Easter Festivities

I feel like I’m repeating myself every year when I say that Easter is still kind of a new experience for me.  Since I never had Easter growing up with the exception of an egg-dying tradition at the neighbors’ house (holla Kaisers!), I still find myself hodgepodging it when the season rolls around.  The kids are just old enough to somewhat grasp Easter’s true significance, and they are just old enough to dye their own eggs without much assistance, and they are even just about old enough to eat a full Easter basket worth of candy in one day.  In other words, I guess you could say that we’re starting to settle in to our own version of Easter, more and more each year.

So, this year we continued the egg dying tradition since it was such a hit in previous years (see 2011 and 2010).

 

Bella spent about as much time singing Adele as she did dying her eggs. 

 

Ariana took her egg-dye duties very seriously this year, and even insisted in cleaning up her own spills.

 

We went to church dressed in Sunday best.  I think we even made it on time, which is an Easter miracle in and of itself.  The kids sat still (almost) throughout the duration of the services, entertained by the music and the little boy in the pew behind us who made them a whole family of origami birds, complete with a nest.

  

When we got home, my sister Marci was already waiting for us to begin the festivities.  Jake brought out his video camera and even the tripod so he could film the hunt.  Although their baskets had already been discovered and they were full of the plastic, candy-filled eggs and Cadbury Creams, the kids are still at that beautiful age where it’s an awesome time to hunt for dyed hard-boiled eggs in the front yard lawn.

Bella was looking for quality over quantity.  Forbid it be that an egg had runs in the dye from the sprinkler or a crack in it!  Gabe and Ari were not quite so picky.

  

Aunt Marci helped not-so-little Ariana excitedly hunt for her share of the 30 dyed eggs in our overgrown grass (promise the grass doesn’t always look like this).  She had to chuck the designer heels aside, because trust me on this; while Ari may look like an Easter Peep, she definitely doesn’t feel like one.

  

Gabe ate more hard boiled eggs in one sitting than I ever imagined he could… we’re talking six or seven.  Actually, they all were putting them away like crazy.  You would’ve thought those eggs had cream-filled centers.  So, we just made that lunch.  Eggs, string cheese, and strawberries picnic-style on the lawn.

  

Little Isabella has a bona fide sweet tooth that she inherited from the Taylor side of the family.

   

It was lunch and a show.  I think my kids’ Daddy is the coolest.  I mean, really, can your dad do this?

 

At naptime, Marci and I prepared the dinner, which this year consisted of ham and brie on rolls, asparagus, deviled eggs, roasted red potatoes, couscous with leeks, beet and cabbage salads, with cake and mint ice cream for dessert.  I always forget my camera when the food comes out, so you won’t hardly ever see a photo of us eating.  Come to think of it, I always forget almost everything when the food comes out.

I have to say, that for a newbie, I think I still managed to accomplish my goal for the day.  That goal being just to make it meaningful, to make it memorable, and to make it special.  I knew that I had hit my mark when hubby thanked me and told me what a great day it was… and then when I had three (okay, two) littles asking me every morning for the next week if it could be Easter again.