Easter '09

As you will see, Riley was all about heading down the road in search for those little eggs filled with special treats!!!! Not sure why she didn't want to stick around, maybe she simply thought the stash she was searching for initially was going to be swooped up in no time by Jade, Hayden & Dekota! Grandma or should I say the GREAT Grandma Butcher made a guest appearance at Gigi & Papa's house this year which was incredible! I asked her for some juice on Mom (Gigi) with really no luck. Appearently she was as sweet and innocent then as she is now! HA! The food was great, as always, & unfortunately, I was a little under the weather. Ughhh.... I have read, and confirmed, that parents of little people have a tendency to become sick more often, due to the little one's being the bearer of little icky germs of all sorts! It's been almost all week now and still not 100%. (Hopefully by the weekend!) Riley, Jade, Hayden & Dekota painted Easter Eggs early Saturday and Had them ready just in time for the Easter Bunny's special deliveries! The Chris' & Gwyn arrived early afternoon and as you can see, Blueberries are delish! She is getting so big and I think this time of year it is appropriate to say, Bright Eyed & Bushy Tailed! You forget how quickly they go from being so innocent and taking in all the things around, to striving for independance and heading off on their own! (I make Riley sound like she's off to college!) It's crazy how much the Wade side is growing with new babies and a husband added to the bunch! The more the merrier I say! Because of Grandma being in town, our time with the Grandma & Grandpa Louderman was short, but I can say we all really enjoyed the church service, including Grandma's very fun out fit and liveliness, Grandpa's rockin' out on the guitar & CJ's lack of shoes & new doooo! (Love it!) Riley had to take a few breaks from service but was really into all of the music! Unfortuantely, Grandma & Grandpa didn't get their initial hugs & love from Ri because a few minutes before we arrived she, with no better way to say it, threw up. Lots. Yucky. She was rushed from car to tub, then hugs! But she recovered pretty quickly & the weekend turned out to be a great one!

I almost forgot to mention, I did get my Yatzee game in with Grandma, sort of?! She kept score for the game which started with four and ended with Hayden & I. Does that count?

Also, on the early morning of Saturday, April 11, 2009, Gigi & Grandma slaved away at the beautiful fruity center piece which we all certainly enjoyed. So, no that was not purchased people, it was made with love!

200lbs, Fuzzy, Buck Toothed & Big Eared

And that my friends is exactly as she interpreted it!

It completely makes sense.... He's a 200lb beast, which she has never seen before, furry from head to toe. Sure, smiling, if rabbits can, but nonetheless, creepy. Think about it, I am pretty sure if we were unaware and that description effected us, we would react the same! Ha! Riley wanted nothing to do with the big fuzzy monster and truly was startled from the start! Noah had the same feelings for Mr. Cottontail! So maybe it's an age thing.... The little Mags didn't seem to mind a bit though! She is obviously braver than her two older friends! As always, it was incredible, the little time we had with our friends! Both young and old! Tara made the arrangements with a friend of hers to do the bunny suit thing, so we had a private visit with the Easter Bunny! How nice was that! Thanks Tara!

Someone save us!!!

Maybe next year & a little further explanation?!

A little better with the Mommies there to protect!

Miss Maggie Ann Palmer & Mr. Peter Cottontail

Mommy & Riley, Post Easter Bunny

The Middelkamp's
Noah Benjamin, Sean & Sara
(Visiting from Canada)

Baron is the the big 0-1!

This weekend we traveled across the river to Baron's house for the big party! There were lots of family who traveled south for the event and it is always great to see everyone! Baron was a bigger fan of the frosting, versus the cake but nonetheless, the little man took his time to savor every bite of frosting! And if that wasn't enough, he topped off the course with his first sucker! Beth and Rob did a nice job as always playing hostess and host! We love spending time with all of the family and it's so nice to watch the kids grow together! Griffin, Candon & Taylyn are so great with the little ones! You can see how much the babes look up to them, figuratively & literally!

Baron's Mom did a great job on his cake! It really looked adorable! She even specialized the party even further by making individualized cakes for all the younger guests, very thoughtful!

The ball pit Baron got had some static cling issues, hence the great hair!

These are just a few to samples of Baron's Special Day!

Airplane Park?!

As many already know there are a few fantastic parks in Edwardsville, one which has a big airplane suspended in mid-aire, sort of. It is not actually called Airplane Park, but that is what most, including us, know it as! We met up today with some girlfriends & a boyfriend! from Edwardsville and CANADA, since Sara & Noah are in town and of course Tara & Maggie being the locals! Riley loved, and I say loved, the swing!!! She actually really loved the whole experience~ so parks watch out because here we come!!!!