Ah, Glorious Snow Days

Our mild winter meant we were able to be off on the days scheduled into the calendar as make-up snow days. This past Monday was such a day and could not have come at a better time. The weather was perfect, and I was exhausted. After feeding and watering all the critters and bringing the bunnies out for some sunshine, I sat in the sun myself with a good book. A friend joined me later and we enjoyed some yummy leftover pie with a cup of hot tea. Delightful!

A few more Easter piks.

No, our cherubs don't all run amok with a pacifier in their mouths. Those are bunny lip whistles.

A highlight of Easter was our Little Boy Blue discovering he could drive the truck. He's a whopping nineteen months old and small for his age. He took this truck driving quite seriously

though, as you can imagine, he did not quite have the steering down pat and Drummer Boy ran off his Easter feast trying to keep him out of trees and the creek.

It was a Keystone Cop moment.

Alas, we still don't have our new baby.

Easter Time

Ah the day is done and thankful for all it represents to me.

The Resurrection Story of course-

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let that grace now like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it

Seal it for Thy courts above.

And family, and friends, old and new.

Like Christmas, lots of work goes into to dinner for 40 so Aunt SuZQ so sweetly came to spend the day Saturday to help me.

I f0und this cute idea to cut of the top of eggs in daily use and rinse them out and use them for prizes.

SuZ-You want me to do what with these.

Me-Stuff them in the eggs, put a piece of tissue paper over it.

SuZ- You're crazy.

When the kidlets found them they were instructed to smash them to find their treasure.

The girls were a little timid about this . It just didn't seem right to smash their eggs. Bugg tried twice beforeshe finally pushed hard enough to break it.

Antebellie's had a gold necklace and when she smashed her egg, the sun hit it and it glinted all over everywhere and you would have thought she struck gold. So fun.

Though still a tiny tot, Mr. Giddy-up did not disappoint hunting his very first eggs. He picked up an egg, licked it,

made a face, dumped it in the basket,

clapped his wee hands as if to say, "Yes, I am cute!"

Found another one, licked it, made a face, put in basket, clapped, until his basket was full.

As soon as Buttercup discovered those eggs had candy, she abandoned hunting for eating and didn't stop till she'd gone through all her stash.

Your about there darling.

Aunt Lois dyed 3 dozen and 9 eggs for the big hunt and sat ringside to watch the participants.

Mom was able to come for a bit. Pete made it out. There were some tears for those missed and for the one about to leave, but mostly lots of food and laughter. Still, no new baby.

It's strange, it seems a little time ago when the pictures were of my own three. Then me following the next group around with the camera couldn't have been that long ago-yes, he was tiny once and now he's in college and has a girlfriend (I believe every Easter of his life has been spent in this yard),

now, Raina's tenth and Bean and Oh' Henry's eighth Easter Egg hunt already.

How can that be?

Gee, I'm old.

I hope you enjoyed your day.

In My Easter Bonnet

We were blessed with warm weather, and a break in the torrential rains for about three hours Easter afternoon. So, we took the swimmies off the Easter Eggs and decided to hunt instead of bobbing for eggs.

It was a very special day in and of it self, but made more so by Aunt Lois and cousin Randy being able to attend. She has not been to visit here in a very long time. We celebrated her birthday all together.

Then, a new little bunny added to the clutch never hurts either. Gideon slept Easter away in Mommy's arms.

Behold, a bunch of pictures. Not the best pictures I might add. The adults come hungry and the kidlets want to change so they can play. That makes it hard for the hostess to be much of a photographer. Well, I tried.

A family friend made these hand smocked dresses, and no way were they changing until I had some sort of picture.

The bluest eyes you've ever seen are at Gramerly's, and the hills are pretty green at the moment too.

And they're off, to slosh through the swamp in search of treasure!

No, guess we don't have an age limit on who can hunt.

Antebellie has a tough time deciding who she is most in love with, Jakee or Michael.

Ahhh, their first family Easter picture. Rae-rae is starting to look like herself again. Thank you Jesus.

And lastly, the front porch picture. I guess I have one of these for the twenty five or so years I've been hosting the Easter festivities. It kind of makes me teary. How the ones who were hunting are now helping the babies. The babies I took pictures of now hide the eggs for the little ones. Of the ones who aren't here. Maybe I love Fiddler on the Roof so much because I am such a sucker for tradition myself. It is like there is two of me. One, rejoicing in the blessings of the those present, another side grieving those not there. I didn't really know if I could pull off Easter this year. Actually, I couldn't have without Handy Man helping me so much. I didn't do nearly the things I usually do, but no one seemed to notice, there was lots of good things to eat, and nothing I could ever pull off is as fabulous as stomping through the creek and screaming and running every time you find the hole with Darth Vadar's bones. Seriously, what could top that?

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Ceece here! While Gramerly was busy hostessing I snapped a couple pictures too!

More Easter Parade

Buttercup couldn't decide if she should hunt or eat, so just do both.

Kaye seemed to have a good time.

Handy Man and family
Jackie joins the parade and smiles throughout.

The James Gang

I still remember the first time Jordan could hunt eggs on his own. He was just two and would shake them first. If there was no shake, meaning no candy inside, he dropped them like a hot potato.

Jakee graduates this year. How can that be. He's been at my house for every Easter since he was born. Now he's old enough to chauffeur his Granny around.

The Easter Parade

Yesterday was extraordinarly beautiful. The hunters and gatherers are ready

Pretty babies all in a row.

And another row.

This is the sweetest child.

Chivalry is not dead. Bean sharing some eggs with Baby Boy cause he noticed he didn't get many.

My grown up babies all in a row.

Good family, friends, food and fun. Practically perfect in every way.BAA,BAAA- oh yeah, some adorable sheep made by Aunties Kaye and SuZQ