Happy Easter!

Here is Kyle's first photo with the Easter Bunny! After the rough time we had with Santa just a few months ago, I wasn't sure how well this attempt would go, but Kyle was VERY excited to see the Easter Bunny and could barely wait in line behind 3 other kids! By the time we got to the front of the line, Kyle was reaching up and waving to get the Easter Bunny's attention, and the occasional waves he got back in response brought grins of excitement and more waves. He was very good about sitting still for the photo, and we managed to get both a smile AND Kyle's eyes open (she timed it just perfectly after his cheesy grin when his eyes were closed!)

We had a very nice Easter weekend, with Kyle's first Easter Egg Hunt at Burgess Park in Menlo Park on Saturday (more of a scrabble for all of the eggs thrown on the baseball field than a hunt, but luckily we were in the first group for kids 2 and under) and then a ride on the old fire truck. We didn't manage to get a photo of that since we were all on board, but we did get one of Kyle sitting in the shiny Menlo Park Engine 1 afterward. As you can see, he has a little more growing to do before he responds to any emergency calls! (Click on the photo to see it larger)

On Easter Sunday, we discovered that the Easter Bunny had left a basket filled with a "paint with water" book, some paint brushes (of course!), a variety of stickers, sidewalk chalk (shaped like eggs) and a few chocolate bunnies. Kyle was very excited about the chocolate bunnies, and we had quite a few expressions of "O" go across his face as he discovered what they were! After breakfast and getting dressed, we peeked out the backdoor and saw that the Easter Bunny had been busy hiding eggs in the backyard. Kyle couldn't contain his excitement waiting for us to put on his shoes to go outside to see what was there.

After a nap to refresh, we managed to take a quick family photo of the FOUR of us before heading over to Papa and Noni's house (Dave's parents) for Easter dinner, also joined by Maemo and Granpa, Uncle Mike, and Great-Uncle Charlie and Great-Aunt Doni. We hope that everyone else had a very Happy Easter!

Mr Mischief

Following our long morning in the park on Sunday, Kyle recharged briefly on the drive home and with a short nap in his crib. After that, he was ready for playtime outside, helping Daddy with some gardening. So much so that is clothes were soaked and he required a costume change. Here Kyle is, showing off his new shirt from Auntie Laura (while also taking a moment for a cheese stick snack) What a big boy he looks with his t-shirt and jeans!

Picnic in the Park

On Sunday we met Kyle's friends Maddie ("Mama") and Julia ("Juju") along with their parents (our friends, Sarah and Michael!) at the Children's Playground in Golden Gate Park. We had surprisingly pleasant weather for being in San Francisco, and I ended up with a sunburnt shoulder and some rosy cheeks! Kyle had his first carousel ride, with mixed reviews - he wasn't thrilled, but didn't break down in tears insisting to get off either! I did manage to get a photo of Kyle smiling on the zebra before the ride started, but it is with his "smile-for-the-camera" big cheesy grin, which also involves eyes tightly shut!The dads and older kids had fun playing on the large play structure (Kyle even launched himself down a TALL slide solo and masterfully stopped at the bottom) while Sarah and I had a chance to catch up with Julia checking out the smaller (and quieter) play structure. We had a great (and sunny) picnic in Sharon Meadow before heading back to the carousel for one final ride before heading home. This time the carousel was greeted with much greater enthusiasm, perhaps because we found the right animal to ride on? (Kyle still talks about the gorillas and giraffes from our last visit to the zoo and can't wait to go back) With each pass in front of his daddy, Kyle was excited enough to let go of the pole, lean out and wave - and when the carousel started to slow, Kyle tried pushing on the giraffe to make it go faster again. Kyle was so exhausted that he fell asleep in the car before we even made it out of the park!