Easter

Over the last week, we did a few things getting ready for Easter ~

The boys went to a flashlight Easter egg hunt. It was supposed to be only for middle schoolers. I don't think they got the turn out they were expecting and opened it up to all the kids that were there. Peanut was thrilled to be able to participate.

There were 3000 eggs in the field. This picture is pretty dark. They all had flashlights hunting for the eggs.

Peanut stashed his eggs inside his jacket. There were special shiny eggs with prizes. Peanut found two and Pumpkin did not find any. The regular eggs had candy and toys in them. The boys thought the prizes were geared toward little kids. All in all, they had fun starting off the spring break week.

The local animal shelter had an egg hunt for the dogs. We decided to take Buddy to it. He loved his bunny ears! Not!


There were lots of dogs there. Some were really dolled up. There was a parade before the egg hunt. We think Buddy was confused. He normally goes to the park on Sunday afternoons. He wasn't quite sure what all this Easter stuff was about. The eggs were hidden all over. Each egg had some sort of food on the outside to attract the dog's attention. Wouldn't you know it. We have the dog with exquisite tastes. He was not interested in the plastic eggs. He found two and could have cared less about the real dog treats inside them. Again, I think he was waiting for us to pull the ball out.

On Easter Sunday, we continued our second annual attendance of sunrise Mass at the Catholic cemetery in town. It was dark when we left the house just past 6 am. It was cold too. We did not need fancy Easter outfits. Our warm clothes were put to use. The boys got to wear sweaters that they haven't gotten too much wear out of. Here is a picture of my boys waiting for the mass to begin.

It was not as cold as last year. I think the temperature was right at freezing. We each had our own fleece blanket helping keep our seat and legs warm. There is just something about celebrating the mass outdoors, hearing the bagpipes play, and starting the day anew. There isn't better symbolism than having the sun rise at your back marking Easter and the rising of our Lord. It was lovely. More people thought the same this year. All the chairs were taken and it was standing room only. We'll have to remember to get there early next year!

Finding a restaurant open after sunrise mass poses a challenge. We ended up at a new tavern down near the Mississippi River. It was perfect and we had a view of the river. With all the flooding north, the river was wide and the current was fierce. It was captivating to watch.

Here the boys are trying to warm up before breakfast.

My colorful scarf was perfect for Easter. It looks like it is faux rabbit too! What about that other scarf?

If you look closely, you can see that cold red nose touching my face! I think our photographer as embarrassed!


When we got home, the boys searched the house for their baskets. They found Peanut's right away. The Easter bunny stumped Pumpkin this year! Eventually, they found the second one. We ended the day with an Easter dinner here at home. My in-laws joined us. It was very relaxing and the food was yummy! We are very grateful. My husband is thrilled as his mom agreed to take home the ham and make ham salad. Apparently, she did that when he was younger. He has fond memories associated with ham salad. I am not one for ham, but oblige my family on Easter.