Easter fun 2018.

We really love holidays around here. The anticipation, build up, traditions, food and festivities make all of us get so excited. All 5 of us agree that Thanksgiving weekend is truly our favorite weekend of the year. There is so much celebration and tradition we really love. But an easy 2nd? Easter. Hands down. It's once again the traditions that we've all come to love. We remember year after year which egg hunt was hardest, who liked coloring eggs, what candy the kids received and how fun it is to spend time together as a family. So, here's a recap of our 2nd favorite weekend of the year!

We headed down to the "horsey" house as it's been nicknamed for a day with Grandpa and Grandma Vance. Our usual routine is to head down after breakfast, relax and play and then do an outdoor egg hunt in the afternoon. We don't do or ever enjoy large, public egg hunts. It's crowded, people are mean and crazy and you end up with 2 eggs after all that hard work. At home Grandma methodically fills each egg with each kids favorite candy/trail mix/marshmallow/treat and then color codes them (genius!) so they can be hidden at just the right difficulty level for each age.

 Thank goodness the sun came out - it was a beautiful day to play outside!

 We headed back in to see the special treats. And Simon wasted no time shoving his mouth full of marshmallows and M&Ms. I'm pretty sure he learned it from his big sister who was caught doing the exact same thing!

 Uncle Adam came down to watch too, which is always a fun treat. The kids got to open special cards from him too.

 And then the simple scavenger hunt for 1 more little gift from Grandma.

 The kids each shrieked at opening their gifts! I really wish I had it on video because Simon tore open the tiniest corner of his baseball bases box and shouted, "oh my gosh! Baseball!" Carter was SO excited to get football receiver gloves he barely took them off the rest of the day (and wore them to school this morning too!) and Lucy squealed and screamed at her new hatchimals set. So fun!

 Then it was time for the egg dying. Simon did pretty great considering he's a curious toddler. Carter did his usual primary colors for each egg and walked away. And Lucy kept her tradition alive with mixing and changing each and every egg to discover new colors. She's always been the patient one in the group!

 And finished! So pretty!

 We headed home after a delicious dinner to get ready for Easter morning. We actually like the simplicity of Easter morning. It's just our family all day, super simple baskets, church and then a relaxing afternoon. Simon dove right into his chocolate bunny the minute he woke up.

 Happy Kids! New books, new diving toys for the pool and tickets to see Rapunzel at the local theatre.

 Dressed and ready for church!

 I put Simon down for a nap after church and sent the big kids upstairs for some quiet time. Lucy crashed in bed for a well deserved nap.

 And since it's Easter in the PNW the weather took a turn for the worse which meant an indoor egg hunt. The kids didn't seem to mind too much though.

 We ended the day with a quick trip to the grocery store (not festive but needed) and Lucy FINALLY lost her first tooth while munching on an apple as we shopped. That little tooth had been hanging on for over a month while the adult tooth pushed through. Thank goodness it's finally gone!

 Dinner was rosemary pork chops with a roasted grape and red onion sauce over a bed of arugula and a side of sweet potato apple hash. So good! I'd say this 2nd favorite weekend turned out to be pretty wonderful. Happy Easter!