Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny came to see Abbi Kate and Liam on Sunday, and the living room still hasn't recovered. Vance spent the day sleeping, eating and pooping- but overall I'd say he thought it was a fun day too, even though he didn't get any candy.

5 weeks.

Guess who's 5 weeks old?

I keep trying to soak in every moment with Vance, knowing he's absolutely positively my last child. Knowing how quickly time flies, I occasionally panic when I think of Abbi Kate going off to Kindergarten in the fall and am confused to find myself the mom of an almost-six-year-old along with an almost-three-year-old.

How did my babies grow up so fast?

I don't know, but I want to take in every moment. I will reference this, I promise, when Abbi Kate and Liam are screaming at the top of their lungs, arguing with one another.

I have such a love/hate relationship with the thought of them growing up. On one hand, they all continuously amaze me with their developing personalities and each day brings on a new level of hilarity. It's so exciting seeing the world through their eyes as they grow and learn new things. On the other hand, especially after having such a rough year in 2010, there are days where I just want to hold them, hug them, kiss them, and stay in a moment forever.

Today, Abbi Kate informed me that she is marrying a classmate of hers- Ian. She told me that when they get married, they'll have a blue and purple car, and that everyone will "absolutely LOVE it!"

Right now, she has a really good friend in her class, Nell. Nell actually only lives a few blocks away and has a sister, Sam, who is Liam's age. Abbi Kate loves her play dates with Nell, and it's fun to see Sam and Liam play.

As Liam chased everyone around the yard last week, with the girls running and screaming, I wondered how the dynamics will change once Vance can get in on the action. Will Abbi Kate be able to coerce them both into playing "babies" or "be-YUTI-shop" or will Liam have a partner in crime to terrorize Abbi Kate (something he loves to do at the most inopportune times, if you're AK)?

I suppose we'll find out soon enough...

Vance!

So, since my last post, I had a baby!

Vance Mills Richardson
6 lbs. 6 oz., 19" long

Introducing: Phoebe

It's been incredibly difficult to get a picture of Phoebe because she usually appears on camera to be a black blob. Phoebe is a 10 week old Cockapoo and Abbi Kate absolutely adores her. I think the only time they're separated at all is at night. Oh, and my son of few words, Liam, calls her "Pee-bee", which is the cutest thing ever.

Would You Like Some Mud With That?

After lunch, we went back outside. After, of course, we changed out of our nice outfits. Abbi Kate and Liam helped Papa and Daddy with the fence. They also made quite a few mud-holes to play in.

As you can see, Liam is dressed in his Star Wars shirt, a diaper and sandles. Abbi Kate is in an outfit picked out entirely on her own- a St. Patrick's t-shirt and yellow gingham shorts.

They're both napping right now, but suffice it to say we had to have a mid-day bath. Who knew mud could be so much fun?

Attack of the Matching Outfits...

As per our yearly torturous tradition, the kiddos were dressed in matching outfits today. In fact, Liam looks proper and sweet. But don't be fooled. When it was time to come back inside for lunch, he literally took a handful of my hair in protest.

Easter Baskets.

Every year I try not to go overboard, but I've found that much harder now that there are two kiddos to buy for. You would think it would be easier, since in theory you'd be sticking to a budget, but the tricky part lies in making sure that each basket or stocking, etc.. looks equal to the other. And there goes the budget!

With that in mind, I still think I did well this year...

It should be noted that Liam's favorite thing in the world right now is to kick a ball in the back yard. He has even tried to kick a baseball he found out there (presumably belonging to the little boy next door.) Abbi Kate, on the other hand, is always easy to buy for- she loves to read and all things "girly"...