Easter Blessings

The Easter Bunny preparations began last night after Carl and the girls came home from Easter Vigil Mass. The holiest night of the year also comes with the longest Mass of the year. Because of this, and the late start time, Claire and I stayed back so she could go to sleep at a decent time.

The girls decided the bunny would probably need a midnight snack to keep his energy level up for his long night of hopping and delivering. Ella decided that lettuce and carrots should do the trick (very appropriate).

So we left the snack right next to the empty Easter baskets by the back door, in hopes the snack would inspire the bunny to leave a plethora of yummy chocolates and sugary treats!

Carl and I awoke to all three girls walking into our bedroom to wish us a Happy Easter. We convinced them to crawl into bed with us for a little cuddle . . . but that lasted all of 30 seconds. We knew we needed to peel out of bed and head out the back door to see the glory of a sunny Easter morning.

Ella was the first to burst through the back door (shocker) to see what the bunny had left.

He was a hungry little bunny!

Clarie wasn't nearly as excited. All she wanted to do was cuddle with her teddy for a few more minutes.

As Ella and Jocie saw their over-flowing baskets on the patio floor, they also noticed a few random eggs laying here and there . . .

They soon understood that baskets full of treats were not the only things the bunny left behind! As they looked around our well groomed lawn, they saw a bounty of scattered eggs!

Ella's happy dance!

I don't know how we did it, but we enticed the girls indoors for the time being to delve into their baskets. The bunny brought Jocie The Blind Side along with her favorite peanut-buttery-chocolaty treats, and of course some jelly beans.

He graced Ella with The Princess and the Frog as well as the same goodies as Jocie

Claire's eggs were empty (what a crock!), but she seemed to like them just the same! He also brought her a swimming suit with a matching sun hat. She is ready for long days at the beach this summer! YAY!

Then the girls got to open an Easter care-package that Grandma and Grandpa Adolphson had sent days in advance.

And they scored again!

The box was jam-packed full of fun activities such as bubbles and coloring books, as well as yummy snacks tucked into unique basketball "eggs"

After a breakfast of cinnamon rolls (more sweets), we couldn't hold the girls back any longer. It was time for the hunt!

We warned the girls that this wasn't a race or a competition in any way (even though I saw Ella sneak a couple of eggs in her bag before we started). This was just a little egg hunt for FUN . . . but as they both ran off the patio (almost knocking each other over), we heard Ella scream, "It's not a race Jocie!! It's not a RAAAAACE!"

Daddy helped Claire find a couple eggs before her greedy sisters got them all!

At least we have 1 girl that is satisfied with 1 egg . . . for now

The girls had a great time sprinting around the yard searching for their hidden treasures. The busy little bunny hid 96 eggs in the yard. Here was the tally

Jocie - 57 eggs found

Ella - 36 eggs found

Claire - 2 eggs found

which means there is still one egg left for us to find at a later date :)

After the hunt we rushed in to get ready for Easter brunch at the Swanson's

When we arrived the girls partook in another egg hunt with a lot more competition - their 7 cousins! To our amazement, their were no tears, just a lot of giggles and squeals of joy!

Claire decided to sit this one out. She was over the whole egg obsession.

We had a great day, but I'm afraid nothing could compare to last Easter. One year ago, I was laying in a hospital bed cuddling with a new bundle. The Easter bunny had brought me the best possible gift anyone could ask for, and a year later, I couldn't be happier with the wonderful family I have.

I am truly blessed!