Audrey's New Room

BEFORE

AFTER
I primarily posted these pics for Jen & Colleen who kindly begged to see the finished result :)
Here it is! I had so much fun making her room more girlie & adding to the Beatrix Potter theme we started with.

The mural was a work of "heart" (hee hee)
Seriously though it is my passion to create & the kids LOVE it... my only goal.

While painting, I became quite fond of all the critters... but I think this squirrel is my favorite.

Also the little owl in the tree which was Ian's idea.

Many of you know I'm addicted to my newly inherited sewing machine. I found a beautiful toile fabric to dress up the changing table & window. I also recovered the blue rocker with a luscious pink fabric... we're really happy with our cozy little nursery to snuggle with Audrey in!

Ryan & Karen Visit!

Aunt Karen (Tia) & Uncle Ryan came to visit all the way from California last week!

It was so nice to see them for a few days straight, catch up & let the kids enjoy seeing them in person as opposed to video chat on the computer. Audrey really liked to snuggle with Ryan...

...and Ian has perfected the charm to get money for video games, plastic animals at the zoo, treats, toys, etc. Ryan & Karen were pretty darn generous with the kiddo's :)
Our little boy really had a fun time with them & he's been really sad since they left. He loves to tell them stories & get lots of undivided attention... However, it was our little Audrey this morning who was searching around the house for Karen & Ryan.

We were even able to sneak in a trip to the Milwaukee Zoo during their fun-packed visit.

I'm not sure what Ian is doing in this picture but he's pretty tired after the long day... he insisted on sitting in Audrey's stroller...

Lastly, here we are on my birthday last week.

Brian & Ian had fun with the cake (note Ian's chef apron) & it was such a special day!

We've had such a great Spring with birthdays, trip to AZ, Easter and Ryan & Karen's visit... I almost can't believe we're less than 2 weeks away from our big family trip to FL!

Easter

We always look forward to our Easter in MN with daddy's family.

This year Ian was old enough to enjoy egg dying!

Easter Morning
Audrey was her mellow self & quietly enjoyed her Easter basket.
(Here she is approaching Maggie after overcoming her fear of doggies once again)

This look says it all:

Ian + sugar = unusually crazy

So the Easter bunny skimped on candy but got the kids lots of play-doh & a nice hamster toy to share.

To be honest, the empty plastic eggs were a highlight for both kids(?)

Here they are... the dreaded "get the kids dressed up, take them outside before they get dirty, snap some pics" photos:

EGG HUNT

Ian's response to finding a golden egg - hold this glorious shining symbol of Egg Hunt victory up to the sunlight for all to see! :)

The 2nd cousins are growing up so fast!

All 5 of these boys have a peanut allergy so we didn't have to worry about food at all