Easter Week

We had a fun and exciting Easter weekend.  Easter week, actually.  It started the weekend before with a hunt at our friends' house.  Thank you to Jennifer, Luke, Andrew, and Grant Basey for hosting us.  As always, your home is lovely and we had a fabulous time. 

The boys had so much fun with their ginormous Easter baskets.  Yes, they're huge (purchased at PBkids online for a steal and a bit of a pain in the neck ***Remember, Barrett? :)***), but they had a blast dragging them around and hunting for eggs.  Zach's at that cute age where he would pick up an egg, open it, determine whether the contents were good enough to eat, and then eat it (or not) before moving on to the next.  Makes for a long session of hunting, but quite a few cute pics...

Then Luke had his school party and hunt on Wednesday.  I offered to bring the dessert since I felt the need to fulfill my bunny cake obligation.  Huh, what, you ask?  You see, the Easter after Luke was born I bought a bunny mold pan from Williams-Sonoma and decided it would be a fun tradition to make it every year.  I had already decided that I definitely didn't want to spoil my kids, but still wanted to provide that whimsy and magic that is so important in childhood.  This seemed to fit the bill.  However, I have a love/hate relationship with Williams-Sonoma:  I love their stuff (really, if I could I would scoop up every cake pan, off set spatula, and candle they own), but I hate that I then feel compelled to stay up late making the silly cakes.  Actually, if you know me well enough, you know I sort of geek out and enjoy this sort of thing. :)  I really wanted to do something different and cover the cake with chocolate ganache to replicate a traditional hollow chocolate bunny, but Luke insisted on the iced version.  This was definitely one of those pick your battle moments, so the bunny was iced.  Not with the delicious and oh-so-time-consuming-made-from-scratch butter cream icing that was supposed to be made, but rather the boring old store bought variety.  I do have my limits.  Mr. Sonoma would be so disappointed, I'm sure.  I actually struggled a bit with getting my tips to create the perfect bunny fur tufts, and I have to admit that bunny heard more curse words by 1am than any innocent bunny should have to hear, but I think it turned out just fine...

Yes, I'm a dork and had to take him outside to be photographed. :)

Two things occurred that made it all worth my time and effort:  The entire morning before the party as I was making the final touches, Zach kept pointing to the cake and practically screeching with delight, "Bunny rabbit, bunny rabbit!" and "See, see!" (which means pick me up and get me closer so I can see it, Mom!). Then after trying to explain to him that it was also a cake (what was I thinking?), it was, "Bunny rabbit!  Cake!  Bunny rabbit!  Cake!".  The second was at school when the kids asked where the bunny cake came from and Luke replied proudly, "We brought it!". 

Magic and whimsy.

There's just something a little disturbing about this one.  No?

Zach with Luke's teacher, Ms. Kendall.  We like her a lot.

                                           ^^^ Luke with his big ol' basket.  I think he could fit in it. 

By the way, notice that ALL of Luke's classmates are boys.  Don't you feel a little sorry for Ms. Kendall?  I'm not sure how she does it.

After the party, we headed out to the playground for an egg hunt.  The eggs were filled with little trinkets and not candy or snacks which kind of messed up Zach's game plan of stopping after each found egg to eat...

But he quickly got over it...

The future's so bright...

...you gotta wear shades...upside down.

The Friday before Easter we packed up the Sequoia and headed to Bardwell to visit Steve's mom, sister, brother, brother-in-law, and nephews.  This trip was long overdue and the boys were very excited about the prospect of another egg hunt, fishing, and the pool table at Aunt Sandra's house.  The visit did not disappoint.  As always we ate tons of great food, laughed a lot, and enjoyed the company.  And as always my camera spent too much time packed away in its case and not enough time snapping photos.  Though I did manage to take a few...

A budding musician, perhaps?

I'm not sure why,but I love this one.  Like he's walking down a country road by himself...

The boys loved Uncle David's cows...

While Zach napped (poor little guy missed out on the BIG fun), David took Luke on a tractor ride to his pond which was well stocked with catfish, blue-gilled something or others, and bass maybe?  Can you tell I'm not really up on my fish?  Anyway, I missed it while at home with Zach, but Luke caught a fish!  Well, I'm sure Luke stood their while Uncle David cast the line and pulled it back in, but whatever.  The boy was proud. 

Here's a picture taken from David's camera phone since the family photographer (me) was busy...

The bluebonnets didn't have a good year here due to all the rain, but we did manage to find a small patch...

Let's just say overexcited boy with no nap + mom asking for bluebonnet pictures = boy making nasty pig face.

We then headed over to Aunt Sandra's for an egg hunt.  Yes, this would be Egg Hunt #3 and it wasn't even the day of Easter yet!  And we had even missed our playgroup's and city of Georgetown's this year!  Geesh!  Lucky kids.

It was a fun trip and sad to leave, but we still had to get home to prepare for our own Easter.  We arrived home late and while I played Easter Bunny, Steve went to HEB to stock up since they were to be closed the next day.  I don't know why, but it always freaks me out when I hear they're going to be closed.  Like, how will I manage if I decide we need to make guacamole?  Or, what on earth will I do if I find we're running low on olive oil?  Anyway, I sent him with a very specific list as he's not really familiar with grocery shopping these days.  Two of the items were ONE DOZEN HEB CAGE-FREE EGGS (the ones I buy every week and he sees them in the fridge every day) and ONE DOZEN REGULAR EGGS (to dye with the boys in the morning).  What did he come home with?  ONE DOZEN FANCY SCHMANCY CENTRAL MARKET ORGANIC EGGS!  Yeah, the ones that cost twice as much as the ones I usually buy and four times as much as the regular ones...and they're brown (less than ideal for dying)!  I buy a lot of organics, but not eggs.  He also brought home a bunch of other "extras" like canned biscuits, a packet of gravy mix, and frozen pies.  Seriously, I love that man more than words can describe, but Steve, if you're reading this, you are banned from HEB until further notice. 

Can you say, "Off subject!"?  Back to Easter...

The Easter Bunny had already shopped at the dollar store and stocked their basket full of junky well-made items including sidewalk chalk, pinwheels, buckets, shovels, bubbles, and the like.  Anyone else sick of these overgrown rabbits, fairies, and old big-bellied men in red suits getting the credit for all of hard work? What a crock.  We placed their baskets on the front porch (I wasn't sure how to handle the inevitable How did the bunny get in our house? questions), and the boys were ecstatic to find their goodies the next day...

After their nap, Grandpa Tom came over for Hunt #4.  I think even they boys were looking a little hunted out at this point. 

Okay, not quite. 

Zach was happy to resume his open one, eat its contents routine.

Their eggs were filled with pretzels, goldfish crackers, and trinkets.  That's right, we had another no-candy Easter and not one complaint.  I am completely aware that there will come a time when this will no longer work, but until then, why not?  It makes me smile.

How's the parenting class going?  And the book?  And the first week's assignment?  The assignment that warned would be harder than it sounded, but which I quickly p'shawed thinking I could handle it with no problems?  That one?  Drats!  Those PhD authors were right.  I hate that.  Let's just say I tend to my children regularly, one could say all. the. time., but attending was harder than it sounded.  More on that later.  But in all honesty it is going very well.  I'm feeling better already.  And just in case I seemed overly dramatic in my last post, I should clarify that I know kids go through phases of misbehaving and lying, but believe me when I say that phase needed to be nipped.  As in nipped in the bud.  Steve and I have been using "nipped" a lot.  It's a great term when parenting the boys.  "That needs to be nipped."... "Steve, please go nip that."...  "Nip it!". 

Okay, I think it's time to nip this post.

xo,

Jess

PS-  I just reread my last post for the first time and have decided two things:  One, I should not post recipes on this blog.  What a snooze fest!  I mean really, who do I think I am?  Ina? No.  Giada?  Certainly not, though Steve probably wishes.  Rachel?  I hope not. :)  And two, my camera is FANTASTIC, but my photography skills are lacking.  Big time.  Maybe it's time to take a class.  Or maybe I should start by reading my manual?