Ree Drummond Hosted the Kids for a Big Easter Weekend on the Ranch

Well, hello Sofia Marie Scott! Sofia and her parents arrived Wednesday night, so we got to have a nice long weekend together. Sofia had changed so much since I last saw her almost a month earlier . . . and by the way, a month is way too long and I'm never doing that again!!

Paige gets to see Sofia more often than I do since she spends part of her time in Dallas, but she still can't get enough of her. She was working cattle Thursday morning, so she stopped in to see her favorite niece when she had a break. Sofia has discovered her hands!

Did I mention Paige can't get enough of Sofia? I can relate! Poor baby has no personal space, haha. Incidentally, Paige isn't in a hurry to have babies of her own; she and David are just looking forward to living in the same place after they get married!

Later in the day, since I had both Alex and Paige home, I tried on a handful of potential mother-of-the-bride dress contenders. I got Sofia, Paige, Alex, and my sister Betsy to weigh in on their top choice. I think we have a winner, though I reserve the right to change my mind at the last minute as I did at Alex's wedding!

Betsy was in town from Seattle, so she and my mom came over together to see the baby. They are both as obsessed with Sofia as I am, so they loved getting to snuggle with her and sniff her head. Sniffing babies' heads runs in my family! (Why is that such a thing?)

Sofia loves her pacifier. I told Alex I tried so hard with all four of my babies to get them to take a pacifier and none of them would. I know there are differing opinions and ideas about them, but I say do what works . . . and for Sofia, it works! She's such a snuggly pookie-head. My favorite moments over the weekend were these.

Mornings were fun over the weekend because Ladd, Paige, and the rest of the kids went to work cattle while Alex and I got to hang with Sofia. Ladd would come in anytime he got a break and tickle her, which is basically what he does with me every day of his life. Get used to it, Sofia!

It honestly doesn't feel like that long ago that I had my own babies. Todd is about to turn twenty-one, so it isn't like it's been decades and decades since I've done this. Everything is so wonderful and familiar, but it's like it's on a deeper level somehow. My child had a child, so it's a profound set of emotions. May these dimpled knuckles and rubber band wrists never go away!

I can't express to you how strikingly similar Sofia looks to how Alex looked at her age. It is uncanny. In addition to that, Sofia has the exact personality/temperament Alex had as a baby: Serious, observant, focused. How can a baby mirror her parent so closely both in appearance and personality? It's just a mystery and a miracle.

We were so glad David, Paige's husband-to-be, joined us for the weekend. He and Paige are getting so excited about their wedding next month. So far I'm feeling calm, cool, and collected! (Remind me I said this in about three weeks!)

I'm in disbelief that time has moved so quickly since their engagement last August, and I'm excited about another wedding on the ranch! (Again, remind me that I said this in about three weeks...)

We all went to church (in the same church the kids have always gone throughout their childhood) and Sofia didn't disappoint! Alex, Mauricio, and Sofia sat a couple of rows in front of us because they arrived a few minutes late (imagine that! With a baby! Haha.) so I got to stare at her the whole time.

Yes, I still get the grown kids easter baskets (personalized totes this year! These are from L.L. Bean and my friend Haley got them personalized for me locally), but theirs were slightly overshadowed Sofia's pile. 😊 It's my first grandchild, okay? I didn't know how to ease my way into this!!

The OKC Thunder played right after church, so we went back and forth from the kitchen to the living room to check on the score! The kids were all excited for the post-lunch Easter egg hunt that's become a tradition around here, and which has gotten more interesting as the kids have gotten older (and bigger!)

Again, I didn't know how to ease my way into this! Actually, the big bunny was for Sofia and the small pink bunny blanket she's holding is hers, too, but I got Alex, Paige, and my niece Halle lavender-filled bunnies just for fun. They smell so good! I ordered them from Lavender Life Company, such sweet bunnies.

You never know what item, if any, is going to become a baby's preferred blankie, or wubbie, or whatever each family calls the security blanket or item . . . but I'm hoping this one is a contender!

As late as the middle of last week, we had planned an elaborate spread of tenderloin, a bunch of sides, and some salads and desserts. By Saturday we'd waved the white flag and all voted for biscuits and gravy, which proved to be a winning game-time decision. We've all been busy and this was exactly what the week warranted.

I've taken so many pics of my Eater brunch plate through the years, and I don't think it's ever quite looked like this, haha! This might become an Easter tradition for us . . . maybe an every-other-year one?

Aunt Paige was making the most of her remaining time with Sofia. I think they were watching TikTok videos here. 😂 Don't tell Alex!

Eventually, Paige and Sofia's parents headed over to the poker game and Aunt Missy took over, and it reminded me how absolutely magical Missy has always been with babies. They just snuggle in and zonk out, every single time. Don't hand her your baby if you don't want them to nap!