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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Saddest Easter Egg Hunt Ever

Poor Toby is going through a major separation anxiety phase right now (well, he kind of always is). So, on Easter Sunday, when Alex took Toby outside the church to start hunting for Easter eggs (while I stayed for the end of the service), Toby was not pleased. Alex snapped these sweet shots--oh, what a face! Those eyebrows kill me!!!

Luckily, Toby cheered up once I came out to join them. Funnily enough, he didn't really "get" the concept of the Easter egg hunt. Why would he put random eggs into a random basket? But then I told him to help me put the eggs "away," and he got really into it once he thought we were just cleaning up! :)

How was your weekend? xoxo

(Update: Thanks for your cute comments about Toby's shoes! They're Adidas.)

145 comments:

  1. Haha Joanna, these are the cutest ever! He looks just like you in these pictures, too :)

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  2. he is looking so cute! :) shame - what a sweet thing... He will probably love it next year :)

    Betty Bake x

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  3. Omg he is soooo cute! and handsome too~!

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  4. An Easter egg clean-up?! So sweet.

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  5. he is the sweetest looking little boy I've ever seen!

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  6. Just the title of this post made me crack up. Poor little bear.

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  7. My gosh...you captivated me with the title and first picture alone! Awww, Toby!

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  8. Our son just turned three, and this was really the first year we did a "hunt". We hid plastic eggs with the candy inside, so there was lots of incentive and happiness when he discovered what the real treasure was. Not sure that he would've been so excited about us hiding the real eggs that he decorated the day before, though considering how many he ate, maybe he would have!

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  9. Anonymous12:08 PM

    I have very similar pictures from my 16 months old's first Easter egg hunt last week. He was very confused by the whole concept and finally just carried the same two eggs (one in each hand) around while the older kids found the eggs.

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  10. awww these photos are hilarious! he kind of looks like he just woke up from a nap!
    in dramatic fashion

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  11. Anonymous12:15 PM

    SO CUTE!!

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  12. I like that the egg he's holding doesn't even look like an easter egg - it just looks like a regular egg! That would be confusing! So cute.

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  13. He is just adorable!

    Just wait til next year and the year after that, there will be no stopping him :)

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  14. What a gorgeous kid... So cute!

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  15. awweee....

    way too cute!!


    happy tuesday!
    xoxoxo

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  16. Aaw bless him! I love his little shoes.

    We had an Easter egg hunt around the house, which our 2 boys loved, and we also finally got around to putting up a little wooden playhouse in our back garden which they have been in and out of since! Our eldest (5) even asked if he could sleep in it :)

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  17. So adorable! And some day some happy lady will thank you for raising a boy who likes to put things away!

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  18. Those pics are sooo cute.

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  19. Oh my gosh, this whole story made me smile so big! I love e everything about it. Cutest pictures!!!

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  20. Joanna, he's GORGEOUS!

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  21. Cute! I do think it takes a while for lots of different holiday traditions to make any sense to little ones. Egg hunt? Santa? Even "flaming" birthday cake. WEIRD ideas, on the surface, really. (By the way, I LOVE Toby's flyaway hair-do. SO funny and cute!)

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  22. This just broke my heart in so many ways... what sweet sweet love you have there.

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  23. haha, jane, i know! they were just dyed hard-boiled eggs.

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  24. My 16 months son is obsessed with cleaning up, he hates to see things dirty or messed up... Should I worry? LOL

    Toby looks adorable. Love when they stare like in the 2nd photo, like they're thinking how to solve the problems of their diffficult difficult lives :-DDDD

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  25. How cute! I love the idea of 'cleaning up' the eggs! :)

    Katie

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  26. Awwww, too cute. How sweet that he got into it for the fun of cleaning up.

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  27. Anonymous12:39 PM

    I've never heard you mention church before! I'm so curious if you're Mormon since you seem to know and work with so many LDS bloggers, etc. It's totally none of my business though, of course! I would have thought you were more of the liberal/intellectual/agnostic type --Maria

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  28. He looks so lost--like he just woke up in an unfamiliar place. The staticky hair helps. :)

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  29. Haha I love his mad scientist hair! What an adorable boy.

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  30. Oh my goodness, what a sweet face. He looks so sad. I'm glad you were able to come out and cheer him up!

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  31. oh what a sweetie! Toby's eyebrows are adorable!

    Our 17 month old daughter is having her bouts with separation anxiety too. The husband always reminds me that these intense phases come right before they take a real developmental leap of independence. This helps ease my mind! ; )

    Our daughter loved her first easter egg hunt this year, you're right something about the idea of cleaning up and putting things in and out of a basket. It was really sweet to watch her look in places all on her now, it seems like she really got it- the hunt part. not the why the hell are there eggs everywhere!

    I did a little post today on my blog called- "What I know about Parenting I learned from Puppy Kindergarten" not sure If I'm alone in this but there are similarities... ; )
    have a great day!

    abigail

    aka @GrayDayShop and
    http://tiptoethrough.blogspot.com/

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  32. I love his green sneakers! He is so cute.

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  33. Anonymous12:49 PM

    Those eyebrows are too adorable!

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  34. oh no poor Toby :( its sad to do things without momma. I am going through this with my son too.

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  35. lol maybe it's a toddler thing. My friend's kid was the same way but as soon as he thought it was a cleaning game he got into it: http://www.luvandkiwi.com/2012/04/easter-his-first-hunt.html

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  36. my little guy didn't get into easter (or even christmas!) until around age 5. strange but true.

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  37. oh gosh! so sweet!

    my niece was so attached to the first egg she picked up (she just turned one).

    But then we cheered on for her to run and she lit up and run for the eggs. She didn't know what was what but I'm sure any kind of attention was welcomed :)

    Toby breaks my heart! haha!

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  38. I agree with another commented up above- I'm so curious about your religious beliefs! I know it's absolutely none of my business and I mean no judgement by it at all, I just feel like you're such an open and honest blogger that it would come up? Maybe you could post about it sometime, if it wouldn't be too invasive or threaten to start too much drama?

    Love the sweet pictures :) Glad you guys had a nice Easter.

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  39. oh so cute! ha ha not pleased indeed! Your cleaning up solotion--brilliant!

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  40. Any little kid that is -that- adorable and digs cleaning up is a-okay in my book. :)

    (Super cute photos!)

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  41. You just have the cutest boy ever! Not as cute as mine, but a close second ;)

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  42. What a super cutie! Is he having anxiety bc he's a sweet mamma's boy or b/c he's so little?

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  43. your little man is a real heart-thief. he's just too adorable. i think he looks like your brother, Nick.

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  44. I am really glad to hear someone else besides Mila always seems to be going through separation anxiety. It seems that it has been forever. It is actually really challenging for me, but I'm trying to focus that one day she will be an independent person who will be able to step away from mom without having a complete meltdown. Preferably earlier than say when she's 18. Sigh. Hope you all are managing through it okay too! xoxo

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  45. haha aw! at least he had fun at the end :D

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  46. this is great.
    isn't it funny how when they're young they LOVE to help clean up.... and that all changes as they grow up.

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  47. Anonymous1:27 PM

    whaaaaaaaaaaa? you are religious?? what church do you go to???

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  48. he is soooooooooo cute! love his shoes, too :)

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  49. My little boy did two Easter egg hunts this weekend and the first was a total bust! He just stared at all of the other kids & then took an hour looking at the ONE egg he found. When I asked him how many eggs he had he looked at me and said, "Only one but I would like more." It killed me b/c the hunt was over by then! The second one (in our backyard) went much better since he had no competition and could take his time getting the hang of it :)

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  50. He looks so woeful, but adorable. The post made me laugh out loud.

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  51. So cute!!! I have similar pictures of my son's first easter egg hunt too, kind of that looking at that one egg, like what do you want me to do with this? Precious!

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  52. I didn't think my 2 year old would understand the egg hunt, but he was all over it!

    Mine has a light case of seperation anxiety, is it bad to take small pleasure in it? I know it won't last forever, I'll take all the cling I can for now I guess.

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  53. Looks like you've got a serious one there. My is he cute!

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  54. i can't handle his eyebrows. SO cute!!!! i'm envious!

    also, his outfit. so dapper!

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  55. Awww, so sweet! Looks like you've got yourself a little helper already! :)

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  56. so adorable!

    http://weezngmonkeys.blogspot.com

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  57. Haha! This made me laugh. The post you have linked, where Alex is holding Toby and he's crying (A portrait of courage) is one of my all-time favourites. Makes me laugh out loud every time. :D

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  58. My son is probably around the same age (17 months) and had the same reaction to our easter egg "hunt" for him. We just threw 10 of them in our yard and gave him his basket and he quickly started tossing them in. Then dumped them out, then picked them back up...and did that about six times before he grew tired of it.

    By the way, those are the cutest shoes! Are they Adidas?

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  59. that little face it priceless. too cute!!! I think we did Easter egg hunt overload. My son did THREE over the weekend!!!

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  60. Brandi2:28 PM

    Yep, need to know about those shoes!

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  61. How cute! Toby is mighty adorable! I hope your Easter was lovely with family and easter egg hunts!

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  62. tish, that's so funny, toddlers are adorable:)

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  63. oh yeah, haha, his shoes are green adidas sneakers for toddlers, we bought them on zappos:)

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  64. Nawh he looks so confused! Bless him! x

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  65. mollie, i kind of agree:) you feel so loved!!

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  66. Oh my goodness, these pictures totally made my day better! I needed a good smile :)

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  67. maria and kelly, thanks for your questions! very happy to talk about anything and answer any questions :)

    i'm agnostic/atheist, which is why religion doesn't come up much my blog. we do celebrate christmas culturally. my grandfather was a vicar, actually, so we went to an episcopal church sometimes growing up. i have friends from all religions, as you say; as well as relatives in our family who are christian, jewish, hindu, etc.

    i love the community of a church--how all ages come together to sing and rejoice. so we wanted to take toby for easter this year so he could experience and enjoy that.

    but in the end, yes, i'm agnostic/atheist, and hope to raise toby to make his own choices, form his own beliefs and be very open minded and accepting of different religions and views.

    thanks for asking!!
    xoxo joanna

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  68. WHAT a cutie!! My 18-month-old was also confused by the concept until we acted like we were cleaning up. He actually put his first few eggs back where he found them.

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  69. This post was adorable! I love Toby's outfit... he is a stylin' little dude!

    Also, thanks for "coming out" atheist/agnostic because we are too and get a lot of judgement for it (we live in the midwest). A study my husband just read found that people subconsciously trust atheists less than they trust rapists. I think this is just appalling. Ugh. If only people knew how many of us there are out there who are not evil demons! Ha, ha! Anyway, thank you. Your blog is the bomb and so are you.

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  70. Gabby3:02 PM

    Pretty sure I subconsciously trust agnostics/atheists more!
    : ) but I get it about the community/fellowship of church. I personally love your answer and I knew I would!

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  71. Thanks for answering Joanna! I'm a born-again Christian and I feel the exact same way about respecting and honoring friends and family with different religious beliefs. Thanks for your honesty and great blog!

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  72. Such a little darling. This is cracking me up, Joanna!
    Happy Tuesday.
    Teresa
    xoxo

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  73. He is such a little cutie... love it!

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  74. Ha! When I read the title and saw the pic, I thought it was because the Easter egg hunt was on blacktop.

    LOVE his eyebrows and sneaks!

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  75. Awwwwwwwwwwwww, I read that another blogger had a young child and so they did a trial easter egg hunt the day before (or a few days) to teach him how to hunt for eggs. ;) Maybe next year little Toby! xoxo A-

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  76. LOL, he is so very sweet, so adorable and so funny.
    I am glad you got those photos ..

    My son hated Easter egg hunts.
    I don't know why but I think he was always afraid something was going to get him ...

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  77. Sorry to say, I think I can top Toby's sad egg hunt: my 4 year old is in a full leg cast (broke her leg), so she dragged herself around the lawn to find the eggs. We took a video, but I think I will only share it with her when she's older and thinks it's a little bit funny looking and sweet.
    -Martita

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  78. He looks terribly sweet here, despite his Easter egg hunt confusion!!

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  79. I was also curious about the church issue becasue I had never seen it on the blog- glad someone else asked, I was too chicken!

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  80. awwwwwww.... precious pictures! :)

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  81. he really has the sweetest little baby doll face of all time.

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  82. Aww that is so cute!! The title of this post really caught my attention! x

    Kate {Something Fabulous}
    http://thesomethingfabulous.blogspot.com

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  83. Laila4:08 PM

    awwwww my god, how cute is that ?! he is adorable, thx for sharing

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  84. Please tell me this separation anxiety ends. Someone. Please.

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  85. Oh ya.... those eyebrows totally make me giggle.

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  86. He is just so so adorable!

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  87. Toby looks more like you every time I see him. He's going to be a right little heartbreaker!

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  88. Oh. my. word. He is the cutest thing ever!

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  89. What a sweetheart :) I can totally relate to this post. My little guy will be 2 in May and we have many similar experiences. From the "major separation anxiety" to the not being into the egg hunt. Little boys are so sweet!

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  90. These photos are really cute!
    Your little boy is growing up so much!

    http://mykitschworld.blogspot.com.es/

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  91. He is so sweet!! Such a little man now.

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  92. Aww, little Toby! His eyebrows are very expressive!

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  93. aw! mama's little helper! I love it!

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  94. My son who is a little older than a year than Toby did not get the concept last year. This year I was amazed to watch him on the hunt for eggs. He was even racing other kids to get to an egg first. Its amazing how much can change in a short span of time.

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  95. awwww that face!!! How cute that he was up for it when he thought he was helping. You've taught him well!

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  96. bless his heart, what a cutie!

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  97. I love his shoes! What a cute little guy

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  98. martita, haha, that is hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time:)

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  99. Angelyn, haha, it might have been. and thanks, lauren and kelly for your comments xoxo

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  100. lol that is the best title EVER! oh, that face! poor little Toby. My daughter didn't really get the whole Easter egg hunt thing either. Maybe next year :)

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  101. Alright, Toby is hands down way too cute. Hahaa. Funny title too!

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  102. you have the cutest boy ever! love his expression in those photos!

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  103. Monica6:09 PM

    Sweet :)

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  104. He is precious! That crazy hair makes the shots even cuter.

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  105. Precious. He looks very confused/yet sad that you're not there! I had separation anxiety throughout kindergarten - Grade 2, only with my mom though. I guess I was a late bloomer in that sense! My Easter weekend was a part of Good Friday service, studying for final exams on Saturday, and Sunday church service and then a delicious meal at my longtime boyfriends grandparents house.

    I was a little surprised when you said you were agnostic/atheist, however I admire you for coming out and saying that on such a well-known blog, frequently viewed by probably slightly opinionated people. I visit your blog daily, and love the tips and the mixture of topics. Too many blogs focus too much on themselves (ie. weddings, babies, husband, etc), or too much on beauty (ie. I don't need that many reviews of a lipgloss), etc. I love your relationship posts, as well as your travel info and your tidbits about your life! I dream of one day living in NYC, and its great to see that normal people live there as opposed to just the rich and famous.

    Love, Caitlin

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  106. He's so handsome.

    www.therecordologist.blogspot.com

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  107. You go to church? Never thought so!

    He is too cute. My baby girl has got the same trainers
    As toby! (and bike helmet)

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  108. There should be a law against being that adorable!!!.....

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  109. haha he look so cute, i love the little ones on their first holidays!!

    http://gandacummings.blogspot.com

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  110. Haha, aw, so precious :)

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  111. Love your posts, Joanna! My boys are 20 months and at this weekend's egg hunt Theo (my eldest) reached for an egg the same time as another girl. She let him take the egg but the next 10 minutes was him following her trying to give the egg back!

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  112. Aww, what a sweetie! Happy Easter to you and your cute fam!
    Char xo
    www.itsacharmlife.blogspot.com

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  113. Heartbreaking-ly adorable. Sweet little mama's boy. xox

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  114. I love this! My daughter is 16 months old and my mom sort of "prepped" her for an easter egg hunt, meaning for the entire week before Easter while I was at work my mom would put a cheerio in an egg and hide them in the living room. We only did a hunt in our backyard on Easter but I think if she would have had to compete with other kids for the eggs it would have been game over. She really liked picking up the eggs when they were easily spotted but wasn't much into hunting them and quickly lost attention. Love your posts and stories!

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  115. He seriously has killer eyebrows. And that fuzzy hair wet down hair. Love!

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  116. Anonymous9:17 PM

    Your baby is sooooooo cute!!!!!!!!! Makes me want to have my own!

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  117. Where is his outfit from?? Loving those green shoes!

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  118. He just looks lost without you! SO adorable!

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  119. Anonymous10:20 PM

    The first thing I saw was Toby (so sweet) with one egg in his hand. He looks so sad, like he could be in a Dicken's novel: "Please sir, may I have some more" Then I read on to find out it wasn't the lack of eggs but the lack of mom!! Hope he brightened up later!

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  120. He is sooooo sweet and looks so much like you Jo!
    Ronnie xo

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  121. he looks just like you in these pictures! i also love "a portrait of courage"--so funny!

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  122. oh he is getting so big! adorable...

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  123. Aw, those pictures are just too cute! What really just kills me is he wanted to put the eggs away, haha! Adorable!

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  124. He is too cute! The phase is a killer one, sweet but so hard some days!
    http://knownitwasyou.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_10.html

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  125. Omg he is sooo cute!!!! this post just made me LOLed : )

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  127. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  128. thanks for the honesty and openness regarding the religion questions- a lot of people get very defensive/ offended and it's refreshing to hear someone being very upfront whilst accepting of others! :)

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  129. These pictures are absolutely adorable. I love that shirt Toby is wearing too. I don't have any little ones yet, but we did the easter egg hunt thing with my nieces and nephews. It was so fun to watch them running around like mad collecting all the eggs, and so hard to snap any pictures of them! Holidays are the best when spent with kids, a great excuse to re-live the fun and excitement.

    allison

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  130. He's getting so big and handsome!

    www.granola-ish.blogspot.com

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  131. Toby looks like Nick in these pictures :)

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  132. Oh Toby, it gets better sweetheart!
    Israel did not like the Easter egg hunt but this year was a little better. He still didn't rush the field of eggs but by the end he was pretty proud of the basket he (we) filled with eggs.

    Here's to next year Toby, for you & Israel!

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    Cute Toby! I want to adopt him. Thanks so much.

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  134. Anonymous5:17 PM

    Joanna -

    I can't tell you how much I love hearing that you are agnostic/athiest. LOVE. I'm an in-the-closet athiest so it's nice to see that there are others! :) I just listened to this podcast: the Hooray-theists. You might enjoy it, too! :) Thanks for being so honest! --Megan

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  135. Poor Toby, he is soo cute. I think as a child I used to have separation anxiety from my mom too. She instilled tough love on me, and left me alone more often as I got older...I turned out okay! I mean I went away for uni, and my MA so? That's one way to deal. I'm sure he will grow out of it regardless though. :)

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  136. Poor Toby, he is soo cute. I think as a child I used to have separation anxiety from my mom too. She instilled tough love on me, and left me alone more often as I got older...I turned out okay! I mean I went away for uni, and my MA so? That's one way to deal. I'm sure he will grow out of it regardless though. :)

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