Easter in Manila

Happy Easter!

Hot weather is really starting to kick in here.  This time of year is the hottest, but it is also relatively dry.  It has only rained a couple of times since we arrived in late December, but the rainy months are on the way shortly.

Our Easter celebration was pretty low key.  We thought that there was going to be a big outdoor mass nearby us this morning, but it looks like that didn't happen.  So, we ended up having pancakes here at home and going for a walk.  The fun part was giving the girls their Easter baskets after we ate.

The baskets were actually from the baby shower our friends threw for us last year.  We set them aside to ensure they made the move with us (along with some party hats on reserve for the girls' birthday).

Stacey put together these cute baskets.  Lucy's on the left and Clara's on the right.

We thought that the girls would go right for the baskets when we went into their playroom, but Clara was distracted by a pair of sneakers she was carrying and Lucy was suspicious.  She wanted to take her time to check it out.

Here is Lucy letting us know about the strange appearance of baskets.

A consultation between them before making any moves.

Clara traded up from a sneaker to a plastic egg.  Lucy pulled the bunny out.

Stacey put little animal crackers in the plastic eggs.  It was funny - the girls do not eat in their playroom, so when Stacey opened up the eggs and gave them the cookies they thought it was to pretend to eat.  They held them up to their mouths and made the mmm mmm sound that they do when they pretend to eat the cloth banana they have.  Only after Stacey actually ate one of the cookies did the girls give it a try.

As we were playing this morning, I picked up Clara (top photo) and cradled her and said "who's the little baby" in a silly voice.  She didn't particularly find it amusing, but Lucy saw it and thought it was pretty funny, so she came over and wanted to do it.  Then I went back an forth doing it to each as they laughed really hard.  

Here are the girls (Clara above and Lucy below) a bit later on.  Although Stacey sewed these dresses last summer in Maryland, they are perfect for a hot Easter day in Manila.