Friday, April 13, 2012

The Glory of Easter!

Christ is risen!  The joy of Easter has arrived and the Easter season has just begun, making all things new again.  Praise the Lord for all the beauty that surrounds us... spring is just a perfect reminder of Jesus' resurrection.  The sunshine has returned to Seattle (hopefully, for good) and everything is teaming with new growth and life.

Our family celebrated Easter Sunday before the sun came up!  Evelyn was hunting for eggs in our house by 6AM.  She reminded me so much of her Uncle Jared (my younger brother) on Easter morning so many years ago.  Jared was always up early for Easter and would rouse our younger brother Matt and me before we knew what hit us!  He loved hunting for Easter eggs and was really tenacious and competitive during the family egg hunt and the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  In all honesty, I'm still impressed by the egg-hunting skills my brother honed!

Anyway, Evelyn did wake up early (just like her uncle used to) to find all the eggs in the house, but she didn't really have to be competitive since she was the only one on the hunt.  Actually, she took her time, opening each egg as she went and dropping the contents in a bag that Joe carried around behind her.  Very few eggs ended up in the basket she carried, most were emptied and then dropped back in the very same spot she had found them!  It was very much the same approach she had to opening gifts at Christmas... she was slow and methodical then too.  I just don't think she sees any need to rush things or operate another way!  After some encouragement from us, (alright, I'll admit, we sounded like broken records) she would pick up an egg or two and put them in her basket.  I guess this whole process will improve with age.

We went to a beautiful morning Mass at our church and Evelyn was so well-behaved.  We were so very proud of her!  Joe and I cooked a nice Sunday brunch together and spent much of the afternoon resting together as a family.  In the early evening, we visited a friends house for an intimate and delicious Easter dinner and some more egg hunting for the children.

I'm including a few pictures of Cora in this post too.  Cora was at our house on Good Friday, and since we didn't see her over the weekend, we had an early Easter photo shoot!  Enjoy and Happy Easter to all of you!

Easter Lilies that I made with Cora and Evelyn- these were Cora's flowers
You use the child's handprint and roll the paper to make the lilies 
Happy Easter from the two most adorable bunnies!
Evelyn and Cora!
Bunnies love to give hugs! 
Dying Easter eggs... hoping this will go better next year!
Easter egg stickers!
Learning to be gentle with eggs
Let the hunt begin! 
Happy Daddy and Happy Evelyn!
A play kitchen is a great place to hide eggs!
Hand over the candy! 
Jelly beans are a choking hazard... what a mess!
Drawing pictures in our Easter best! 
Decent family Easter photo!


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Our Big Girl!

With joyful Cora in our midst, Evelyn has really blossomed into a big girl.  Evelyn has always been the helpful type, especially when her curiosity is peaked.  She likes to help empty the dishwasher (and has for awhile now), throw things in the trash and help with meal preparations.  In the last few weeks, she's started to set the table and has attempted to dress herself.  She is using the potty with more consistency and we are doing our best to encourage potty usage whenever possible!

To help Evelyn with the potty training, we decided (over the weekend) to take off her crib rail and put the bed rail attachment in its place (hoping that giving Evelyn freedom to get in and out of her crib would also give her a chance to get to the potty in time).  In a matter of minutes Evelyn found herself in a big girl bed! Evelyn was beyond thrilled with the end result. 





Nap time on Saturday (the first day with the bed rail) took a little extra coaxing, but Evelyn did fall asleep after some knocking on her bedroom door.  In the evening, she had no trouble laying in her bed and falling asleep.  Sunday was also a good day for Evelyn in her new bed.  Yesterday's nap was slightly more challenging.

Evelyn jumped out of bed soon after I left the room and knocked on her bedroom door and cried for some time.  I let her cry and knock, hoping that she would realize that she needed to be in bed.  Eventually, she fell asleep.  I heard her stir after about an hour of silence and entered the bedroom thinking that she was ready to get up from her nap.  When I opened the door, I was shocked to see her empty bed.  I quickly glanced around the room, only to find Evelyn curled up in the fetal position in the rocking chair... priceless!  After a little rocking together, I was able to lay her back down for a longer nap on her bed!

She's come such a long way in just a few weeks.  Two weeks ago, when her crib still had all four of its sides, Evelyn had a legendary crying fit before her nap.  I was trying to get Cora down for a nap and Evelyn was upset that she couldn't have my undivided attention.  She started to cry which only made Cora cry louder.  Both girls were utterly worked up in the moment.  I put Evelyn in her crib and told her to take a nap.  I then took Cora out of Evelyn's room to try and soothe her to sleep.  I heard Evelyn screaming all the while and with each new scream, my heart broke.  I wanted to hold her too, but I just couldn't have both girls in my arms at the same time... both so desperately needed to sleep!

Cora did fall asleep soon after and I ran to Evelyn's room to check on her (I wanted to give her a kiss and tell her how much I loved her).  Evelyn had stopped crying and was asleep when I entered the room.  I just saw her sitting up in the corner of her crib with her head back, mouth open and fast asleep.  The position she fell asleep in was too adorable.  I went and grabbed my camera to capture the precious moment.  Sadly, Evelyn had closed her mouth by the time I had returned, but I still managed to get a pretty priceless image... look how peaceful she is when she sleeps!  Poor baby!

It's Always Better When We're Together!

Well, I apologize again for not posting anything in March; I'll do my best to catch up with blogging in April.  We don't play much basketball in the Sosinski household but we did have a little taste of March Madness this year (just not in the basketball sense).  In March, we met Cora and our world turned upside down (in a good way)!  Three days a week, we become a family of four when Cora comes to spend her day with us!

Life with two baby girls under two is a wonderful madness, but I wouldn't have it any other way!  Evelyn and Cora are getting along remarkably well.  I was most concerned with how Evelyn would adjust (having to share my attention etc.), but she is really growing up before our eyes and seemingly happy with the arrangement!

On the first day we had Cora, Evelyn was only too happy to show her the door (saying, "Cora... OUT!"). Now she wakes from naps looking for Cora and remembers her in her prayers at night!  The girls are surely forming a friendship and bond with each other.  Here are a few photos from Cora's first days at our house!
Evelyn and Cora- Day 1
Evelyn made "cupcakes" for Cora
Evelyn reading the Foot Book to Cora
Happy 8 Month Birthday, Cora!
Evelyn decorated Cora's Birthday crown! 
Both ladies sporting party crowns and shirts that read, "Too Cute!"