was looking like it was going to rain.

It was an absolutely perfect day, and somehow I think we may have stumbled upon a new tradition. It's the best of both worlds; a quiet family gathering one day and then getting to see our larger family the next.  And now, on that note, it's time to head to bed.  The girls baskets are filled and ready for the morning.  And I dare say that they may be our best baskets yet!  I am just over the moon about how sweet and simple they are. More on them later.  For now I will leave you with this peek at them:

{This Moment}

{This Moment} - A SouleMama Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. We wish you a weekend full of joy-filled moments, and a very happy Easter to those who celebrate!

Coloring Eggs



Happy Free Cone Day!

After we dropped Emma off at Crickets today Grace asked if we could get some ice cream.  Ice cream sounded like a fabulous idea to me so I began to contemplate where we should go.  After a little thought I settled on Ben & Jerrys.  As I drove to B&J's I thought about what kind of ice cream I would get (Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Snack?  Cherry Garcia?  Phish Food?) and how we'd probably have the place to ourselves since it was the middle of the day on a Tuesday.  As soon as we arrived we noticed that there were an awful lot of people standing outside of Ben & Jerry's.  If it had been a gorgeous 80 degree day like we had a couple of weeks ago this would not have been shocking, but seeing how it was in the 60s and breezy this seemed a little strange to me.  It could only mean one thing:  It must be free cone day!  What a perfect day to get ice cream!  Grace chose Phish Food and I had Mint Chocolate Chunk.  Sadly Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Snack was not an option.  As we headed out of Ben & Jerry's and back to our car Grace loudly proclaimed: "I love free cone day!"  And I couldn't agree more!



Emma And Wallace: A Love Story

I took these pictures at the end of February and for one reason or another never got around to posting them.  For some odd reason it seemed like it was never the "right time" to share them with everyone. Until today that is.  I'd like to introduce you to Wallace.  Wallace is the beloved Miss Emily's wonderful hound dog.  He holds a very special place in Emma's heart and as a result (or one of the results, really) we never leave art class sooner than thiry minutes after class has ended (the other reason being that Miss Emily and I are clearly kindred spirits and never miss out on a chance to chat and share all the wonderful stories from our week with each other).  Emma adores Wallace and I think it's safe to say that the feeling is mutual.  From the minute art class ends, Em hightails it over to Wallace and spends as much time as possible chatting, petting and just generally loving him.  When it's finally time to go, she always gives him three kisses: One on his head, one on his back and one on his tail (oh, how I wish I had been able to capture those moments).  And sweet, wonderful, patient, gentlemanly Wallace just stands there, proud to have a friend such as Emma.  It truly is a sweet, sweet friendship!