Happy Easter!

Easter, like many other “minor” holidays, has been in flux a bit over the past few years as the kids grow up.  Easter baskets are harder to fill as the kids lose interest in tchotchkes and really just want candy.   This year I didn’t add jelly beans because I didn’t get around to buying them, and when I asked the kids if they noticed anything missing they said, “Yeah, there were no jelly beans. Just like last year.”  Oops.  Good thing we already ate a bag of jelly beans earlier this month!  :)

Both kids were indecisive about coloring eggs this year, so we bought one box of dye and a dozen eggs and I got things started yesterday.  They halfheartedly joined in and colored a few eggs each.  I did most of them.  This morning I hid the eggs outside while they were playing MInecraft, then made them turn off the computers and go outside to find them.  That turned in to a lot of fun, with many rounds of hiding and finding.  The sky was threatening the whole time, but the rain held off.

And they’re off!

Alan joined in on the fun too!

We had lots of places to hide eggs, and a variety of boundaries.

Do you see the green egg?

This one is my favorite picture. The trees are blossoming! I can’t wait to find out what these flowers are going to be!

Hunting for Easter Eggs in a construction zone! Not the safest of ideas, but we had fun.

The final round was down in the pit. The kids each found six eggs, so they decided to rock/paper/scissors for a winner. :)

Can you guess who won?

Now we’re going to settle down for some dinner and a Spider-Man movie.  Very traditional celebrations around here.  :)

On a tangentially related topic, I’ve been thinking a lot about Grandpa and Grandma this week.  It started when I drove by a cute house in the neighborhood with colorful eggs hanging from a small tree and a cute Easter wreath on the door.  It made me think of a grandma house.  Later in the week I stood behind an elderly man at the grocery store with a cart full of Easter candy and small toys.  I guessed he had grandchildren coming and baskets to fill.  I was reminded of our visits to Grandpa’s house and all of Grandma’s little decorations, several of which I have now, but it’s not the same.  We were there one year when the kids were small and Grandpa and Grandma hid so many eggs and filled them with so much candy that both of the kids threw up!  It wasn’t funny at the time, but it sure is now.  And long, long ago wearing Easter dresses and hunting for eggs in the park in Northport.  For some reason Easter in my head is a grandma holiday.  Or just an excuse to eat candy and play hide and seek with colorful eggs.

(Apologies for my lack of religiousness in this post.  I know Easter has a much bigger meaning that chocolate and eggs, but that’s how we celebrate around here.)

Walking

We are on school vacation this week and Eve has been happily accompanying me on daily walks around town.  She is pretty amazing at keeping up a running monologue for an hour and half each day!

The other day, after severe rains, we were out checking out the water levels.  One guy had his driveway completely washed out!  He had a board propped over the ditch so he could walk from his driveway to the road, but he couldn’t get his car out!  (We passed by the next day and he had fixed it, don’t worry!)  We also saw the Dothan Brook, usually just a small babbling brook, now a rushing river!

Eve also tried to save the earthworms that were scattered about the street and bike path.  Fortunately that effort didn’t last too long.  There were A LOT of earthworms!

I love this time I get to spend with her. When we’re out walking I’m able to mentally just be with her and not be distracted by all the things I should be doing around the house.  She still has ridiculous life plans, but she is so happy to tell me all about them and I love to hear her enthusiasm for life and all creatures big and small.  I’m lucky to be her momma and so lucky that she likes spending time with me.  <3

TEDx

This past weekend we went to a TEDx event hosted by Dartmouth College.  It was really cool!  The topic was “Living Bridges” with the the morning being dedicated to defining the problems and the afternoon focused on finding solutions.  We dragged the kids along, with the promise that we could leave at lunch time if they were bored.  They were bored, though I’m sure they learned a few things as well, even though they’ll never admit it!

I didn’t realize until just now, when I was finding the URL to link to, that they do this every year.  We’ll have to go again next year too!  Maybe we can get the kids to stay a little longer. :)