Our Easter

This Easter marks what could be the last occasion when all four of our children hunt eggs together. Wow. Our tradition is that each child has eggs with their initial on them and they can only find their own eggs. And we hide ALOT of them! I like the egg hunt to take a long time and we like to really enjoy the chocolate holiday. After all, it's a long time until Halloween! We topped out at 40 plastic eggs per kid this year. A group decision was made to ix-nay the 10 coin eggs each this year (tiny eggs that used to have coins in them - the first year, after finding all of his Gib,about 4 yrs old, announced "I'm filthy rich!"). Instead, we upped the ante in the Dollar Egg - which over the years has seen an inflation in value from $1, to a $5 to this year, a $10 bill in it. I figured it was easier than cashing out the coins later anyways, and as usual, Taryn came up short on the egg count by 4 eggs. So we raided her coin eggs to bring her up to 40. Somehow, Mariah put 41 in Indy's pile and that made for an interesting egg hunt moment when everyone tried to find their 41st eggs and couldn't! Mariah came up with a good save and said Indy must have gotten an extra since it was her last egg hunt before college!

Most of these plastic eggs have been with us for years and years. The dollar egg, for example is see through on one side, so everyone knows to keep a special eye out for it, and that it will be in an especially clever hiding spot - the older you are the greater the difficulty as well. My favorite egg is an ugly one...it's a light blue egg that says "Gib" in red sharpie. I don't particularly care for it, but he got it in kindergarten and that makes it special. Over time, some have broken, been stepped on, lost, or I just found some prettier ones and replaced or added to our stash. One year, I was crafty and bought camouflaged eggs that came in pink cammie and army green cammie - let me tell you, the green ones are not easy to find when the eggs are hidden outdoors! We have lost all but two of those! Then there's the kid (ahem - Taryn) who always seems to come up an egg or two short no matter how hard we look! We don't know what it is, but hers are jinxed!

I share all this because when my mom and I were cleaning up on Monday and putting away the baskets and eggs, I realized that if I put Indy's eggs back in the bag, I would have an even bigger "moment" next year than I was having just then when I had to separate hers out since she wouldn't be with us for Easter and the Egg Hunt. I wasn't sure what to do with them - I couldn't throw them out though! I mean some of these tacky, ugly eggs have been Indy's for years! And next year, will be Taryn's last egg hunt as well. Next thing you know, we'll be down to just two kids.

Hmmm....maybe I will just double their booty and let them hunt 100 eggs to make up for it! I know they won't mind if I give them their sisters Orange Crush too!

Well - here's our Easter in photos:

Before the devouring masses descend upon their baskets

I've noticed as they've grown, they have completely

outgrown their baskets!

(see the pile of egg-hunting baskets as well?)

Ready and Rarin' to Go!
Checking out to see what old favorites
are in the baskets and what the new
stuff will be enjoyed this year -
The giant Reese's Eggs were a hit!

Just so you know...
Gib ate his Giant Reese's all at once
Indy got out a calculator and figured
his calorie consumption and fat grams
for him. Gib just shrugged.

Some Bunny hid short people's
eggs up high.
High Entertainment watching the kids
go crazy looking for their eggs in all the
wrong places

Wherever two are gathered
eggs are likely hidden

Indy's $10 egg hiding spot
It wasn't easy to get it in there

As a matter of fact, it kinda fell down inside
so I left it there
And a crowd gathers to watch Indy try to figure out
how to get her money egg


Success!

And thus ends our Easter 2009.