Happy Easter! Easter was a busy day for us this year. As with most parents, it starts way before the big day...prepping for the basket, what to make for dinner, candy, candy, and more candy. Of course I tried to limit Mateo's candy intake. But that doesn't mean we didn't have plenty of sweets available. On Easter Eve I made a special bunny cake for my boys:
Then I got to work getting his basket and presents from the Easter Bunny all ready for him.
After breakfast we launched into the festivities by dying eggs. Note to self (and others): 2 years old is still a bit young for dying eggs (unless trying to eat the dye tablets, spilling the water, and trying to break the eggs is your idea of a successful attempt). Okay, it WAS fun, for everyone, it just involved a bit more work!
(Fun for everyone included Bebe.)
Next Mateo got to open his presents. With help from E. Bunny (and mommy and grandma), Mateo got a Go, Diego, Go Easter Bucket with a little bit of candy, finger puppets, kaleidoscope, and bath bubbles. He also got some new trucks, DVDs, and for the grand finale: a new train track!
The finished product from our efforts!
After lunch and a nap we headed over to Mateo's friend Liam's house for an egg hunt. Liam is just a couple of weeks younger than Mateo. They had fun searching for eggs and Mateo liked seeking out Liam's toys to play with. Liam didn't always like that, but he was very nice to share!
Some of the aftermath/plastic egg casualties.
We woke up to a beautiful, springlike day on Sunday and we knew we couldn't let such great weather/conditions go to waste (I mean, we only get them sporadically around this time of year) so Matt and I thought about a field trip we could go on and decided on the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. We got an early start and headed out for the almost 2 hour car ride which winds through some pretty scenic small towns. Mateo was very excited to point out the cars and trucks he saw along the way. The aquarium has a nice set up for kids: there are several paths/cave-like dwellings that holds sea life in their nooks and crannies. Mateo wasted no time exploring and finding what he could find...
I think my favorite was the sea lion/sea otter exhibit. There were several peak holes where they would just swim by and you could see them either above or under water. They're so cute!
Another highlight is the shark tank with a variety of shark and other ocean fish which I must admit I don't know what they were. But they were fascinating none the less.
Mateo got to touch the sea anenome too. He was at least trying to be gentle. Lots of starfish were in the touch pool too. So pretty!
LOVE the jellyfish.
It was a long and fun day out. We made a pitstop in Corvallis where we let Mateo stretch his legs at the park. A great family outing on such a nice day!
