(Listen, I know that Easter was a week ago and we’ve all moved on, but I have had a WEEK and this is really the first chance I’ve had to sit by myself and type something out. Humor me, please?)

Easter Weekend was a bit different than I had imagined, but we still had a great time. Bill injured his knee in a brutal baby gate injury and spent all of last week in a brace and on crutches (more on that later). So, we weren’t quite as…festive as I would have liked, but we got some good memories out of the weekend which is what it’s all about, right?

Henry and I kicked off the festivities by visiting with the Easter Bunny on Thursday. Sure, the mall Easter Bunny is super cheesy and a little scary looking, but it’s something that I did as a little girl and I like having the photos to compare from year to year. (Side note: last year we went to see the Easter Bunny with Nanette and her Em, and I sure missed them this year!)

Saturday morning, we met up with some friends at the Oregon Zoo for the Rabbit Romp. There was a special area for kids under 2 and despite the ridiculous number of people out and about (the weatherman forecasted a high of 72!) we were able to get into the 2nd “Waddler” hunt of the morning. Henry was armed with the super cute Sock Monkey basket my dad gave him for his very first Easter and he was ready to find some eggs! He quickly grabbed one egg, shook it (perhaps because of the shaky eggs we play with at Music Together?) then saw a bright blue slinky on the lawn. He dropped the egg, went for the slinky and it was all over.

Bill hopped on a Zoomer and took a ride back to the zoo entrance and found a comfy bench while Henry and I saw some animals with our friends. Henry got super excited about the giraffes (he furiously signed “baby” when we were looking at them), the lions (he yelled TAAAATTTT!) and the sea lions (again, he signed “baby”).

As if he knew that a large rabbit had left a basket of goodies for him, Henry rose at 6 on the nose Sunday morning. The best item in the basket? The Tiny TOMS. He carried those things around all morning. Second best thing? The paper Easter grass. I’m still finding bits of it that he stowed away for safe keeping.

Later in the morning, we went to an Egg Hunt and brunch hosted by some friends of ours (same friends we Rabbit Romped with). Henry found his first egg before the egg hunt even began and I don’t want to brag but…my kid excels at egg hunting. We found some eggs, ate some delicious food, had some mimosas and chatted lots. Henry enjoyed exploring the giant lawn and I honed my agility skills by chasing him around.  It was a good day.

Hope your Easter was just as delightful.

About once a week I think “I don’t think I could love Henry’s current stage any more.” And, then he goes ahead and grows into a completely new stage and I fall in love again. Toddlers man, they are exhausting but they are fantastic.

Here’s what’s new with my little guy…

We were listening to music on the Sonos the other day while Henry ran laps around the main level of our house. When he got to the Sonos speaker in the dining room, he stopped, threw his left arm out and signed “music” enthusiastically. Then, he kept right on running.

Henry is signing up a STORM. His favorite two signs remain to be “baby” and “duck” but he’s also signing please, ball, change (as in diaper change), light, shoes and dog.

We read Moo, Baa, La La La the other night and after reading the first line, “A cow says Moo…” Henry looked at me and said, “MMMOOOO!”

We spend a lot of time looking out the window each day. A couple week ago, the neighbors had some work done on their house which required climbing on the roof with a ladder. Henry stood at the window watching the man for a long time and then left for a second to grab one of his toys. He brought it to the widow and waved the toy at the man.

This changes every month, but my new favorite milestone is dancing. Henry has what we call “The Butt” down perfectly. It’s interesting to me to see what types of music he’ll dance to. So far, it seems he loves reggae. If Bob Marley comes on his Indie Kids Pandora station, he’ll usually stop what he’s doing to dance for a minute.

As part of my role as a Nintendo Brand Enthusiast, I was thrilled to be able to host a party a couple of weeks ago for my friends to check out the new Wii U system. Two fun gals, Jessica and Thu-Anh showed up with some food and prizes on a rainy Sunday afternoon and we all squeezed into my tiny tv room to play some games!

The biggest difference between the Wii U and the Wii is the addition of the WiiU GamePad. The GamePad does several things: acts as a television remote, works as another controller, offers another perspective on game play and allows certain games to be played without using the television screen. You can also watch Netflix and Hulu Plus using the TVii feature, video chat with your friends and browse the internet.

But, onto the games! We played NintendoLand, which is basically 12 games in one. I love bargains and that’s a lot of bang for your buck. But, the best thing about NintendoLand is that many of the games can be played with up to five players. My favorite is Luigi’s Ghost Mansion. (Tip: if you ever play with me, you’ll know I’m close to you when I start laughing hysterically.) I think our guests enjoyed Mario Chase the most, which is fun because you get to work together as a team to find Mario.

I’m Mario!

Perhaps the most exciting portion of the party was when we played SiNGParty and I serenaded my friends with my rendition of Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now.” I’m sure everyone is eager to come back over to hear me sing again. SiNGParty is better than karaoke in that the audience can get involved as the tv screen shows dance moves and lyrics to sing along with, while the GamePad shows the lyrics that the main singer can follow.

Pretend I’m wearing acid wash.

Thanks to our friends for coming over to play with us and thanks to my friends at Nintendo for providing us with this opportunity!

Disclaimer: The folks at Nintendo hosted my party and provided the Wii U console but my thoughts are my own.