[I'm still having some layout issues so bear with me while I get them worked out. Things still look a little wonky!] Ok, Easter recap...here we go!
All three kids woke up to find Easter baskets from the Easter bunny. Along with a bunch of candy, Wyatt got tickets to a basketball game, Anna got some new ponytail holders and a Vera Bradley jewelry bag, and Katie bug got a teething toy, bath toy, and a new pair of jammies.
We had a terrific Easter Sunday, even if the morning did start out a bit stressful. Doc and I were scheduled to play handbells during church that morning (with 5 others). We were losing sleep over this performance because A) we'd just gotten the music the Sunday before, B) the tempo was really fast and it was all eighth notes, and C) we were accompanying the choir (which is always hard because you have to stay with them if they speed up or slow down). We had to get to church really early to practice and after about thirty minutes, felt like we were ready. 15 minutes before church started we were finally able to practice with the choir one more time and we had probably our best ever run-through of the song. We were ready!
And then the actual performance happened. We started out fine. I could tell after the first page we were starting to drag so I was watching the choir director like crazy. Our bell tables were up in the choir loft so we were staggered into three rows. I was watching the director to make sure I was on beat when all of a sudden the girl behind me rang her bell too hard and completely knocked her music folder over. The folder flew off the table and slammed into the back of the girl standing beside me and then landed on the ground right behind my feet. Holy crap! I thought for sure we would just stop but the choir director didn't even notice we had a music stand down. It was a train wreck, to say the least. But, the music folder was picked up, we pulled it back together and we finished strong. That's all that matters, right?
The rest of the service was great. Our preacher always does a good job with his sermons and I really enjoyed all the music too!
Per tradition, we gathered over at my mom's house after church for a big feast and an egg hunt. I told our kids they weren't allowed to change out of their clothes until after I'd taken pictures of them. Surprisingly, they were really good sports about pictures and I managed to get some decent ones!
Wyatt - 13, Anna - 12, and Katie Wynn - 6 months. I think this one will be going in a frame.
Our whole family.
Jett (7) and Bren (4) are at ages where they're really easy and fun to photograph. They know how to both look at the camera and smile. I loved all the colors in their clothes!
Parker (4) and Ramer (1.5) are still a little hard to get smiles from at the same time. This was about the best I could do!
Obligatory shots of Katie Wynn. My mom made her Easter dress (in less than a week!) and I thought she looked precious in it. I specifically requested something without bunnies and/or eggs so that she could wear it past Easter.
I knew Mom would want a picture of all her grandchildren, so we rounded them up. It was a miracle that we actually got more than one picture with all seven sets of eyes open and pleasant faces!
We yanked the pacis from the babies but were starting to lose everyone's attention.
We were lucky to have my friend Emily and her family join us for lunch too. I am totally kicking myself for not getting any pictures of the twins. They also had on cute little outfits that my mom had made for them and they were precious! It was a big day for them as they attended church for the first time. Alice was also adorable in her Easter dress.
All the kids did a decent job of gobbling up their lunch so that they could hunt eggs. We had a pretty wide age range so we had two separate egg hunts. The first one was out on the screened-in patio for the two littlest hunters (Ramer and Alice). Alice was a model Easter egg hunter: quiet and calm and walked to each egg she found and carefully put it in her basket.
Sweet Alice kept us laughing the whole afternoon. She kept calling Parker "Partner" and when her Daddy told her to help Ramer find eggs she'd say, "Armer! Over here Armer!"
Ramer, or "Armer," didn't quite know what to do at first, so Jett helped him out.
He got the hang of it soon enough though! He liked dropping the eggs into his basket. (Check out those chubby baby fingers! Couldn't you just gobble them up?!)
We used the whole upstairs of my mom's house for the big kids' egg hunt. Eggs were hiding in every room, and there were a ton of them! I tried to snap a few pics but they all flew past me too fast for my camera to catch them.
Poor Katie Wynn just slept through the whole thing. Mimi bought her a little lamb since she couldn't hunt eggs. (Please excuse the fact that my white balance is way off in this pic. I don't have time to fix it right now...I promise they aren't that yellow in real life.)
Bren and Parker (also not this yellow in real life) were pleased with their baskets full of eggs.
The kids all gathered in the playroom to empty their eggs and count their loot.
Then it was time to head outside for the big celebration! Just like in years past, I had gotten some cascarones so we could have a confetti party and all have good luck! We had three dozen eggs to smash so I told each kid they could start with two - one to crack over their own head and one to give someone else good luck. By the time it was over, we were all covered in confetti!
Katie Wynn's big brother and sister made sure she would have lots of good luck!
It doesn't matter how many times you say "be gentle," a seven-year-old will only hear "smash eggs on head" and take advantage of it, even nailing his own mom!
Katie Wynn and her confetti yarmulke. (I really wish I had taken off her bib!)
I started blowing the confetti off KW's head and she thought that was pretty funny. Love those pale white chunky legs!
Even after all the confetti eggs, there was still more celebrating to do! My sister-in-law Erin has a birthday this week so we had cupcakes and sang to her. She tried to get Ramer to help her blow out her candle...
...but his big brother jumped in and beat him to it!
After we ate cake and Erin opened all her gifts, we started going our separate ways. It was a really good, jam-packed day! Hope yours was just as fun-filled as ours!