Easter

What a great Easter!  The Easter Bunny came and brought lots of great gifts! 

Including some new bunny ears. 

And the beloved dark chocolate bunny! 

So much goodness including a cool hair ribbon.

Tonight we celebrated with champagne, and Lia had a sip. 

Thanks Nana & Poppy for the beautiful new Easter dress!!!  

Enjoying some candy after dinner... 

Happy Easter everyone!!!

SASHIMI!!!

 

I just found this tonight, it was actually our dinner on January 1st when we left the Zoo, and picked up Bonefish to go!  Lia is such a great eater....she loves their mussels and the sashimi!

First Bike Ride of the Year!

Today was GORGEOUS here in Cincinnati and got above 60 degrees!  It was great to get out and ride my bike, toating the trailer with Lia in it.  It's a good workout pulling her weight and so convenient because I combined our neighborhood ride with a stop at the grocery to pick up a few items for Easter dinner tomorrow.  :)

Coloring Easter Eggs

 

Lia and I colored eggs tonight.  I got an "egg spinner" last year after Easter.  It worked out pretty well!  Lia did great removing the eggs with tongs. 

 

Our amazing beautiful eggs!

Here are the finished eggs.  Please help me out here family.  Grandma Grimes used to have the most beautiful eggs ever.  Does anyone remember this?  I wonder and always did, how she did it.  I can NOT remember if she ever showed me, which she probably did b/c I was always impressed with her gorgeous eggs.  Anyhow, these are as close to hers as I have ever gotten so I am thinking she must have had an egg spinner!  ;)

Dill-Pickle Soup

Mommy's little Sous Chef!  Such a great helper Lia is sauteing the pickles. 

Here is the broth after I removed the ribs.  Recipe called for removing and reserving for another use.  Are you KIDDING me?  I wrapped them up and baked them until fork tender.  Then shredded them to add back into my soup.

Right here.  And then added sour cream & flour mixture that was thinned out with broth to create.....

the masterpiece!  Honestly one of the best soups I have EVER eaten.  Ever.  Funny b/c I bought this Polish cookbook from a thrift store in Florida last year because of this recipe.  However I didn't catch it that it said use the rib meat elsewhere.  No way!  Right here is where this belongs.

  

Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

A friend turned me onto this recipe!  It was really fun and very good. 

I used red peppers vs green. 

We all lovcd it including Ms Lia!

Siesta Beach!

It's our last night in Sarasota and we decided to go down to Siesta for the sunset. 

The beach was full and Lia found a friend to play with!

 

 

Lia LOVES playing in the sand!

Back to the Grimes's

This mermaid and manatee is on Anna Maria.  Every time we passed it Lia screamed out "mermaid".  I took her there this morning for a photo!  

Aunt Connie and Uncle Chris came down for a couple nights. 

Thanks for playing with Lia Connie!  :)

Mom relaxing after dinner!  The boys did the dishes tonight!  Thanks guys!

Mermaids!

Lia LOVES all of her mermaids!  They are her favorite pool (and bath) toys!  Daddy is great about playing mermaids with her too!

Happy Birthday Frankie!

We're at the beach so high-time to paint Lia's toes!  ;)

It was chilly today and tonight but we caught the sunset at the beach before dinner.

After dinner, and I forgot my camera at Frank's bday dinner.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of him with his double chocolate cake.  And after this picture we were about to take a family shot but I dropped my camera and it broke!  :(

Anna Maria Island

Our first night here.  We ended up just walking across the street and getting a drink and a bite to eat right on the beach under a pallapa roof.  

What's in Frank's hand? 

Sunset! 

 

Silly girl

Lia wanted to wear my bathing suit top!  Goof!!!

Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar!!!!

Tonight we're headed to our FAVORITE Sarasota spot:  Phillippi Creek! 

Look at these MONSTERS!!! 

Ok, now back to loving family!  ;)

Frankie working on oysters!!! YUMMY!!!   We must have been way too busy eating oysters to get any pictures of all of other awesome food we ordered tonight!

I think Mom took this one. 

Mom tried to get a shot of Frank and I, but guess who couldn't be excluded?! 

Come on in here girl!   

Many many many years of taking these pictures! 

I remember Marissa and Alex in them as children too!!! 

And a ride on the turtle to end the night!