Ralls Easter

The kids and I went to Cleveland for a day to celebrate Ralls Easter. We had a great Easter egg hunt! In true Ralls egg hunt tradition, we couldn't find two of Kate's eggs. When we returned a few weeks later, Grandma Ralls had located them :) The kids had so much fun with their cousins. Freddy and Charlee got their first real taste of a holiday at Grandma and Grandpa's. At least they have each other ;)

 

 

Maddee and Freddy

Annie and Freddy

On the hunt

Grandma Ralls was helping out.

This is how Freddy took in Ralls Easter

Annie and Ella

Ella getting a boost from Grandma

Grandpa pitched in, too.

Brady, Evie and Kate

Evie

The girls checking out their prizes.

Ed and Laura had twins! Just kidding, it's Freddy and Charlee. But they look good like that, don't they? :)

Grandpa Ralls telling stories.



Easter Egg Dying

Our annual Easter egg dye. I thought I had more pictures, but I can't seem to find them. The girls are getting more creative with their egg design each year. They still won't eat them, though!

 



St. Patrick's Day

 

And some snuggling up to Annie and Kate with wild hair :)

Freddy at Two Months

I'm writing this and he's four months old today. I am seriously behind. :)

 

He was just starting to chunk up at two months :) And he was also a pretty fussy guy. They say eight weeks is the height of fussiness, and he was really going for it. He was nowhere near Kate, but he was definitely our next fussiest child. At two months, he was sleeping great and just starting to let us coax a smile out of him (not for this photo shoot obviously).



Just Some Photos

of the four faces I like the best.

 

Catching an early smile

Sweet Freddy Face

Annie with crazy hair and Freddy

Kate and Freddy

Evie hanging out, getting ready to see Frozen on Ice



Daddy Daughter Dance 2015

The highlight of late winter/early spring every year for the girls -- the Daddy Daughter Dance!

 

The girls were as excited as ever to go this year. They were also so happy for me that I didn't have to be lonely while they were gone. I didn't have the heart to tell them that last year I managed to stave off the loneliness while they were gone for three hours somehow ;), but they are right. I was hanging out with Freddy this year, and it was the best time ever.

 

They went out to dinner before the dance, which I think accounts for a lot of the excitement. Matt got them all to try calamari. They thought it was cheese.

 

My sweet girls, all ready to go.

They picked out Matt's shirt and tie and told him to wear his glasses. Annie was calling him "fashionable daddy."

Evie

Kate

Annie

 

We obviously had to take pictures of and with Freddy, too. He was about a month and a half old at this point.

 

Freddy and Kate

Freddy and Evie. Classic.

Freddy and Annie

The Fred Man

My babies.

 



Annie and Kate

Our friend and the woman behind our family photos every year is Melanie Reyes (of Melanie Reyes Photography). She periodically offers camera workshops where she teaches people how to use their DSLR cameras. She calls them Capturing Life workshops, and I definitely could use one! She asked if Annie and Kate would want to be her models a little while back, and they were very excited to do so!

 

Kate, as per usual, was quiet and cooperative. Annie, also as per usual, was a total ham. She loved posing and was laughing the whole time. By the end, they were both very silly and laughing. Melanie sent me a few photos after, which I loved. Then, she unexpectedly sent me a whole album.

 

Annie and Kate are such sweet sisters and share an awesome bond. They bicker and annoy each other, but they are best friends and I love these photos and how they captured that.

 

This is such a Kate face.

I think the blurry part is another balloon she had thrown at the camera.

My favorite

And second favorite