Easter in Texas

My in-laws treated our family to a trip to visit my mother-in-law's family in Texas. When we visit, we normally stay in the Austin area. This time, we met them at their new vacation condo on Padre Island. A blog of our travels can be found here: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/WhirledPeas/Trips/18721

Oliver loved the beach! Uncle Gene showed him how to find all sorts of sea life. He also built sand castles and splashed around a bit. It was the perfect vacation for him. We also celebrated Easter while we were there, and here are some Easter photos from Texas.

The Easter Bunny came! The Easter Bunny brought bunny ears, pinwheels, bubbles, a toy rabbit for Jo, an egg full of candy for Oliver, and the buckle toy that I'd made for Oliver. The toy bunny was actually sent to Jo from my cousins Missy and Jana. However, I thought they'd understand why the Bunny put it in the basket. Jo is too little to care about much, so the Bunny probably didn't want to spend money on new stuff that wouldn't have made a difference. The Easter Bunny actually didn't come for Oliver's first Easter at all. He came for Jo's because that just makes more sense for Oliver.

The Easter Bunny almost always brings a pinwheel.

Seriously, I love these stinkers.

You might recognize Jo's Easter dress from a previous post. It was the first outfit I bought for her, back when I was pregnant and suffering pregnancy complications. I am so happy that she is here today, wearing the dress.

Happy Birthday, Paul!

Yesterday, Andrew and I went out to dinner with Paul and Colleen (my favorite parents-in-law) for Paul's birthday. It's hilarious seeing Andrew with his dad; the two of them are so, so much alike. It'd be eerie if it wasn't so goddamned funny. I think my favorite thing to observe is that they're both extreme worry-worts, but they also get exasperated with each other... even though it's a quality they share. Good stuff.

Colleen and I are two very different people, but we get along so well and never run out of anything to talk about. I love that. I'm used to being surrounded by people who are just like me... quiet, casual, whatever. She's interested in fashion and medicine and the world; she's funny and eccentric, and I can listen to her talk for hours. She always seems to have energy to keep going, and it tends to rub off on me. Yesterday, we got talking, and I started to realize that, even though we might have different interests & personalities, we can definitely still relate to each other.

It seems the job she's always loved is turning into an environment she doesn't want to be in. She feels some of her coworkers are down right mean and nasty. I opened up to her about some of the problems I've been having with my new boss. Like one of the bosses in her office, he seems to thrive on making people squirm. He's hateful and unhappy. I know I need to be above it and not let it get me down, but that is *so* much easier said than done. I'm around him about 32 hours a week. Letting all his negativity slide isn't very simple. Staying above the line on the issues with him is absolutely exhausting. I come home every day and just want to rest, to relax and not have to deal with any more issues. That makes home life very unproductive. Thank god for Andrew!

Anyway, last night was very nice. It felt good to open up to Colleen and hear her thoughts on the subject and know that she truly understood what I was going through. Tomorrow, I'm using the spa gift certificate she gave me for Christmas; we're going to get pedicures and a "foot reflexology" foot massage. Hopefully, the procedure is not too invassive ;-) I think I'll make sure to wear shorts, because I don't want to get there only to find out I have to take my pants off. That won't be happening! Haha. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes...