Easter At Grandma Candy's

Alright, back to the end of March. :)  It's always a bit of a struggle to fit in time with both sides of the family when a holiday arrives.  Add having Luke in the hospital and it becomes a veritable nightmare!  I was talking to my Mom about the Easter plans for our side of the family, and she expressed her frustration with trying to fit time together in everyone's schedule.  So, we decided to start a new tradition.  Easter at Grandma Candy's would always be the Friday night before Easter.  That worked for us!

Danny spent the evening at the hospital, so Claire, Sophie, Johnny, and I made our way to Grandma Candy's.  The kids were excited to dye eggs with their cousins!  While we were getting the egg dye set up, everyone just goofed around.  That's what is so great about family.  You can be yourself!

Finally, we we were ready to dye eggs!  This was Johnny's first year coloring eggs on his own, so Grandma Candy gave him some pointers.  She forgot one critical rule... 

Don't drink the dye! :)  This is especially funny because one of the few family videos we have from when I was younger records me trying to drink the green egg dye when I was about 3 years old.  This handsome apple didn't fall far from his mother's tree!

Once we cleaned Johnny up and reminded the kids how icky the dye tasted, everyone got to work.  It's so fun knowing that my kids are literally creating the memories that will form what the festive part of Easter means to them.  What's really cool is this is what I remember Easter being like.  A lot of kids around the table with my Mom holding a baby. :)  

Everyone had a blast!  I think their faces say it all...

We did have one little incident.  Johnny was trying really hard to be a big kid, but unfortunately his height betrayed him.  He was trying to reach across the table to get another color of dye, and totally biffed it.  His face hit the corner of the table on his way down.  Poor guy...

I tried letting him watch cartoons on my phone, hoping that would distract him from the pain and cheer him up.  It worked...for a little bit.

Eventually, this Mama's Boy just needed his Mama. :)

While the eggs turned out beautifully, and the kids had a blast, it did make quite the mess.  We still had another activity to enjoy, so the Moms cleaned up and the kids occupied themselves.

We then unveiled the next delicious activity of the evening.  Giant Easter Bunny Cookies!  I found these cute sets at Costco, and thought the kids would have a blast.  Turns out, we all did!

Johnny had some help with his cookie.  I may or may not be terribly proud of my freehand "Y". :)

Sure, they looked delicious, but would they taste delicious?  Matt decided to give it a try.

The verdict?  Pretty much tasted like cardboard. :)  That didn't stop Ava!  It was cardboard covered in frosting and candy, after all!

We had such a good time together as a family.  The kids are getting older, and that is adding to the fun.  I also love that we do this fun, festive part of Easter before Easter Sunday.  That way, we're able to enjoy the cultural festivities, while keeping the true and sacred nature of the holiday separate.