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Monday, April 6, 2015

Egg-citement!

Family Easter action begins with a Saturday evening egg dying party at Aunt Christy's!






































Egg-hausted! But still hoppin' around happy! Easter was a blast again this year and that's owed to seven lively little grand-bunnies. We adults wouldn't have any fun if left unbothered to leisurely savor our flutes of Raspberry Royale before seating to an introductory course of steaming vichyssoise and crisp arugula! The near silence of serene sipping and nibbling would be deafening!

Our kids' table is clustered with munchkins - efficient ones! They graze off the top of plated luncheon croissants, sample a sip or two of  "bunny milk" and report fueled for egg huntin' action. They know baskets are hiding and family games await. Eating is for every day. Today is Easter and they're here for egg-citement!

"YOU get a bunny! YOU get a bunny! EVERY-BUNNY gets a pet bunny!" 




But hold on a sec, you cuddly lil chickaroos! It's traditional to start with a game for mommies and daddies. I've printed 50 corny-cute Easter Bunny jokes at Lisa's "Grandma's Briefs" blog, dividing them between six adults, cutting questions from answers.



Lots of intense concentration on both sides of the table as competitors vie to match candidates such as "How do you catch the Easter bunny?" with "Hide in a bush and make a noise like a carrot!" I just love the way these "big kids" are such great sports about playing any old crazy game I come up with - and how serious they are about winning them!







The idea, of course, is to be the first to unscramble each joke to win a prize. I throw a few extra answers into each envelope too, just to make it interesting. (And if honoring April Fool's Day at the same time appeals to you, supply a "fun set" to a "well deserving" player that has no matching answers.) Hilarious!













A game like the next is often referred to as an "ice-breaker." Ha! We're all bouncing off the walls by now. No pouting party poopers here! Everybunny gets a puzzle piece and a mad scramble ensues to find the two matching peeps who will make the cracked egg whole again. First team reporting in wins candy! But when no one's looking, grandma sneaks some over to the kids on the other three teams too!


Cut eggs from scrapbook paper and back up with lightweight cardboard. Use the same weight cardboard for racing rabbits, described below.






We move outside next. There's a relay waiting for us! Twelve adults and kids will be participating, so we'll field three teams. Names are pulled to form each one; two adults, one kid from the 4-6 year range and one "mascot" from the three little ladies in the 2 year group. Four tasks await. Each team strategically nominates its best bunny for each of them.

Rabbit Race! Run, bunny, run! Long lengths of yarn tied to tree trunks make perfect race paths for cardboard critters. There's a whole lotta wiggling going on!

Egg Hunt! As soon as bunny hits the goal, a second team member scurries into the woods to find three plastic eggs - one of each color. They are handed to teammate #3 for the next leg.

Egg Toss! Stand behind the line and toss each egg into a matching color basket! Quick, like a bunny! You're almost done!



Bunny Hop! Grab your team's little finisher and plant a pair of bunny ears on her head. Hand her a basket and cheer her on while she hops over to grandma to declare her team WINNERS!



Lots of congratulatory high-fiving ensues, but we're still not done! We turn the kids loose in the woods for our annual egg hunt, an event that we enjoy more than the kids do, I think. It "cracks us up" to watch the littlest ones find one egg and delightedly call it a day. We are touched to observe how considerate "the big kids" are of their younger siblings and cousins. They help them hunt, or else they share their own finds. Heartwarming!

Ladylike Angeline filled her bucket with eggs that were only pink or violet...........!









........Twin sissy was pleased with any color she found!

Kindness doesn't end there, though. The bright colored yarn we used in our relay is cut up into manageable strips and divided between the children. Grandma gets some too! We'll leave these out for birds who've begun to shop for nesting material, hoping that a feathered mother will find something to her liking. Then we'll watch treetops later on this spring for a glimpse of our contribution.

We return inside to open gifts from grandma and grandpa. This year, it's kites all around! Menacing black sharks for the boys and fluttering butterflies for the girls. Those look inviting, but we're too egg-hunted out and stuffed full of chocolate to even think of giving them a whirl right now - something grandma's secretly grateful for!



Air walker pet bunny balloons are found here on page 11.

28 comments:

  1. J, it sounds like your home is a fun place to be on Easter. Your family and grandchildren are all beautiful..Cute idea to leave the yarn for the bird's nest.. I saved some of my old Golden Retriever's hair and the birds have been using the hair for their nest.. So glad you and your family had a great Easter! Have a happy week ahead!

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  2. My dear friend, what a beautiful time with your family! It certainly looks like everyone enjoyed themselves :)

    Hugs and blessings to you!

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  3. What a sweet day - I think I'll try the first game next year - we need to get more fun going for the whole group. The boys are now "too old" for coloring eggs - drat. I think if they had younger siblings the egg coloring years would have lasted longer. But they really enjoyed the silly string - and when Auntie Lori joined in they really had fun. I think I'll stock up - more more more silly string. They even had fun picking up the residue off the grass (another chance to throw it at each other)

    All your grandbunnies are so cute!!!!

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  4. Your home and all you do to create fun and laughter with your family is just beautiful.
    They must love getting together?!

    So nice to visit with you J.
    Have a blessed week.
    Debbie

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  5. You have outdone yourself again. What a wonderful Easter for everyone. I am so glad the weather co-operated! Have a great week, too!

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  6. Joyce, your Easter games and activities are second only to the beautiful family love that shines through in all your beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing the family fun with us at Treasure Box Tuesday! :)

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  7. I love your relay. I'm going to bookmark this for next year! And the matching game and April Fool's jokes -- sounds like you had loads of fun! And, I must say, your grandkids sure are cute!

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  8. How wonderful to enjoy easter with young ones around. so fun to have games for the older kids to play too :)

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  9. I KNOW that you do so much for the little ones and forget how you keep the big 'uns involved too. You have to be the most creative and fun grandma in the world today. LOL love the littles and their pigtails and pretty dresses....

    Also the idea of leaving the yarn out for the birds. I am reminded of some poor robin trying to get twine off of the fence that I'd used to tie tomatoes ...I had to run out and cut it lest the robin go beserk! :)

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  10. Thanks for inviting me to your link up party. Was able to check out your blog in the meantime. Great, so happy there is another "grandmother" out there blogging instead of just little old me. So excited to get to know you.

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  11. My apology, I found you at a link up party-Grandmas Ideas. Been typing to long this morning.

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  12. You're so clever to come up with the games. Sounds like a wonderful and fun family time. Your post was so cute and fun to read!! The pics are darling. :-)

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  13. i can just feel all the laughter and egg-citement going on J! that's a wonderful way to get eggs-hausted! everyone is truly blessed to have you in their family as you are too :)

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  14. What a wonderful day full of good family times and memory-making!

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  15. I want to come to Easter at your house:)

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  16. Egg-cellent game and pics!

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  17. Such a special and memorable day for all!

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  18. It is the best to have family around!

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  19. This looks like a wonderful day! I love the joke game.

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  20. What a fun Easter, and those children are all precious. xo Laura

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  21. You deserve a medal for best grandmother in the world!!!

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  22. Good for you in creating all of this fun for your family for the Easter holiday! It looks like so much fun. I was telling my husband that we really need to find some activities for our whole family to do for our get togethers but then things get too crazy in meal prep. I don't quite understand that because so much is prepared ahead of time. I'm glad you had a wonderful day with your grandchildren. They're the best!

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  23. Lot's of fun was had at your house! I love your enthusiasm!!

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

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  24. I think you should schedule an event for your faithful followers because most of us have never, ever experienced a day like one at your house. :-) What a wonderful time, your grandkids get to have being so involved with family and nature. You are one of a kind, and there is no doubt in my mind that as we all aspire to seek acceptance to a life hereafter that you will be in charge of arts and crafts and I'll be in line to be in your class. :-)

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  25. Easter looks like a lot of fun at your house. The kids are so cute and they surely had a great time. Thanks for stopping by the Garden Spot. Have a good week.

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  26. These are great! I wanna come to YOUR Easter celebration! Thanks so much for taking the time to link up with us at the #HomeMattersParty - we hope to see you again on Friday! Happy Monday :)

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  27. Fun Easter happened at your house. Memories will last forever.


    Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  28. I love your celebrations. I'm a fan of Grandma Briefs too. The adults are really into the game. Looks like they're having as much fun as the children. Glad everyone had a good time!

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