Okay, she does have his nose. But I was the one with the blonde curley hair! Chuck was blonde too, but his was lighter and stick-straight.Today we celebrated easter by decorating and eating tons of hard boiled eggs. I honestly can't remember the last time I dyed eggs... it must've been 20+ years ago! You're supposed to add vinegar to the dye mixture, and Chuck said the smell even brought back memories for him.
Chuck also got some ham to go along with his eggs, but Aurora was having none of it. I think she may end up being a vegetarian like her mama. Actually, it seemed like she was equating the meal with green eggs and ham! Silly girl.
Aurora got to play with eggs all week long. Thursday they had an easter egg hunt at daycare, and earlier in the week we got a package in the mail from Grandma Nancy. Rora loves presents (who doesn't?), and was so surprised by all the cute toys and stuffies. When we discovered that the plastic eggs from Grandma contained play doh, Aurora was thrilled. She just kept saying "Rora like play doh mommy!" then got down on the ground and started rolling it into "snakes," making circles and moons. We've never done that at home before, so it surprised me too!
All in all, a great weekend - maybe the nicest we've had in a long time. And not just because of the eggs. There were hardly any melt downs, power struggles, or frustrations involved. Not that we have a lot of that, but when we do it's exhausting.
This morning could not have been much nicer. The weather was perfect, we arrived early and beat the crowds, and Amelia is one of our favorite people to hang out with. It was a happy day.
I found where my old blackberry has been hiding. @amberwadey's daughter Aurora must have had it all this time. Go figure.
And here are two of my BWF's (best work friends) Bailey and Laura, after winning the egg toss. I realize this doesn't have much to do with Aurora or my blog, but it makes me happy!
Today Aurora's daycare was closed for Good Friday and while we were out and about, I decided to take her to Pots & Plants, the famous flamingo place on the corner of Bee Caves & 360. It was SO cute - they had flamingos and huge easter eggs on display with bluebonnets growing EVERYWHERE, and Aurora loved it. 
My friend Amelia said that this can't count as our "official" annual Bluebonnet pic, but I think she's just trying to convince us to go to the Wildflower Center with her. Which we're going to do tomorrow morning! So you should have more gorgeous bluebonnet pics coming soon, along with more easter egg pics by the end of the weekend. 
Naps are another story. On weekends I put Aurora in her crib around Noon for a nap, and sometimes she falls right to sleep, but other times she spends an hour or longer talking, jumping, singing, kicking and crying. She usually does sleep for a good hour or two, but on occasion we have places to go and she ends up without a nap, which isn't as tragic as you'd think... it doesn't make her super cranky, but she does get a little tired later in the afternoon. I took this picture a couple weeks ago at Emmie's cancer-free party. Aurora hadn't slept and decided to try napping in the dog bed...
Or at least it can feel that way some days! Friday and Saturday were two of those days. Friday was a hectic end to a busy week at work, and Saturday I had a lot to accomplish. We dropped my car off at 7am to get its state inspection and oil changed, and ended up also having brake pads replaced and transmission fluid changed, which took all day. So, with one car we headed out to breakfast, went shopping at Target, played at the park, then went to daycare for their circus-themed open house.
It was nice to see Aurora's friends and teachers while getting to play, color, and have fun at school on a weekend.
I'll admit that Aurora was a little confused by the whole situation. I'm pretty sure she thought that if we put her down, we'd leave her there - and she did not want to be left at school on a weekend with a clown in the hallway! But she had a good time.
After about an hour we went home, took a nap, then headed up north to find some computer parts for Chuck at Fry's (after stopping at RadioShack and Best Buy with no luck), then went to Half Price Books before heading back to pick up my car and get Aurora off to bed.
And THEN my evening really started! We couldn't find a babysitter, so I left Chuck at home and headed out to my friend's house for a karaoke party. It was SO much fun, but boy did I stay out past my bedtime, especially considering that my day starts at 6:30am no matter how late I go to bed.
After going going going, today was the first day that actually felt like a real day off in a long time. I may not have been able to sleep in, but we all stayed in our pajamas and did absolutely nothing all morning. Well, we watched a movie and I planned Aurora's 2nd birthday party, but all from the comfort of my couch, in my pj's, with my coffee. Then we took a long nap. It was amazingly relaxing. I think we all need a lazy day off every once in awhile, but once you become a parent those days are few and far between!
Layne is SUCH a beautiful girl, and it was great talking to Jenn about having baby #2. But it didn't make me want another. I mean, I think we'll want another eventually... it was nice holding a baby, and I'd like Aurora to grow up with a sibling! 
But I'm not ready to do this again. This afternoon Aurora and I were talking to a mom with a little baby at daycare, and I asked Aurora if she's a big kid. She said "No, Aurora is a little baby." I kind of still feel the same way... except, she is looking (and acting) more and more like a big kid every day!
As soon as we started up the escalator, Aurora noticed the easter bunny and from then on, all she really wanted to do was see him. So we did! Honestly, I don't even know when easter is, but there wasn't much of a line and the bunny was very friendly...
Aurora gave the easter bunny "five," hugged him, and did a great job sitting for the picture. She waved at the camera and gave a few shy smiles with very little coaxing.
Afterwards she got a coloring book and bunny ears. It kind of looks like she doesn't like the ears here, but in reality she was just concerned about getting them to fit - she really liked having them on.
Here's a picture of our "official" photo. Don't worry Grandma Nancy... we got one for you!!!
Today we took the short walk over to Ron & Kathy's house to celebrate their dog Emmie being cancer-free. They had hot dogs, dog bone cookies, cake, and some pretty great prizes to raise money for Austin Pets Alive!
We had so much fun eating, drinking, playing with dogs, toys, and friends. We even won a raffle prize! And we're so happy for Emmie...
