Happy Easter!

Natalie wants to say...

Happy Easter, Everyone!!

We hope you enjoyed Easter as much at your house as we did at ours. We had a really nice weekend and wish it had lasted longer. The kids were especially pleased that the Easter Bunny was able to find us, even in New York!

We sent him a little email this past week, and asked if he would be okay coming to our house on Saturday morning instead of Sunday this year, because our church is very early. No problem, he wrote back -- from his rabbit hole, can you believe!?(he even told us in his email that he was writing from his rabbit hole, clever bunny.)

And yes he DID come!! He decorated the whole place, just like Sammie had been dreaming, with streamers on the ceiling fan and everything!

And, he brought baskets of fun things for everyone... bubbles, hula-hoops, and toys for Samantha and Spencer; a baby rattle and hair bows for Natalie; combs and deodorant for Brian, and a necklace and cool colander thing for me. How did he know JUST what everyone wanted!?

The kids, opening their loot...

And Natalie was quick to get in on the action... she loved the hula-hoops.

And she decided Spencer's new foamy airplanes are GREAT chew toys!

Samantha wasted no time finding all the hidden eggs and candies the Easter Bunny left everywhere. And she kindly sorted all the candies into kinds and colors for us...

Brian enjoyed a few extra minutes of rest, before heading upstairs to work. (yep. even on Easter weekend. sigh.)

We had a relaxing Saturday, and a great church service for Easter today. After church, we decided to take a drive over this bridge...

It's called the Tappan Zee Bridge, over the Hudson river. I saw it on a map, then saw a picture online, and figured it'd be a fun one to go over. And it was, only, it did not photograph well, at least, not while we were driving on it.

So I had to borrow some pictures from the internet. Here, from the air, is the one that REALLY made me want to go across it...

Quite the bridge, I must say. Another nice internet shot, a side view...

It's actually 3.1 miles long, though it didn't feel that long when we were on it.

Samantha was very excited to go on the bridge (and very excited to see what she looked like in this picture, after I took it.)...

Spencer was... two seconds away from being crashed out...

And Natalie, well...

Maybe bridges aren't her thing yet, I guess?

After Tappan Zee, we took a round-about scenic drive, crossing over another bridge a few miles up river to get back home. The kids got out at an overlook and, well, I am not sure what they were doing in this picture, but it looks like they were having fun?

The view of the Hudson, from their overlook point. I'd actually like to read a book about the Hudson River; I bet it's full of fun historic details.

Like, for example, at this point (pictured above) on the Hudson, during the Revolutionary War, the colonials built two forts on either side. And they built a huge metal chain that they strung across the river in the water, to keep the Brits from going up river. Pretty incredible, huh?

I love details like that. The handy sign at the overlook said the Brits never actually tested the strength of the chain, but they did capture both forts and cut the chain in two. Thankfully, the colonists were able to hold onto West Point, just a few miles upstream, and kept control of the Hudson for the duration of the war. There are links from that chain on display at West Point. Do I smell another little adventure to West Point in our future?? Oh yes. No doubt.

So, that wasn't a huge outing, but it was a nice way to spend some time as a family, before sending Brian back upstairs to work. Again. :)

Happy Easter!