Happy Easter!

i hope to be able to post some cute pics of the kids on their Easter egg hunt (from behind, of course). We'll see!

Thought i'd leave an entry about how yesterday went. Over all, it went really well. It was Alan's first day with the kiddies, and he did terrific. And i know it's hard for him, because he's afraid of little ones, and the lack of understanding English doesn't help at all. At all. But really the kids are figuring it out pretty well from tone of voice and body language. And Big Brother is *so sensitive* (read: if you say "No" too loudly, he hides and cries -- tears my heart UP inside) that he really tries to please.

First we took the kids out for Mexican food for lunch. i'd actually already fed them recently, so Big Bro just munched on a tortilla and some chips and Lil Sister didn't really want anything. We've been going to this restaurant since we moved to this part of town 2 1/2 years ago, so the waiters and waitresses know us. There's this one waitress who is as nice as can be, and she stopped by to ask if the family was bigger now. She congratulated us many time. Unfortunately, she told me there is no common nickname for Big Brother's name. Sigh. This is horrible, because i know it's his name, but i am SO unfamiliar with it, and it's SO, um, not appealing to me on an "ooh, that's a pretty name" level that i can't remember his name half the time. i want to call him a completely different Hispanic name that starts with the same letter. Or change the leading U to an O and the trailing O to a U. Poor kid is going to start having an identity crisis. i'm going to have to find out his middle name, or if they had a nickname for him, or something. i never thought if i adopted a foster child that i would change their name, because they came with it and are familiar with it, but i'm starting to see why now. Yes, i suck, but (and this is not his name, i'm totally making it up) you follow a toddler around trying to remember the name Yobieldo or something and see if you still feel like Judgey McJudgerson lol. Boy i hope he never reads this lol.

After lunch, we went home so the kids could take a nap, then we went to the horse farm, stopping at Sam's on the way to pick up some oil for Sunny. The kids were, of course, great (i never would have thought it would be almost easy to take two toddlers to the store, but the hardest part is getting them out of and into their carseats) at Sam's, and the horse farm went far better than i expected actually. Big Brother was, of course, very scared, but he settled into a routine of bringing me treats. Sunny is going to get fat! Lil Sister was less scared, and was the first to let Alan pick her up and pet him. The first "mishap" was when Big Brother got a little braver and stood near me near Sunny's head while he grazed. He was brave and happy until Sunny sniffed the top of his head lol. Then he screamed and ran away. BUT he did let Alan pick him up and let him pet him, nowhere near his head of course lol.

The only other mishaps also involved animals. The farm owner has a little dog. i can't remember if he's an oversized Min Pin or a Manchester Terrier, but one of those little black and tan dogs. His name is Fenton, and he barks ferociously at people. Of course he ended up being loose, and Big Brother was petrified. Which, the way Fenton barks, is understandable. But then again, he was petrified at an extremely friendly cat named Pumpkin, so i think he is just petrified of animals in general. It makes me wonder if he was taught that, or if it came naturally. Lil Sister is not nearly so frightened of animals.

The good news is they've gotten to the point where they can see the dogs through the glass doors and not freak out. They even approach the doors and say "Gua gua" (thanks Sweet Spikette for telling me what that means: It sounds like "wah wah" kind of and is kind of like "woof woof") and wave at the "bueno wah wahs" as i say in my Spanglish. i'm sure it should be "gua guas buenos", but hey. i'm trying.

My friend will be over with her 10 year old at about 11, so i'd better get the kids up and fed breakfast and dressed in their Easter duds by then. i hope i'll have some non-identifying pictures to post soon. Be warned: i do NOT have the mommy/daughter dance down yet. Translation: i can't do her hair for the life of me! Later.