Hi all. We had a wonderful Easter weekend with the whole family at Ron and Melissa’s (Natalie’s parents’) house in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

It was lovely to have some time with just Natalie, Andrew, Ron and Melissa before the extended family came over. Our daughter, Annabelle, is 18 months old and is becoming much more vocal. On the first night in Minnesota Andrea and I went for dinner with friends while Natalie looked after Annabelle. They clearly had a blast with bath time, blowing soap bubbles, reading books and dancing to music. When we last visited, in December, uncle Andrew was the favorite as he is very good at playing with little kids and keeping them engaged. However, I think this time Auntie Natalie may have overtaken him as is clear by the many cuddles she’s been getting from Annabelle this weekend.

Natalie and Andrew recently adopted a second dog, Jake, to keep Goldy company. Jake used to be a breeder’s dog and is still nervous and somewhat wary around adults. As a result Andrew and Natalie have put a lot of thought and consideration into making him feel comfortable while visiting Ron and Melissa this weekend. Natalie set him up in a quiet corner of the main floor with his (open) crate, toys, bone and blankets to get him comfortable with his surroundings. Andrew has spent a lot of time patiently sitting with him and has been fending off the many excited toddlers from frightening the new family member.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Schiferl weekend without good food. On the morning before the extended family arrived, Natalie, Andrea and Melissa made everyone Eggs Benedict, using Ron’s smoked ham (which he had been smoking since the day before) and Natalie’s hollandaise sauce made from scratch. They also made a salmon version for the non meat eaters. It was very fancy and absolutely delicious.

The Twins, Natalie’s and Andrea’s cousins, are like sisters to them (and Beth and Kevin like a second Mom and Dad). Christina and her husband, Nick and have a little boy, Levi, and another little boy on the way. Levi is a super smart little guy who loves dinosaurs. The other twin, Suzanne, and her husband, Bryan, have three beautiful girls. It has been so much fun to see all the kids together, especially as Annabelle is now at an age where she can interact and play with them. The highlight was the Easter Egg Hunt in the basement and the baskets that Grandma Melissa and Grandma Beth put together for them. There was squealing, running around, getting distracted, more running around and playing nicely together. It reminded us how blessed we all our to be surrounded by such happy and social kids. We are especially happy Natalie and Andrea’s grandmother, Lida (great grandma to all the little ones) was there to see it all and enjoy it.

On Easter Sunday we went to church. It was Annabelle’s first time at church and she looked adorable in a little blue dress (although she refused to keep the bow in her hair). She was fairly good throughout but is not yet used to having to sit still for such a long time, so Andrea and I did have to make a few trips out of the church to stop he disrupting the service. Still, we’re chalking it up as a success.

Finally, Natalie made crepes for brunch and we had a quiet Sunday playing with the dogs and catching up. We are so thankful that Annabelle gets to grow up as a part of this family and we know that Andrew and Natalie’s future child will experience the same warmth, attention, friendships, love and laughter as our little girl.

Christian (And Andrea—Natalie’s sister)