Holy Saturday

It was our intention to go to the Easter vigil mass this evening, a beautiful and very long service that includes just about every sacrament and last up to 3 hours long.  We would have never made it, but I really enjoy going.  Unfortunately, this time I got sick... something I ate?  I hurt so badly that I curled up into a ball on Ellie's floor and as loudly as I could (came out as a whisper) called for Jeff to help.  I got better, but we stayed home.
Last night, Jeff, Terry and I dyed Easter eggs.  This afternoon, Ellie and I went over to the neighbors house and dyed eggs with their kids.  Ellie didn't participate, except by bumping my arm as I wrote what I was instructed on the eggs before the other kids dipped them.  It was a whole lot of fun, but now we have 3.75 dozen decorated, hard-boiled eggs to eat and Ellie isn't liking them as much a I thought she would...
Amazingly, I didn't get any pictures of either debacle.

We received a gift bag of goodies from a friend to Ellie.  She loved it!  I am still working on Thank You cards from way back, but Ellie's favorite (besides the pinwheel) is the Donald Duck dressed in a bunny outfit that sings and scuttles around on the floor.  Ellie likes to push it over and looks to me to right him.  The best part (makes Ellie laugh) is that when you pick Donald up by the ears, he screams at you to put him down and does the angry duck sound while his arms flap around. 

Jeff tells me about all the gifts he used to give to his nieces and nephews and how they were the Perfect-Noisy-Annoying gifts.  He holds the record for all the best choices in that division.  We have not received any in that category from his brothers... yet, but we are starting to receive items that are definitely in the running.  ( Haven't gotten Thank You card out for these either...)  Donald Duck is loud, but he isn't annoying and we ALL love him.  The neighbors gave us an Elmo sing-along toy with a microphone that works when your lips are actually sucking on the top.  Loud:  no volume control and when Elmo sings, I can hardly tell what he is singing, I do recognize the tunes...  Annoying... the songs go on and on and when they are over, Elmo asks you to, "Sing with me.... sing with me....." (how about no!)  Perfect:  Ellie absolutely LOVES it!!! She talks into the microphone, presses the music keys (there is even an applause button!) and has a blast playing with it!!!  I would give this a runners up to the next gift that we received a few weeks ago from a very, good friend... A puzzle (actually two, but for reasons you will read, we only take one out at a time) that makes noises when you put each piece into its place and then will play a tune when all the pieces are correctly placed.  Sounds great in theory....  Loud:  Again, no volume control and there is a pause after the long animal sounds, so in the quiet of the night you are cringing waiting for the song to start and then play out (Ellie's favorite of the two is, of course, Old MacDonald Had A Farm).  Annoying: Ellie can only take pieces out, which means she moves them away from the puzzle as she takes them out, then they disappear in her room.  When the final dim lights go out after she is asleep and tucked soundly into bed, the puzzle thinks you have place all the pieces in their proper places... there's a moo, cluck, oink (several times) and then... wait for it... a hardy rendition of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm, E*I*E*I*O!!!"  Now, you don't dare turn on the light or it will wake Ellie up and the puzzle will know that the pieces have not been put into place, so the whole scenario repeats as you fix the puzzle, and it is too dark to attempt to locate the pieces, which Ellie seems to find joy in hiding... Perfect:  Another toy that Ellie absolutely and truly LOVES!  She tries very hard to put the pieces back in place, but it is just easier to take them out.  She loves animals and is starting to make the animal sounds!  Puzzles are just her thing!  So, I guess we have a winner and I am learning how to outsmart both Ellie and the puzzle, by completing it myself before she goes to bed every night (much to Ellie's delight - she would do it, if she could.)  Thank you for the gifts!  We really do enjoy them and this little contest is all in jest, it is just fun to share with everyone some of our favorite things!