#Easter2015 is all about lazying in PJs, hunting eggs, baking biscuits and enjoying the rain?!? #parenting #motherhood #kids #familyfun #sanfrancisco

Easter is all about lazying in our PJs through lunch-preparation, hunting eggs and tearing through the kids' easter baskets, baking biscuits from scratch and, this year, enjoying the rain! It's pouring out and we are loving every second of it!

In case you are looking for a few gift ideas for your kids' next Easter, here's what the Easter bunny brought the kids this year:

Emily, age 8:
Make your own bird house kit
Jellycat stuffed bunny (our favorite stuffed animal brand!)
Scratch 'n Sketch Furry Friends activity book
El Deafo and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang novels
White "teacher's chalk" and a new eraser (ours get destroyed outside every summer)
Tervis tumbler cup for her morning smoothies
A heart backpack charm
Macaroon-shaped erasers plus six glitter eggs filled with Japanese animal-shaped erasers
A Reese's bunny
An Easter balloon
A golden egg that had a $5 bill in it (at this age we are entering financial independence so money and gift cards are always a huge hit!)

Nolan, age almost-4:
Go! Go! Go! STOP!, George in the Dark, Steam Train Dream Train books
CAT dump truck for the sand box (his favorite!)
Matchbox set of nine cars
Set of nine squishy bath toys (he's still obsessed with these)
Jellycat stuffed dog (he received a bunny last year)
A golden egg with M&M's inside
A Reese's bunny and
An Easter balloon


Emily was up first, as always and showed incredible restraint and patience as she left her Easter basket untouched and had yet to begin collecting eggs from around the house.

She really enjoyed sitting in the living room, just her and I, going through her basket one item at a time.

Here, she's showing me how she can hold the egg up to the light and see what's inside it. This is how she plans to attack gathering eggs around the house to ensure she gets all the jellybeans. ha! Very clever, I've got to hand it to her.

About an hour later, Nolan woke up. I ran up to get him (see, PJs!) and he couldn't wait to start gathering eggs down the stairs from  his room. We had been talking about the Easter bunny coming and he knew that meant he would find "eggs with candies inside", as he put it.

When he made it to the living room, he let out an "oooooooooohhhhh!" at the sight of his Easter basket and immediately grabbed the dump truck.

Then he found the set of Matchbox cars, his absolutely favorite thing in the world!

His next discovery was the golden egg in his basket. He and Emily had seen that this year's set of empty Easter eggs came with TWO golden eggs and they were fixated on just how special they were going to be. Every year, we set out a basket of empty plastic eggs for the Easter bunny to fill and hide. Does anyone else do this?!? No, just me? Okay then.

He was thrilled that his golden egg had M&M's in it and prompt devoured them.

The egg hunting continued all throughout the house with Emily quickly filling her basket. She's fast!

Candy was consumed before breakfast.

Then, silly pictures were taken.

Then, I cooked our annual, traditional, Easter lunch which is a glazed ham, potatoes Au Gratin, roasted green beans, gravy, and home-made biscuits. Yesterday, I baked a sour cream chocolate bundt cake and today, Emily and I will make sugar cookies and David's going to help her make home-made ice cream.

Today is all about staying indoors and just being together.

Happy Easter!