Our First Family Vacation

Well, we had to get the first stamp in Elizabeth's passport! And, though AnnCatherine wasn't nearly ready for a bathing suit, we jetted off to Grand Cayman. Elizabeth is definitely in the right family - she did great on the plane! She loved her new swimsuit and inflatable pool and doing her first limbo contest with Daddy. She felt the ocean waves for the first time and loved taking her naps with Grandpa Dave on the patio in the shade. And, on April 23rd, she turned 6 months old!!! We went to Libby's first cultural event - a local Cayman storytelling contest called Gimistory. It was definitely mostly locals which we love, but our lack of knowledge of Caribbean dialects made it a little different to follow at times. There were small craft warnings out several of the days which prevented the dive boats from leaving on our side of the island, but at least Jarod and AnnCatherine got to dive together one day. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Downing for sharing the timeshare week....

There are too many good pictures that just have to be shared, so Jarod is going to post a blog link to Picasa very soon. But enjoy the preview pix above...

Diggin' the veggies

Thanks to the Easter Bunny, Elizabeth had her first veggies this weekend. Yum! Squash!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Happy Easter from the Downings (though this post is woefully late!)

The Easter Bunny found his way to our house and, this year, three baskets were filled! :) Elizabeth had no problem figuring out what to do, either.... The Bunny brought a book, shoes, applesauce and sunglasses for Libby.

But you must notice the baskets. My mom and Aunt Barb starting taking basketweaving lessons several years ago (and my mom actually did win a Blue Ribbon in the county fair, too!). When we knew our family was expanding, I asked my mom if she would made family Easter baskets for us. Aren't they great?! All are designed exactly the same but the colors are different. And, of course, Jarod's is blue! :) Thanks, Grandma Ruth!

Swieconka (Blessing of the Food)

Yeah! Lent is over.... For as long as I can remember, Easter Saturday morning has been my favorite time to go to church. Being Polish, (AC is 50% and Elizabeth is 25% and we love Jarod despite the fact that he isn't) we celebrate Swieconka or Blessing of the Food. This wasn't typically something celebrated in the Indianapolis area since there isn't a big Eastern European population. But, 4 years ago, we happened upon our Pastor during dinner at Fazoli's. We asked him if he would start the tradition at our parish and it has consistently grown every year. Each family brings a basket with a small meal to be shared on Easter morning... Homemade sausage (thanks, Grandma!) eggs, bread, butter, salt and candy are typical contents. And this year, our basket had some rice cereal and butternut squash, too! We're so excited to keep this tradition going....