So there are 4 hours left in the month of April. I have to get this blog updated in Abby's birthday month - since I didn't quite get it updated ON her birthday. Sue me!

Let's go back 2 weeks to Sunday, April 17. We decided to dye Easter Eggs as it was the only day all week that we'd all be home together. Just dyeing the eggs wasn't exciting enough, so Abby decided to taste the purple dye tablet. I called poison control and discovered that eating one tablet was not harmful, and I was advised to watch for color changes in her diapers. During clean-up we found some partially dissolved pieces of the tablet on the floor, so we believe it tasted so bad that she spit it out. We never saw any color changes in her diaper. As it turns out, the real tragedy was that Katherine's favorite color is purple, and she didn't get to have a purple egg.

Once the eggs were dyed, we were able to concentrate on the real holiday of the week - ABBY'S BIRTHDAY! Maggie and Katherine were especially excited and eager to make Abby's birthday special. Chris took them out to shop and they each chose a special gift for Abby. They also enjoyed baking and decorating her cupcakes and choosing a birthday balloon.
Abby was also very excited about her birthday. We started early in the day, because it was Holy Thursday, and we weren't sure if Chris would make it home between school and church that day. So when she came downstairs, she saw "PRESENTS!"
Then we had birthday pancakes and cupcakes for breakfast. She LOVED the candles and singing, shouting "More candles" after blowing them out.
The sun came out just long enough to enjoy some time outside on her birthday. There was a part of me that wanted to take her out someplace exciting, to make the day extra special. But really, at 2, all she wanted to do was stay home and play for the whole day. So we stayed home, played inside and out, and then had cupcakes again with our dinner.

Overall I think it was pretty great day for Abby. And it was only the first of her birthday celebrations. She had 2 more to go!The Easter Bunny arrived on Sunday, bringing lots of eggs and a few other surprises. The Hula Hoops were a big hit - though 3 girls with hoops got a little crazy in our living room.

Then we went to West Bend for the day where Abby had her second birthday party at Boom Boom's and the big girls got to hunt for more Easter eggs/treats.
On Monday we enjoyed the first full day of SPRING BREAK! The weather was just barely nice enough to head to the park and try the new kites that the Easter Bunny delivered. They weren't very strong though, so Chris was able to get them flying, but they both ended up crashing soon after take-off. As Maggie pointed out "They were only $3!" I think the Easter Bunny should check for price tags next year!
The rest of our week was spent hanging out. Gram and PopPop came up on Wednesday for Abby's third birthday celebration. Chris enjoyed cooking a true feast and we enjoyed eating it!
On Friday, the sun finally came out! We went to the Zoo in the morning to take advantage of the warm weather. I think that 1/2 the city was there too - everyone felt the need to come out from hibernation!

In the afternoon we picked up the new dresser for the big girls' room. As we transition Abby into a "Big Girl" room we've been moving some furniture around. The dresser is exactly what we needed in the room, but the mirror that attaches arrived with a crack down the middle. So we'll wait another 2 weeks for that project to be complete.

Finally, this morning I joined a few colleagues and participated in the March for Babies in Milwaukee. It was very windy, and cooler than we might have liked. But, since it wasn't raining or snowing (as it was in Iowa 2 weeks ago) we tried not to complain and instead just enjoyed being there, walking for such an important cause. Thanks to all of you for your support!