Easterpalooza in Pittsburgh!

The Easter Bunny was busy at our house this year. We had the whole Maurer clan visiting, so Jane reunited with her cousins from North Carolina as they haven't seen each other since Christmas 2010! Nana and Papa had all six grandkids in one spot - a grandparent's delight, although we all quickly learned how much energy is needed to keep up with all of them!

Anderson wasn't feeling that well, but he still managed to find his Easter basket and eat some candy.

Anna had a great time exploring Jane's toys and helping with Elise.

Adam helped show the others the best way to color Easter eggs.

This was Jane's first time coloring eggs and she got the hang of it pretty quick and no spills!

Aunt BethAnn provided artistic direction.

Jane could hardly wait for her eggs to dry before diving in to eat one! Yum.

Jane was pretty excited that the Easter Bunny came to our house, left her a basket and hid eggs inside and outside the house...with treats inside! Above Jane is enjoying her first Peep.

The Easter Bunny brought Jane Rapunzel underwear. She wanted to try them out and quickly told me that it was a special day and she didn't have to wear pants. She also told me she was going to show her teachers at school her new underwear the next day at potty time. Who knew underwear could provide such excitement!

Jane in her Easter dress counting her egg loot.

Ava enjoyed holding Elise any chance she got!

Ava also provided good entertainment for Elise!

After Aunt Lauren (aka Aunt LaLa) and the kiddos headed back to North Carolina. Nana took a rest on the couch. Jane thought Nana needed some medical attention and quickly tended to Nana's knees. Thank goodness Dr. Maurer says she had a good check-up!

A few last snuggles before Nana and Papa headed back to Michigan. I almost had to get my tools out to pry Elise from Nana's hands! I don't blame her - our Dolly is pretty cute!

Bumbolicious

It's bumbo time! Hard to believe Elise is big enough to sit in this already, but she is nice and sturdy and likes her time in the bumbo. Jane was pretty excited too...she enjoys sitting in it too (yes, she still fits!).

Is there another doctor in the house?

This morning Jane put on Scott's badge and declared that she was going to work at the Rainbow hospital (this is the children's hospital where Scott works...it is multi-colored, hence Jane nickname). When asked what she was going to do there she replied, "Help all the sick kids."

Then, she proceeded to get her doctor kit and fix mommy's knee (actual boo-boo from falling last weekend - yikes!) and apparently Minnie hurt her knee too. She needed a shot. I also needed a shot and Jane said, "Be brave Mommy". I was.

Needless to say, Jane's imagination is full throttle these days. Often she wakes in the morning and says that baby is crying and needs to eat (or in the picture above, needs a bath). This morning, Minnie was "very hungry" and wanted Cheerios.

Last weekend, Aunt Krista, Jaeden and Cole came to visit. Jane was playing quietly in her room one morning when Krista opened the door surprised to find Jane right by the door. After a quick greeting, Jane said, "I'm stuck". She was going on a trip and the handle on the backpack she had on (filled with blocks) was stuck on the door handle. We weren't sure how long she had been that way! After getting "unstuck", Jane quickly welcomed Krista into her world of imaginary play!

3 Months!

No, she's not praying to Minnie...

She's knocking Minnie out...and thinks it's quite funny. I think she's showing me how she really feels for switching out Pink Bear for Minnie. Lesson learned.

Elise has become quite the little lady - cooing, giggling, spending lots of time kicking on her playmat. And she loves to look at anything with her bright eyes. She has started grasping objects near her as well. The molecule (as seen in picture above) has become her favorite for its bright colors and fun sounds it makes. Though we have yet to capture it on camera, Elise has figured out how to roll from her stomach to her back. Tummy time is increasing these days (she is not a huge fan), and with that she has discovered how to shift those thunder thighs and suprise herself by rolling and then looking up at the sky.

But, her favorite subject of all to look at is, you guessed it, big sister Jane! Here she is listening intently (and comfortably I might add) as Jane reads her a story. Jane is enamored with trying to get Elise to smile these days, talking to her and saying "You gonna smile?" More often than not Elise rewards her with a big gummy smile.

Elise has gotten a little fussier these days, but we are hoping it is just a phase. The good news is that when she isn't fussing, she's smiling - we'll take that.