On Saturday we painting eggs, which was a bit of a gong show. The kids grandparents came up so there were 9 of us all gathered around the table trying to watch eggs turn colors whilst keeping the baby from pawing everything she could get her hands on. (In order to get a half decent picture of Silas (right), I had to tell him a joke. This picture is of him trying really hard to guess the punch line while chewing a giant wad of gum).
The next morning, on my way back from my run, I "discovered" that that sneaky Easter bunny had hid eggs in our hay bales and abandoned bulldozer. So naturally I had to rush home and tell the kids!
It was Meredith's first real Easter. When she got the hay bales we had to show her what she was supposed to do, and then when she would find a candy stuffed plastic egg, she would be so preoccupied with trying to get the thing open and devour the innards, that she quit searching for any more! We made the older kids put a few of theirs back down low so Meredith got a chance to actually find something.
Funny thing about hay bales, there are a lot of nooks and crannys to hide eggs! And if you run out of places you can just burrow a little hole in the bale to squish an egg into.
Egg hunter extraordinaire.
Silas finally cracking a smile for me.
We do Easter a little bit differently than some families. The kids spend an afternoon building "nests" for the Easter bunny to lay his(her?) eggs in. This year 4 little straw and stick nests were hidden behind the lilac bushes behind the house. Also, Oliver was so excited, he figured the Easter bunny had taken a bite out of some of his chocolate before he left and we had to explain to him that the Easter bunny didn't do that and it was probably a mouse.... Initially we were worried about the dogs finding the nests and eating it all.
To avoid making Easter ALL about the candy as well, we try to limit the candy given and substitute with presents, usually an activity-based toy and a new spring outfit. Silas got a paper plane building kit, Isabella got a card making kit, and Ollie got a clay creations kit. That way the Easter fun doesn't run out as soon as the candy is all gone.
In addition to all this nuttyness, we have had 4 birthdays within the last month! Silas' birthday is tomorrow, day after Easter, and then the next day we are having a bit of a birthday part for him and inviting some of the neighbor kids over. Its like the candy/chocolate/cake madness never ends!
No wonder I'm not losing any weight....
More things I have learned since moving to the ranch.
21) Bulls will smash a window if they see their reflection and feel threatened by it...
22) Sink holes in the driveway transform everyday trips into an adventure!
Now I want some mini eggs :'(
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