Easter Egg Hunt

This morning I took the kids to the ward Easter egg hunt, which they didn't want to miss...so they skipped out on the second practice for the big stake Easter fireside tomorrow night. It's cool that the stake puts this on, but it does limit when we can do an Easter activity as a primary (though one might wonder whether that's necessary—I don't remember attending many church-sponsored Easter egg hunts growing up and I survived just fine). So, anyway, the little kids skipped the rehearsal, the big kids attended the rehearsal, and Daddy went grocery shopping.

Who's to say had more fun, really?

Here's Phoebe collecting some eggs from the bushes:

This is approximately where some kids found a big ol' hunting knife stashed under a bush. That was a real Easter surprise! 

I had just finished walking around the building with Phoebe when I saw my friend just standing awkwardly by a bush. 

"What do you think we need to do about this?" she asked.

"About what?" I asked.

"Ummm...this..." she said, pointing to the knife on the ground.

"Oh!" I said. "Well..."

We decided to take a picture of it to note its location and then remove it to an area away from children using a glove. Very crime scene of us. We didn't know what else to do so she said she'd text the bishop about it. He probably also won't know what to do, but it's always nice to pass these decisions off to someone else.

This year the primary decided to simply hide empty eggs (genius?) which the kids could use for currency to buy prizes from the Easter store. This way they could wind up with snacks and toys that they/their parents actually wanted around rather than 100% candy and/or cheap-o junk toys that come in pre-stuffed eggs. Some of the kids (Phoebe included) were a little confused and disappointed to find out that the eggs were empty (even though this was all explained beforehand), but they were still all very enthusiastic about finding eggs.

And weapons...because apparently we were doing that this year.

Here's Alexander showing off his bag (you can't tell from the picture but it's pretty full:

These bags (that both Alexander and Zoë used) came from an Easter egg hunt from several years ago (2021 to be exact). They're still going strong!

Here's Zoë with a fancy sucker/lollipop from the prize table:

And here are the kids each with a fancy sucker/lollipop:

The table had all sorts of fun things. Phoebe was most excited about the lollipops and ring pops, though she also picked out a few other candies, some bunny grahams, a bag of chips, a sticker sheet, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk. So she didn't do too poorly.

She did not understand how the storefront was supposed to function however, and just walked up to the "cash in" box, dumped the entire contents of her basket in, and then picked whatever her little heart desired. 

"It was cool because it taught us how to shop!" she explained to Daddy when we (and he) got home.

Folks, there were price tags on each item. Like, ring pops cost 2 eggs. Bubbles cost 4. Meanwhile you could choose four small chocolate candies for the low, low price of a single egg. 

Phoebe ignored all of that. But she really wasn't too greedy either. She showed admirable restraint and took home a prudent number of prizes. 

Of course, once we got home she consumed her prizes with consummate gluttony (and will be very sad tomorrow when Alexander and Zoë are still rationing out their honest-to-goodness paid for treats while she'll be stuck with a big ol' nothing).

Daddy actually got home a little after we did. When he walked in the door Phoebe—with a ring pop on her finger and her cheeks stuffed with Skittles—bellowed, "DID YOU GET CANDY!?"

"Oh, no," Andrew sighed, allowing his shoulders to slump under the weight of the grocery bags he was carrying. "I forgot."

Somehow the man forgot to buy Easter candy. Um...how? Aren't the stores all bedecked in Easter bedeckory? Didn't Phoebe (strongly) remind him of our dire need for candy before he left for the store?! 

"We need Easter candy!" she somehow managed to say, around all the candy in her mouth. 

"I know, I know," he said. "I'll get some later. It'll be fine."

We are so good at holidays around here!

Anyway, by this time Grandpa had arrived to take the little ones to their second Easter activity of the day—off to the stake center for the "Walk with Jesus" activity. He got a kick out of Phoebe's clear priorities. 

After the kids finished lunch—cheesy noodles (different from mac'n'cheese...because it's just leftover noodles with cheese on it) and apples—they left with Grandpa for the activity. And then hit up the park on the way home and...Grandpa sent me this picture as well...so it seems they tripped and fell into the ice cream store...

Clearly we need more treats around here!

Yet Daddy "forgot" to get any candy while he was out? Please...

Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help! Help! We're being repressed! Do you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn't you?

We probably will send Andrew (our resident grocery shopper) to the store for Easter treats this week, you know, prior to Easter, so we can fulfill those childhood expectations. And while he's at it I hope he picks up some toothpaste because apparently the kids' bathroom is out and our backup supply is apparently extinguished (or perhaps is simply hiding with the spare toilet paper).

After all, if we're giving them candy for Easter they should probably have some toothpaste to go along with it...