a very "HOPPY" Easter.

Easter weekend was jam packed with lots of fun activities...coloring eggs (twice!), play time with cousins, a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt, and even making tie-dyed shirts with our Easter egg dye mess! We started our Easter celebration by dyeing eggs at Nana & Papa's house. Jeb and I took the kids to Walmart and they got to pick out three egg dyeing kits each. This made for a LOT of Easter egg dye! I was really getting into the egg dye preparation. A little vinegar, a lot of water, a lot of vinegar, a little water...maybe some vegetable oil...I was a mixing and matching fool! 

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 And Uncle Kass was there to help! Well...he mostly just ate sunflower seeds and laid in the hammock, but we were still happy to see him! 

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Here's dad...looking pretty pumped for the big egg fest!

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 Reid absolutely LOVES Kassidy! When Kass is home, Reid never leaves his side.

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 Sis was ready to get busy!

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 Reid, like his Uncle Kass, was more into looking cool!

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 Jeb....attempting to make a "Cinderella" egg.

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And me...trying to make a "K.D." egg.

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After we finished our family time in Shawnee, we headed to Wewoka to Cook Compound for some cousin fun! LilliAnn was SO SO SO into dying eggs. She took it very seriously and sat there for over an hour, taking her eggs in and out of the dye cups. 

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Reid was so proud of his eggs. He would hold up every on of them!

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sweet cousins...Lill & Joss have so much fun together!

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They are finally getting to the age where they love to play together. It's so fun to watch them play girly things, like baby dolls or cooking. This night, Joss was pretending like she was LilliAnn's baby and LilliAnn would rock her in the little rocking chair. It was so funny!

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Sooooooo serious!

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The kids woke up bright and early on Easter morning to see what the Easter bunny had brought them. Reid wanted to know how he got into our house, so I told him that I thought he had a magic key. Reid wasn't buying it and said, "No, mom. I think he just hops down the chimney like Santa." 

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Matching headbands for her and her baby dolls

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"A mustache sucker? That's silly!"

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snuggle bunnies!

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This is Reid's fourth pair of monogrammed Easter pajamas. I am going to keep putting them in patching pajamas until they absolutely refuse! It's so stinkin' cute and I just LOVE pajamas!

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After church, we headed to the lake house for our annual cousin Easter egg hunt and lots of good food! I always like to dress the kids in traditional attire for Easter Sunday. My mom found this yellow smocked bishop with baskets of flowers and we had to have it! I just love a little girl in a smocked southern dress on Easter! Beautiful and timeless! And I love this pic of Reid...he looks like a little man.

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This must be her serious face.

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My baby boy is getting so big...and SO handsome! 

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my little loves.

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Ok, so this pic cracks me up! I have no idea what she is doing!

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vintage LilliAnn.

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Put 'em up...we've got some tough Rollins boys!

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How handsome are these two? 

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He said, "Mom! Take a pic of me and Chloe!"

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And of course, she says, "Mom! Me too!"

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the first man that I ever loved. And he still has my heart.

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So I guess I'm not part of the family anymore? :)

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my better half.

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Granny Carol brought her famous scalloped potatoes. Which were AMAZING as usual!

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Then it was time for a wardrobe change. Time for our Matilda Jane dress to wear for the egg hunt!

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She always has that hand on her hip. #sassy

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hiding eggs for baby Pierce.

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He says, "Make it look like I'm in a Coke commercial." Haha!

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Cousin Amy and Lil...teamwork for the egg hunt!

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Classic egg hunting pic

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"Help! Somebody get this egg out of this tree! I think it has a hundred dollars in it!"

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sexy hubby.

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counting his loot.

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She got a basket full!

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What a blessed Easter! Thank you Lord, for the gift of your Son! 

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"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Mark 16: 1-8

Letter to My Birthday Girl: 3 Years Old

~ Princess LilliAnn McKenzie Rollins ~

Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. 

-Proverbs 31:29

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Sweet LilliAnn, I cannot imagine my life without you. I knew from the moment you were placed in my arms on April 6, 2010 that all of my dreams had come true. I had thought about you...dreamed about you...wished for you...since I was a little girl myself. I wanted a little girl that was a girly girl...that loved pink...that was kind and gentle, but also a bit silly and sassy...a little girl that loved to sing and dance, primp and pose...a little girl that lit up the room wherever she was. LilliAnn, you are all of those things...and so much more! 

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You have always seemed older than your actual age. You took your first steps right before you were 9 months old, talked in sentences before you were one, and knew all the sounds for every letter of the alphabet when you turned two. Now you are writing your name, trying to sound out words, and counting past twenty. Aunt Gayla calls you a "woman child." You are keenly aware of your surroundings and are always minding other people's business...especially Reid's. Some may call it bossy, but I say that you take charge!

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 I love how you are mommy's girl, and how you love for me to "cuddle" with you while you watch princess movies (Cinderella is your favorite) before bed. I love how you are ALWAYS saying sweet things to me throughout the day, like "you are my bestest, favorite mommy ever," or "I wike your pretty shirt," and "I love you all the way up to Cinderella." I love how you still ask to "opu" when you get sleepy, but settle for lying your head on my chest and touching my face. I love how you call your nana and papa "nanny and poppy" when you are tired, upset, or are wanting to go see them. You often put "y" or "ie" on the end of words..."coldy," "warmy," "bathy"...I think you get that from me. I love how you are always making up songs and dances...holding your arms in the air and singing to whoever will listen...even if it's just the furniture. You'll grab my chin and say, "This is a new dance. Watch, mommy," or "It's not ova yet, mommy" and grab my chin again. Not a day goes by that you do not sing and dance. You love your Kindermusik class and Ms. Conchita. Your favorite song right now is "Hush Little Baby" and you know every word. You're still very into baby dolls and we usually take Bitty Baby or McKenzie with us everywhere. You wanted more bottles for your babies for Easter, and sometimes I'll find you in random places around the house, giving your baby her bottle, being quiet as a mouse. 

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I can't believe that you are three years old. I know it's a cliche, but time has really flown since you were born. I know you are still little, still a baby to me, but I want you to know that I will always support you. I will be always there for you. And I will ALWAYS love you. No matter what you go through...how much you hate me when you are a teenager...or how lonely or down you may feel...I want you to always remember this. You are my everything, LilliAnn, and you will always be my baby. 

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This is the verse that I have chosen for you for the next year. 

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

- Proverbs 31:30

I want you to realize your inner beauty. I want people to think you're beautiful because of your kindness and love towards them. I want you to fear the Lord and love Him with ALL your heart. I want you to learn that "pretty is as pretty does." My prayer for you is to focus on your inner beauty, to pursue the heart of a servant, to love others more than yourself, and to shed the light of Jesus Christ on everyone that you meet. Trust in Him.

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LilliAnn Loves:

• baby dolls
• anything princess related
• brushing her hair
• putting on make-up
• steak and hamburger meat
• potato soup
• ANY kind of candy...especially Ring Pops and suckers
• Cinderella
• dance class
• singing...especially original songs that she has made up
• pancakes, sausage, and eggs
• strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries
• glitter or sparkles
• horses
• giving kisses...and making a smooch sound and holding your face while she kisses you
• cell phones...real and pretend
• reading...especially her pink Bible stories for girls
• being the boss
• ballet
• tiaras or "crowns"
• tea parties
• putting "jelly" (hair gel) in her hair by herself
• riding her red Power Wheels 4-wheeler at Nana & Papa's house

When she grows up, LilliAnn wants to be a princess and a doctor, and a mermaid and a cooker, "oh, I mean a chef," and a "baby pusher."

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A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Cinderella

A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you're fast asleep

In dreams you lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for, you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling through

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

the dream that you wish will come true

Dream BIG, my little princess!

I love you to the moon...and back.

Mommy

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To read LilliAnn's "Letter to My Birthday Girl: 2 Years Old," click HERE.

Disney Recap Day 1: Downtown Disney

Arrived in Orlando at noon, so decided to use the first day for Downtown Disney and checking out our resort. Took about 30 minutes to get to our resort on Mickey's Magical Express (shuttle included in our WDW package). They picked up our luggage separately and took it to our room, so we never even had to go to baggage claim.
*Warning: when you get your packet in the mail make sure you put a yellow tag on your stroller as well as your bags (if you check one) or you'll have to go to baggage claim and get it.

•very pleased with The Contemporary...cute rooms and home to Chef Mickey's (famous character restaurant); monorail runs through the lobby and very close to Magic Kingdom
*staying in the Tower...request a balcony and "theme park view" room
This is our view from our balcony!!


*with littles convenience is KEY!
•def recommend the meal plan through WDW...we did the mid-range one and it's going to be perfect (includes 1 table meal, 1 quick-service meal, and one snack daily for each of us)
•great idea to do Downtown Disney first because it works up to the parks...for example the kids rode a carousel and a little train and LOVED it! If we had done Downtown Disney last, it would have been a bust after Magic Kingdom
•mostly shopping and eating...face painting...it's a a neat "Welcome to Disney World" icebreaker/intro...only need to spend about 3 hours here; bought our autograph books and pens here
•T-Rex Cafe in Downtown Disney is AMAZING (especially for little boys); great food and great service. They have huge dinosaurs and mammoths that roar, aquariums, and part of the restaurant is an "ice cave" that changes colors. They even had a chocolate dessert that has smoke coming out if it like a volcano!



I ordered these hats a month ago online...googled "Disney monogram mouse hats." They love them!! One less thing we had to do/buy when we got here. I surprised them by having them on the bed when they walked into the room..."a gift from Mickey!"




More info. tomorrow!