Day after Hunt

     Six months ago I came clean about Santa and all other fictionalized house visitors, including the Easter Bunny. It was liberating and the children took it surprisingly well. The older three boys already didn't believe and the younger two weren't old enough to really care, so the only bubble I was afraid of popping was Ruth's. I explained that we can still have presents and egg hunts, we will just know that it is mom and dad instead of magical characters that come to our home. She contemplated the ramifications of this revelation and decided that that was OK. 

     In light of our new family honesty, I decided that our egg hunt would be held the day AFTER Easter when candy was 50% off. Twice the candy. Instead, I gave them more spiritual gifts on Easter Sunday and saved the hunt till the next day.  We had been doing it the Saturday before Easter for a few years anyway since, "he doesn't work on Sundays." 

      I had David help me stuff eggs with candy and the older three boys hid the candy for the younger three in the back yard. Zach and I hid the more tricky eggs in the front yard so that the Gabe, David, and Mac could still participate. Two thumbs up for this tradition. 

Easter egg dance 

Almost!

sampling 

All my bunnies

Egg Dying with Dad

Spending some one-on-one time with Dad on Easter just to check in and see how they are doing. (They each dyed four eggs then switched, but some how I must have missed David- Opps! Sorry David.) I'm glad Zach has started this tradition. 

Nursery Girl

           Some children have a problem going into nursery when they turn 18 months old. That has not been our challenge so far. As the youngest of six kids this little cupcake won't be bossed around. Watch out world, here comes sassy-pants. No three year old is going to intimidate her. She went in beautifully and didn't have any trouble the following week either. Her vocabulary is slowly expanding still but she loves to do the motions to the "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", read books in our favorite chair, throw the ball for Clarence,  climb up to the top bunk, play chase-and- tickle, and jump on the newly-recovered trampoline. As Ruth would say, "she's so toddly".  I cherish this age.

Deja vu

Deja vu. I feel like I've done this before. Not just bath time with these two little ones, but with another set that look so similar. Rewind the clock about four years and it was a different chubby-cheek blondie with a sweet sandy haired little girl about two years apart in age. I'm happy for the do-over. 

Boy Scout Model

      A few months ago our neighbor, who is a professional sculpture, asked Gabe if he would be willing to be a model for a boy scout sculpture he was commissioned to create. He paid Gabe $40 to come over on two separate occasions for 20 minutes each to snap some shots of him in his uniform. Easiest money Gabe's ever made. When he was all through with the sculpture but before it was sent off to be cast in metal, he kindly invited our family over to see his work. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. Not that the the statue isn't lovely, it is, only it looks nothing like Gabe. I suppose he just wanted to get the general proportions right. A neat experience for Gabe none the less. My child, the professional model. Never thought I'd say those words.