Hazel Mae Richards

8 lbs 6 oz.
20 inches.
DOB 4-16-2015

Ashers chocolate easter egg hunt

On March 28, I took the kids to Asher's Chocolate factory for their annual Easter Egg Hunt.  Unlike our attempt at an egg hunt last year, this year was much more successful on numerous fronts.   First, in order to participate in this egg hunt, we had to pre-register.  This actually cut back the number of kids who participated.  Lucky for us, a lady in our ward, who serves in the primary, works at this factory and registered a number of people from our ward beforehand.  Below is a picture of the kids and their friends from church sitting on the curb before the egg hunt begins. 

 Second, there were a ton of eggs, boxes of chocolate, and jelly bellies covering the enclosed hunt area.  In other words, there were plenty of goodies for every child. 

 

Third, parents were not allowed inside the enclosed hunt area at all.  At the hunt we went to last year, parents could go in, they were told not to help pick up any eggs.  However, with so many parents in the area, it was nearly impossible for my two kiddos to pick up anything - that's why we ended up with nothing last year.  I liked the rules of Asher's much better.   

Fourth, the Easter bunny and young girl picture above went in and helped the children who didn't know what to do, or were too scared to pick up eggs on their own.  Fortunately, my children didn't need the help this year - they were not overwhelmed by the number of people present, and did quite well on their own.  However, other children needed this help, and it made me happy to see that every child left he hunt with a full basket of goodies. 

Zabien got off to a slow start.  He picked up two packages of jelly bellies and called it good.  I kept encouraging him to pick up a few more things, knowing that he would want more candy in the end.  He was very trusting.  He set his basket on the ground, walked away from it to pick things up, then walked back to put those things in his basket.  It ended up being a lot more work, but a method that worked for him, funny as it was.  Wanting immediate satisfaction, he mostly picked up the packages of jelly beans he could see rather than going for the eggs where the contents were hidden. 

Eliza was delighted to have so many options to choose from.  Despite the options available, she was still selective in what she chose.  She only picked up the blue, pink, and yellow eggs.  I convinced her to pick up boxes (which contained large amounts of chocolates) as well as the eggs and jelly beans.  She picked up 2 boxes, which took up the entire contents of her basket.  She would pick up 2 or 3 things, then walk over and show me what she got.  I had to keep telling her to go back and pick up some more - there was plenty there.  It's funny how different the two were in their approaches.    

As mentioned before, they both made out well in the end.  With a big smile on her face, Eliza came running up to me when it was all over and said, "I did good this year."   

Doing good this year was an understatement.  Before we left, we were instructed to open the eggs and return the shells.  Some eggs contained a number instead of a treat.  If we got a number, we were supposed to report to the front table for a special surprise.  The egg at the very bottom of Eliza's basket (so probably one of the first ones she picked up) was the number 5.  What was the prize?  This giant chocolate bunny!

 

  

I don't know how she is going to eat all that chocolate.  It's a good thing her parents are so involved in her life and can help her with the things that she needs. :)

  

I think Zabien thought that he had to give back everything that was in his basket before we left.  He started eating as much as he could as quickly as he could.  It wasn't until I explained that he got to take his full basket home with us that he stopped stuffing things in his mouth and pockets.  Yes, I am happy that both children ended up with a full basket of goodies, but I am even more happy that it turned out to be a positive (and not negative like last year) experience for both of them.  I don't put together Easter Baskets for the kids, so whatever they pick up during the Easter Egg Hunts we attend is what they get. 

First movie theater experience

 On March 27th, we took the kids to The Grand Theater in East Greenville, Pennsylvania to watch the new Cinderella.  This was the first time either one of them had been to a real movie theater.  The Grand Theater is the perfect place to take small children.  The theater is small - just one room that hosts the screen, refreshments, and bathrooms.  Besides that, the cost is half that of a regular movie theater. 

When Eliza heard that we were going to see Cinderella, she insisted on wearing her Cinderella gown, and "glass slippers."  I had no problem with this request.  In fact, she got a lot of attention from nearly everyone with her adornment - it really was too cute.  In the picture below, neither one of them look too excited.  Eliza fell asleep on the 40 minute drive to the theater, and literally just woke up before I plunked her in front of the movie poster.  I don't think she even knew where she was or what she was doing.  Zabien saw a dog crossing the street, so you can tell where his attention is. 

 

When she had a few moments to recover, she was ultimately excited as evidenced by this photo.   

Ironically, we happened to see and sit by 2 different families that we know.  The Bleazards, who are not only in our ward, but I also teach their 2 younger boys piano lessons.  The kids talk about going to their house for piano lessons every day of the week, and plan out everything they are going to do while there on Monday morning before we arrive in the afternoon. (It's too funny!)   The second person was a lady who Bruce works with and her family.  This made the kids even more excited to sit by people they know.   

Overall, the kids did great, they were very well behaved and for the most part stayed in their seats!!  I think they both enjoyed the show. Zabien laughed hysterically at the previews and Frozen short film that previewed before the actual show.   He also really enjoyed the magical transformation of a pumpkin into a carriage.  Eliza was a bit confused by the movie at first: 1) because it wasn't animated, and 2) because the movie starts out with Cinderella and both of her parents.  She kept asking me where Cinderella's mice and bird friends were - they were not at all like Gus and Jaq whom she simply adores in the animated version.  She was very impressed with the gowns both the fairy godmother and Cinderella wore the night of the ball.  She turned to me and said, "the fairies dress is beautiful- I want one like that; it has a big skirt." If it were up to Eliza, she would wear a ball gown everyday - she loves dresses, especially ones that poof out.   They were both so enthralled by the whole experience, they didn't even ask for popcorn until the movie was over and the concessions closed for the evening.  Oh well!  Next time I guess.  It was the perfect show to see in the theater for the first time, and fun for both of them to share their first movie theater experience with their best friend.

Sibling class

I enrolled the kids in a sibling class at Grandview hospital (where I plan on having my next baby).  Overall, I was impressed with the class, even with the bizarre demonstration of childbirth via a fabric doll.  After explaining how a baby grows inside the mommy with illustrations in a book, each child was given a life size newborn baby doll and a diaper.  The children were taught how to change a diaper.  

Eliza jumped right in and did an amazing job.  The most difficult part for her was putting the diaper back on.  

Zaby was all about taking the old diaper off and using the wipes.  However, once the diaper was off, he considered himself done.  

I had to help Eliza position the new diaper the correct way.  Once it was in place, she did a great job tightening the tabs across the diaper.  

When she was finished putting on the diaper, she wanted to swaddle the baby in a blanket and put on a hat.  

All finished!  We had to help Zaby finish changing the diaper.  He wasn't too interested in actually swaddling the baby, but wanted it to have a blanket on.  He threw the blanket on top and picked up the baby.  It's a start I guess!

All 4 (or rather 6 ) of us together - I don't think we are quite ready for 6 though.   

Near the end of the class, daddy helped Eliza learn how to properly hold a baby and support it's head

The kids got to go back to the maternity wing and see a recovery room.  We also got to peek in the nursery and see a real baby.  There was only 1 baby in the nursery, but the kids were so amazed that the baby could move.  I wonder how the two of them will react once our baby arrives.  My due date is 10 days away, so theoretically any day.  As of right now, Eliza wants a sister and Zabien want a brother.  We will soon see who gets what they want - at least one of them will be happy.  

Florida - Part 2

On the drive back home from our brief stay in Florida, we stopped at the beaches in Jacksonville.  The weather was warm, but not quite warm enough to play in the water all day.  The sand was actually really nice to walk in because it wasn't so hot that it burned your feet.  It was soft and cool.  The water temperature didn't matter that much - I think the kids had more fun finding seashells and chasing a bouncy ball along the soft sand. 

 It was nice because the beach was pretty open.  Only 2 or 3 other people were there with us - so it felt like we had the beach to ourselves. 

 They both braved the water for a little bit.  Eliza was a bit confused at why I told her she didn't need her swimming suit because we weren't going to go that far in the water.  The water was a bit chilly (it is January after all), but it didn't take her long to figure out that her shorts and T-shirt were enough. 

 Watching them play in the sand was just so fun.  The tide was low, and the sand dry, yet firm.  Together they built a series of castles with various moats. 

Eliza collected sea shell after sea shell - large ones too.  At first we were trying to hold them all in Zaby's hat.  Then a couple who were leaving gave us a large plastic container left over from their lunch that used to hold pineapple for us to store the sea shells in.  Having remembered from their own experiences the fascination young children have with sea shells, it was thoughtful of them to provide us with a means to transport the plethora of shells the kids picked up. 

I love this picture of him - he is just so cute. 

 If there is any picture that I am totally in love with, it is this one of everyone running along the beach.  They found a bouncy ball of all things lying somewhere in the sand.  The kids, and daddy took turns throwing it, and then they would chase it squealing and giggling all the while.  It really made me smile, and think about al the small things in life that bring such great pleasure.

 It really was one of the most relaxing beach days we've had.  I didn't worry about packing lunches, umbrellas, beach toys, or sunscreen.  I didn't have to lug towels and wet, sandy swimming suits, coolers, or anything else.  I could simply enjoy the time with my family and watch them have the time of their lives with a simply bouncy ball. 

 We stopped for a few days Virginia on the way home.  This really confused the kids because the weather was super cold - in the teens with chilling winds.  We went from wearing shorts and T-shirts to winter coats.  The kids literally thought  that summer vacation lasted only 3 days. 
In fact, we came home to Pennsylvania to this:

 We built a snowman appropriately named "Olaf"

Zabien threw snowballs at everyone.

Proof that I actually went outside too.  Generally I stay inside and take pictures. 

 Zabien helped daddy shovel the driveway.  He loves to help. 

Both children thought it was Christmas again.  It didn't help that we still had our decorations up, and hadn't quite recovered from our Christmas visitors.  I'm sure that the week we were in Florida felt like an eternity to them, but unfortunately, we have an entire year to go before Christmas comes again.  Thank goodness!

Florida - Part 1

The first week in January, we decided to take a winter hiatus and head to warm and sunny Florida.  We stopped overnight in Fayetteville, North Carolina on the way down before finally arriving in Florida the following evening. 
I was really hoping to see at least one alligator, but I didn't see any. 
Yes, Florida was sunny and definitely warm.  The first week in January, the temperatures were in the 80's - back home in Pennsylvania, the temperatures were in the teens with a negative temperature when considering the wind chill factor.  I wasn't quite prepared for the humidity and warmth, especially in January.  We went swimming in the outdoor pool at the resort.  I was worried about the kids getting sunburned that I found myself walking next door to the CVS to buy sunscreen on January 5 - of all days. To make matters even more surprising, the entire first aisle a customer sees when walking into the store is full of sunscreen options.  I've never seen that many sunscreen choices, anywhere.  I guess only in Orlando - they must sell a lot of sunscreen to tourists. 

Some of the highlights of the trip.

1)  Visiting the Orlando, Florida temple

As usual, Zabien was much more cooperative for photos - he absolutely loves getting his picture taken.  He always wants to see it immediately after it is finished. 
It was neat for me to do some work inside this temple - I am trying to visit as many temples as I can in my lifetime. 

2)  Downtown Disney. 
We never made it, nor did we have plans to make it to Disney World.  We didn't think that now is the time.  At 26 weeks pregnant, I wasn't cleared to ride any rides.  Both children are not tall enough to ride without an adult, and since one adult was out of commission, we decided that it wasn't worth the money to go.  We plan to go back someday, and do the whole Disney thing.  Downtown Disney was the answer for us - the kids got to play, walk through some of the shops, and see Mickey and Minnie Mouse (their favorite characters at the time).  Besides that, the price (of free) was right, and we got some good pictures. 

Eliza loved walking through the princess shop even though it was packed with people and made it hard to walk around.  She loved getting pictures taken with statues of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.


Isn't she so cute holding her little purse. :)

She was enthralled with all the murals of Minnie Mouse.

After walking through the princess store, we stopped outside the Lego store.  They had buckets and buckets of Legos which both children thoroughly enjoyed.  It took them awhile to step up and start creating, but they eventually dove in. 

 I thought his statue of the 7 dwarfs was really cool, and it is made entirely out of Legos. 

We stopped at this Dinosaur pit.  They had large dinosaurs that moved and roared which kind of freaked the kids out a bit, but they overcame their fears in order to play in the dirt and uncover fossils.   

 

Before leaving the park, we took some pictures with Mickey and Minnie mouse statues.  Zabien was so cute - he loves Mickey Mouse, and he kept hugging Mickey over and over again.  Another couple was waiting to take pictures as well, and before he decided to finally finish, he gave Mickey a kiss and said, "Bye Bye Mickey" - so cute!

 

 Zaby is also a big fan of Buzz Lightyear, and Eliza likes all of the Toy Story toys so they were also excited to see these statutes. 

They each wanted to take picture in front of the water fountain.



 Don't you love this little purse Eliza carries around with her everywhere she goes.  Inside, she has chap stick, a little toy, and expired coupons. 

We nearly walked around the whole park.  It wasn't Disney World, but honestly the kids didn't know anything different.  I don't think they even had a concept that Disney World exists, and therefore were not disappointed that they were missing out.  It was cute that they still had Christmas decorations up as well. 

 

3)  A Pirate Adventure Show

A very tasty (expensive) dinner, and a full fledged audience participation action packed show on stage - Zabien loved it.  We dined with the red pirate.  They had a series of competition among the different colored pirates and we were supposed to cheer for our color. 

Eliza fell asleep on the short drive there, so she is zonked out on Bruce's shoulder for this picture. 

 Isn't he so cute in his authentic pirate hat. 

 We got there so early because we were told they had a preshow.  The preshow consisted of pirate themed music and Hors d'ouerves of chicken salad.  It's probably a good thing Eliza was asleep for this because we would have been hard pressed to entertain both of them. 

Here we are sitting at our dining table while the show is actually going on. Eliza wasn't that impressed at all, but you can see how much Zaby is enjoying the action.  I'm surprised he ate his dinner, he was so enthralled.   

This is a picture of the crew with our red pirate.  Unfortunately he lost every competition, but it was fun to watch nonetheless.  Once again, Eliza isn't thrilled.  

 

 

As evidence of the top right picture, Zabien volunteered to be inducted as a pirate.  They had us make an oath, with hand movements and Zaby was all about it.  He said and did everything and was very proud of the certificate he got proving that he became a pirate.  

After the pirate show, they had a dance party.  It's hard to take pictures of movement, but I was pretty impressed  that both of the kids really got into it.  I thought they would be too shy and chicken out, but they contributed some serious dance moves.  

It was a successful evening (at least Eliza likes the dance party) - one that was different from anything we have ever done before.  Thank you, Orlando for providing us with new culture.