Easter 2012

We had absolutely no plans this Easter so when Mom & Dad decided at the last minute to make the drive to Lawrence we were thrilled.

There wasn't much on the agenda, which often times makes for the best visits.  They arrived shortly before lunchtime Friday.  Jackson was at school and I didn't want to disturb him until after nap time which gave us a couple of kid-free hours.  It was a gorgeous day, so Dad and Drew hit the golf course.  Mom & I made a Target run and then went out to lunch.  There are very few things I love more than watching my parents and my son together.  They adore him and he adores them right back.  However, I have to say, that extra long lunch complete with chips, salsa and margaritas - just me and my Mom - was one of my favorite parts of the weekend.  She's my Mom, but she's my friend too.  I love that.

Of course, Jackson pretty much dominated the rest of the weekend.  When Mom & I picked him up Friday afternoon he absolutely sprinted out of the classroom and into her arms.  I don't think he slowed down again until Sunday night.

Over the next day and a half we managed to fit in:  an evening at the Country Club, Jack's AquaTots class (note to self:  blog about AquaTots), a trip to Pendleton's Market for fresh picked asparagus, coloring Easter eggs, multiple egg hunts, another 27 holes of golf, a yummy home cooked dinner (BBQ chicken, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, deviled eggs and strawberry shortcake) and countless hours of backyard fun including kickball, baseball, swings, slides and all sorts of stunts that began with "Nana/Papa...watch this"!

Unfortunately, I've been in a camera slump lately and didn't get many pictures of the weekend, but here are some fun ones of Jack and his Nana coloring eggs.

And a couple from one of the indoor egg hunts.

Money!  (The chocolate covered face was a regular occurrence this weekend.)

Of course, the Easter Bunny visited (according to Jack, he came in through the fireplace like Santa does) and left quite a haul. 

Angry Birds Kite, Bubbles, Bunny Pez Dispenser, Sunglasses, Bath Tub Color Tabs,
Skittle-filled Eggs and a Curious George Memory Game.  Thanks Easter Bunny!

You'll notice there's pretty much no candy to speak of in Jackson's basket.  As it turned out, he woke up in the middle of the night Saturday crying, "Mommy...I'm hurtin'!"  He was definitely fighting off a little cold, but I think the "hurtin'" had much more to do with the huge amount of Hershey kisses, Rollo's and M&M's that he was indulging in all day as he hunted eggs and devoured his basket from Nana & Papa.  As a result, the Easter Bunny made a middle-of-the-night decision to limit the candy-fest and pulled out the chocolate.  Fortunately, he didn't seem to miss it a bit.

Mom & Dad needed to hit the road early Sunday morning so after a quick breakfast they were off. 

I forced Jack to take it easy the rest of the morning (since he was battling that cold and had been up some the night before) but by lunch time he had totally perked up so we decided to head to Alvamar and give the Easter Egg Hunt a try.  Big mistake.  For the second year in a row, it was a total disappointment.  Not nearly enough eggs and absolutely no organization.  Kids were sneaking eggs before the hunt officially began and the older kids just snatched everything up in a matter of seconds leaving nothing for the little kids.  Jack picked up 2 plastic eggs.  Both were simply empty shells that an older kid had discarded after plucking out the candy.  I was beyond annoyed. 

(Note to self #2:  Don't do the Alvamar egg hunt again.  Ever.) 

Fortunately, my boys are much more interested in the golf than the social aspects of the Country Club so Jack was perfectly fine with a trip to the driving range instead.

We ended the day with a big bowl of popcorn and rented Cars 2.  The excitement of the weekend finally caught up with Jack and he was sound asleep about 30 seconds after putting his bowl of popcorn down.  Despite paying for the movie, I'm kind of glad he fell asleep.  As much as we adore the original Cars movie, it turns out #2 is a tad on the violent side (in my opinion, anyway) with a storyline that I'm certain went right over Jack's head.  I was enjoying my not-so-little baby sleeping in my arms so much I couldn't bear to move him, so I decided to watch the movie all the way through and then carried him up to bed.

A perfect ending to a lovely holiday weekend.

Thanks again for making that (dreadful) drive, Mom & Dad.  We sure loved seeing you.

Hope all of you had a lovely Easter too!