New Jersey Diaries: of Birthdays, Beaches, and Babies getting Bigger, or "How We Spent Our Spring"

After overhauling our kitchen, we kicked off our spring by celebrating Hadley's 6th (I can't belive it! SIX!) Birthday. We had a "Fancy Nancy" tea party and it was a big hit with the Kindergarten set. Hadley got a new haircut for the occasion -- short and sassy and oh so much easier for mom to style in the mornings! Here Hadley and Lucy strike a pose.

Here is a shot of the girls dressed in their fanciest ensembles (ensemble is a fancy word for outfit). They are making tissue paper wrist corsages. (another fancy word that means "flowers you wear")

Here is Hadley with her cake. We owe a big thanks to Grandma Connie and Grandma Nancy for sending invitations, favors, and decorations!

Ruby just keeps growing up despite us discouraging it. Here she is getting some paperwork done with daddy. I love that she has the cell phone handy. This photo is one you definitely want to click to enlarge in order to fully appreciate. Also note our pre-renovated kitchen.

We headed to the beach in Delaware for Spring Break and Easter (which also encompassed Xander's birthday). Thanks a million, Gardner Family! Ruby LOVED the beach and was much more of a "play in the water and run all over the beach" girl than her sister ever was at this age. Not as relaxing as I would have preferred, since I am a "sit on the beach under an umbrella with a book and a Diet Dr. Pepper" girl. The weather was fantastic, hitting 90 on two days!

Easter eggs got hidden while kids hit the beach. Note the soaking wet shorts and sandy feet. It was obviously an informal affair.

Ruby's eggs were hidden indoors, and we discovered the fun could go on and on as we re-hid the same eggs 2-3 times.

She had a lot of fun finding her own special eggs! Also -- more proof she is getting big -- piggies!

Hadley shows off an easter egg.

Xander's birthday started off with a walk on the beach. He found a ghost crab. Thanks to Lauren for the stash of birthday hats. We wore them for the beach walk, naturally.

Next, we headed to Ocean City, Maryland, for a round of Viking Golf.

Then out for ice cream. Love this face.

This face is pretty cute too.

Miss Ruby devoured her first-ever ice cream cone like a pro.

By the week's end, we were very, very, sad to leave. But still had another party to look forward to. What do you do for a 9-year-old boy's party? Pizza and video games, of course!

My attempt at a Mario world-ish cake.

Boys watching the action. They played 4-player Super Mario, rotating in and out everytime someone died. It got CRAZY. Luckily, Alan took them outside for impromptu baseball to burn off some of that energy!