Happy Easter!

What a busy week, but wonderful to see so many family members and celebrate Easter.

Rose and I got to spend some extra time together this week. I started out Monday morning by going to work, but kept debating my decision and felt worried that if the snow became worse I might not be able to get Rose. So, I used some vacation time and took an early day. Extra time with Rose is always worth it and although the snow did not get any worse, I felt happy knowing we were home safe and together J

We also enjoyed having Papa and Nana bring dinner on Wednesday and celebrate Easter due to our busy plans this weekend. Rose did not mind getting her Easter basket, I mean wheelbarrow, early!

We also ended the week with a full day on Friday together since it is a paid holiday for me, YAY! Justin got home at decent time so we went to the farmer's market so I could make a HUGE breakfast for my sister and her gang on Saturday morning who were coming up for the weekend. Rose also got an early birthday gift.

Aunt Laura and the cousins came up to celebrate Grandma Bechtel’s 87 birthday this weekend. It was a family reunion for the Bechtel family as we all got together Saturday night to celebrate my grandma. I have so many special memories from my childhood with her including making homemade peanut butter eggs! I have made them several times since getting married and decided that this would be a perfect gift for grandma. I made them Thursday and coated them Friday. I hope in years to come Rose will enjoy making them with me. You know I am usually really good about linking recipes to share, but this one’s a family secret ;)

Eggs in process...                                                                                

Ready to enjoy!

We kept Rose's Easter basket pretty simple this year, more finger paint and some new books :) We LOVE the Sandra Boynton books and Rose had me read Barnyard Dance 5 times, before we could switch to a new one. 

We had Easter dinner with Justin’s family and his grandparents who came down from New York. 

AND Rose went on the potty for the first time this week on Tuesday, first with grandma and then here at home. But Wednesday was a bust with not a single success on the potty… We had better luck the rest of the week and Saturday was another great potty day, with only 2 wet diapers. I think Rose understands the concept, but sometimes would just rather play! Anyway, we’ve started this journey so we’ll see how it goes J

On another ‘big girl’ adventure, we tried weaning Rose from her paci's. Since Christmas we have strictly limited it to nap and bedtime (ok, when she was sick, we let her have it a bit more) and now that 2 is fast approaching I really wanted it to be done. Rose had 4 paci’s left in her crib and each night we have been asking Rose to throw 1 away which she has without a fuss.  I have to admit when it came to the last one I was dreading throwing it away. SO, I had Justin poke holes in it! We asked Rose if she wanted to keep it or throw it away, she threw it away. Rose slept Thursday night without one, YAY! Friday for her nap, she fell asleep, but woke up after 35 minutes screaming :( Friday night she also slept without a paci. Saturday Rose refused to nap, she kept asking for 'out' of her crib and screaming. We tried rocking her to sleep, laying down with her, but nothing. Finally when we left for Grandma's birthday party she fell asleep in the car. Justin and I decided that maybe the 'done by 2' with a paci was more my thing than looking at Rose as an individual child and what she was ready for, so we gave back a paci on Saturday night and WOW was she happy :). BUT, Sunday she wouldn't nap either and again fell asleep in the car on the way to Easter dinner. I wouldn't mind if Rose gave up a nap because she didn't need it anymore, but Rose was exhausted and just wouldn't sleep.  I hope this week, Grandma gets her back on schedule or I don't know what we'll do. We will also still work on ending the paci...it might be in 2 months it might be another 6.