After an incredibly fun (but not so restful) holiday weekend, I found myself nursing my post-Easter hangover all day with sizable amounts of caffeine and leftover chocolate from Cruz's Easter basket (damn you, bunny). It's the double-edged sword of celebrating holidays with little people --- while they light up the nostalgia train and make even the simplest traditions seem like something straight out of a storybook, they leave you utterly exhausted, slouched on the couch at 8:00 Sunday night with nothing but a pair of sweatpants, a neglected set of ungraded essays, and a camel-pack of ice water in hopes to detox after the excessive intake of ham balls, cheesy potatoes, and Cadbury Bunny Eggs.
It was a fun weekend, filled with family and tradition and Cruz's very first (of three) egg hunts, however, I'm a little giddy thinking about the upcoming nowhere-to-be calendar that fills the rest of April. While the let-down after any holiday is a little sad at first, the back-to-normalcy (and routine naps) is always inviting. Kind of like the day you put the Christmas tree away. At first the void seems large and rather bare, but after awhile the space is refreshing and invigorating. A fresh start - and a renewed season of change. And with Easter so close to summer, I can almost smell that bottle of coconut sunscreen on Cruz's tanned skin. Bring on afternoons poolside, pitchers of sun tea, and barefoot moonlit walks around the neighborhood! I've never been so ready!
While one part of me did miss my little beret'ed baby from last year who sat so perfectly on his little wooden chair with his plush bunny rabbit in hand, this year my wild man got in to all things Easter. He followed the bunny trail of chocolates that led him to his Easter basket early Saturday morning, and carefully whispered and followed us around as he hunted for his first set of Easter eggs in our living room. I, of course, relished getting the living room just perfect the night before, hiding his dozen eggs in all his favorite places, and feverishly snapping pictures of him and his every expression as he began to piece the game together the next morning. This, after all, was his practice round, as he had two more, more competitive egg hunts to come this weekend ;)
Saturday, we headed to Beau's family's to take part in an egg hunt with Cruz's second cousins. And while we practiced and practiced just hours before, Cruz reminded me of that little boy in the outfield of his first t-ball game, sitting in the middle of center field, picking dandelions and pointing out airplanes instead of watching for the ball. Yes, while Cruz's cousins hurried through the house collecting their lute, Cruz was much more interested in playing Auntie B's piano than grabbing the pink, candy-filled egg placed right next to it. A new place meant lots of new distractions, and Cruz seemed less interested in the eggs, and more interested in the plastic McDonald's french fries he found in the play kitchen!
After Egg Hunt Numero Dos commenced, we snuck up to Rainbow Feed and Seed to hold some cute baby chicks. Cruz (and this mama) loved the sweet babies, and I swear if I knew the slightest thing about keeping them alive, we'd have the makings of a chicken coup at our house. Their soft little coats, sweet little chirps, and the way they huddled together under the heat light was so adorable. And while I discovered Cruz is maybe a little too 'boy' to hold a baby chick quite yet, I'm convinced Rainbow Feed and Seed will be a new Easter tradition for us.
Sunday morning came early, and we ventured to Allison for a day to celebrate Easter with my family. An early morning church service, a yummy dinner at Grandma's, and one final egg hunt for Cruz and Charly filled our day with laughter, tradition, and full tummies. It was the first time all of my first cousins were together in one house since maybe our wedding, and it was special to have everyone under one roof for awhile. Memories of being the only grand-daughter, holding my own and hunting eggs with five other boys, morphed into watching my own hunt eggs with his cousin. They cleaned house quickly and seemed to have a ball sifting through their kid-friendly treats of Goldfish, Teddy Grahams, and pastel marshmallows. They both crashed soon after, as they always seem to do, within about five minutes of each other. This gave us time to relax, enjoy some conversation, and soak up baby Hayes, the newest sprout to enter our family.
It was a lovely weekend, bursting at the seams with plastic eggs and chocolate treats, grandma cuddles and worn out littles. And while Monday morning may have come a little too soon, my cup overflows with blessings (and chocolate) as I head into the work week. So many blessings to count and things to give thanks for. Lots of happy in the house.
