The Hunt, The Reward, The Celebration

Happy Easter Everybody! Daddy's Easter morning started with a 6:30am sunrise service on the beach. It was maybe 35 degrees with a steady 20 mph wind blowing off the ocean - needless to say the girls and I stayed home, but nearly 30 other people were brave (read "crazy") enough to show up. Michael stopped at home long enough for his ears to thaw out and then we headed to service #1. The girls and I were playing in the church library when someone started playing a trumpet and Catherine's head popped up and she said, "What that noise?!" We had to go stand in the doorway of the sanctuary and watch until the trumpet song was over, then we went back to our books and blocks.



Catherine spent a lot of time standing up in front of the two churches yesterday. I sang a couple times in the first church, and she always stands with me and holds onto my leg, then we sang a song with the children's church. At church #2 I played a violin song with Monica during which Catherine sat in Daddy's chair up in the very front. At least there were no loud piano interruptions this time.

We had a little Easter egg hunt on the front lawn after church. At first Catherine just thought "What fun! We get to run around in the grass carrying baskets!" I tried to tell her to pick up the eggs, and then Michael had to point a few out to her. Once she saw Morgan zooming around picking them up at record speed, she got the idea. We mostly "hid" the Easter eggs by just dropping them all over the lawn for the younger kids, so when Morgan came out and realized the extreme accessability of all the eggs, she was overjoyed. I saw her running out into the middle of the lawn, hair and bucket flying, yelling, "This is the best Easter egg hunt ever!" Robert didn't get nearly so many eggs, but he was toddling around and laughing just as much. All I know is that the parents at least had a very fun time.





Of course, after the hunt you get the reward. Here are the kids taking stock of their treasures.




After church I made a significant effort to get a good picture of both girls in their Easter dresses. For the most part I failed - it was too bright, too cold, and getting a good shot of two babies is exponentially more difficult than getting a good shot of one baby. At least you can enjoy proof of our efforts:








Then we had to get ready for Easter Feast Celebration: dinner at our house with 12 friends. Here was our menu:

Roasted Garlic Leg of Lamb with Lamb Jus
Maple-Thyme Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Fresh Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter Sauce
Green Salad with All The Veggies
Assorted Dinner Rolls
Roast Chicken with Rice Stuffing and Veggies (for those who don't eat lamb)
Cocunut Cream Cake for dessert

We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed a nice dinner together, except Catherine who finds it utterly impossible to eat during parties. She ended up muching on some Easter bread and hard-boiled eggs that Athena brought.


Catherine woke up this morning and asked me if it was still Easter time. I guess she had fun!

PS: To Grandma and Grandpa - I told Catherine you were coming to visit tomorrow and this was her response: "They bring me a car to drive, and a schoolbus, and a tricycle, and a helmet, and a rocking horse!" Just thought I'd warn you...