Joel Loves Lucy!

This post is specifically dedicated to Joel's friend, Lucy. We've been spending a lot of time with Lucy lately, and this makes Joel VERY happy! "That looks like Lucy," he says about the pretty female singer on American Idol and the animated heroine in the movie Tangled. I think he's in love! The two of them have so much fun together, and I just love that they are making memories they will have for a lifetime. They are almost exactly three weeks apart in age, so they will be in the same class, too. Mark my words, these two will be friends for life!

Here they are at Night at the Barnyard, petting the chicks: 

 And at the park: 

Easter Fun

Easter was an absolute blast this year thanks to many fun activities and spending time with long, lost family. We kicked it off on Friday evening when Jack, Logan and I ran a 5K to support the Hope Royale hotel here in town. Believe it or not, Logan and I both took first place in the race ( I even set a new personal record of 29:04), and Jack came in second for the men. It was a lot of fun and for a great cause!

We also got to spend time with Jack's sister Kim, her husband, Justin and their 4-month-old baby, Owen. Isn't he so adorable? Look at those cheeks!

Then, on Saturday morning, we went to the Easter egg hunt in the park. The kids loved it, though Nora was way more interested in opening all the eggs than actually picking them up. 

Go Joel! 

Then, we went on to have another egg hunt in Grandma Traci's yard. What a difference a year makes! Last year, Joel barely got the concept of egg hunting, and Nora was an infant. This year, they were fighting over the eggs! 

"Look, the bunny cam, Nor!" says Joel.

He was literally chugging jellybeans in this one: 

Then, of course, the Easter Bunny came to our house, too!

Wow! Look at all those eggs!

All spiffed up for church:

 And....the best part of Easter candy is the GIANT bunny! Yum! We're still trying to finish this one!

Miss Personality

I think these pictures speak for themselves, but I just have to say, little Miss Nora is just full of personality! Her newest phase? She says "No" in a very sassy tone and puckers her lips to pout. It is oh-so-sassy, and oh-so-adorable all at the same time! She also loves to ride her horse (but only with her cowgirl hat on)! 

Dance Party!

A new McCall Family tradition...dance party in the kitchen!

Kisses for Daddy! 

Rocket Man

After turning the big "3", Joel suddenly became very interested in space and astronauts. He is starting to have the best imagination and often pretends that he's driving a spaceship, is on a different planet ("Planet 13") or is being attacked by aliens. He asked me just the other day, "Mommy, do you think I'm brave enough to be an astronaut?" How adorable is that? What do you think? Rocket man?

Joel is also very into making up words and then sticking with them for awhile, which Jack and I find quite entertaining. For instance, one of his latest words is "Peeaysay," which means (according to Joel), "a monster with a brown head, yellow gloves and a yellow tummy." "Mommy, the Peeyasays are coming!" he'll shout! Hilarious! What a kid!

Little Girl, Big Attitude

After taking Nora to her 15-month well-check and learning that she's still not on the growth chart for weight (at a whopping 18 pounds) and is only in the fifth percentile for height, I have decided that I truly understand the meaning of the phrase "It' not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." Nora, though small, can handle herself for sure! She is one tough little cookie, and quite sassy, too! She's so very smart, putting two and three words together already ("No, dogs!", " There you go," "Mine snack!"), and she is absolutely fearless, which is quite frightening to me! She is very athletic and agile, climbing anything in sight and already learning to do a somersault. She also LOVES to dance and sing! But under the tough facade, she's very snuggly and full of hugs and kisses. I have never met anyone quite like Nora, and I love her little personality so much! I can't wait to see the little lady she grows into. 

So Blessed!

I just have to say that we are so blessed to have such wonderful, adorable, loving kids! Joel and Nora are getting more and more fun by the day, and they are really enjoying sharing and playing together (though not always peacefully!). It's so awesome to see their sibling relationship forming and watching them grow as friends.