A year ago on Easter, it was just Rick and me. On Good Friday we had decorated eggs, as we always do that evening but instead of doing it with our friends, Mark and Jan, we did them by ourselves and later Zoomed our finished products with our friends. This year -- back to normal!
After a wonderful dinner (I brought some of the shortbread I made earlier in the week, along with lemon bars) we got to work. Mine were both hard-boiled and raw, Rick's raw and Mark and Jan's were boiled. (It gives me a great kick to open my fridge to make eggs and choose from bright happy eggs!
After our traditional "Life of Brian" viewing, we picked up our eggs and headed home, eager to enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.
Saturday was one of those get-ready days, lots of house tidying and prepping. We had big plans -- Kevin and Cam, who will be three this summer, were coming. So, I filled loads of eggs with chocolate and goldfish for an egg hunt and made him a little basket. And I got the table ready!
Not long ago, Carol showed this very cute bunny cake on her blog and since Cam was coming, I thought I'd make one. I chose a lemon cake and modified the recipe, using ideas from this post from Home is Where the Boat Is. I was thrilled with the results!
Later, Rick made challah bread, which we have each year on Easter Morning with our French Toast. As always, yum!
We started Easter morning with a basket -- it wouldn't be the first! Then our challah French Toast!
But the real action of the day came when Kevin and Cam arrived. We started out with an Easter basket with stickers, play doh and chocolate. (I think there was a tad too much chocolate on Easter!)
...where there was loads of play time.
Sometimes I wondered who was the biggest kid. Well, we know the "biggest."
But it's hard to top the joy on this face!
After we returned, we did a little egg hunt in the back yard.
Nothing is better than hearing the words "I see one!" as little legs run to collect yet another egg!
It was quite a haul!
Then it was time for dinner. Three of us were hungry. The fourth? Not so much. All those M&Ms, kisses and goldfish can fill a boy up. After opening and closing the fridge at least 50 times to look at the bunny cake, this guy was too full to enjoy it!
I never thought I'd have kids and then I met Rick with two ready-made boys. But they were a little older. It's almost like magic to see how they change with every visit when they are this young. It's all the more radical after so many months of no visits during our pre-vax Covid times.
So, forgive me a bit if I jump for joy when I talk about this little munchkin and his brother.
I may not jump so well as I did when I was this age, but the pure joy is all there!
Sharing with: Let's Keep in Touch / Pink Saturday
54 comments:
so sweet. Lucky folks.
What a funtastic Easter! Everyone looks so hoppy ;)
Serious though, it all looks so great! I never thought about coloring raw eggs. My kids always wanted to do tons and we had more hardboiled eggs than we knew what to do with. Then again, raw eggs with kids might not have worked out so well either lol. I used to make that bunny cake every Easter when the kids were young too, it's so surprisingly easy and always came out great. The boys are so adorable, enjoy every second you can while they are this age!
When you get back to normal, Jeanie, you do it in style! I think for us it will be dinner with friends, just the way we always used to do it.
Oh, Jeanie, there is nothing like the good times of a little kid. It is all about that. Your two are getting so handsome, so much more grown up. It looks like you all had a busy schedule and such a good time. Times are changing and it looks good..Stay well..xxoJudy
There is nothing normal here. I'm SO glad it is for you. And you are in a hot bed of covid outbreaks, too. I'm so glad you are safe and had an Easter that was once again memorable and felt normal to you. So glad to see the little ones. And the big kid, too.
As you say, kids change so fast you just can't follow their path. What a great little guy!
be safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Your rabbit cake brought back memories of the ones my mom used to make. I hadn't thought about them in decades!
I've never heard of decorating raw eggs! Did I read that right?
I love your Easter plates and your bunny cake. I'm sure you really enjoyed getting together with friends and loved ones. It will be awhile yet before we can get together here with our family and friends. I know some are already doing it despite new lockdown measures but I am not one of them. Keep well. xx
Looks like you had a great time. Love that bunny cake, so pretty! It must be great to be with other people again. Have a great week, hugs, Valerie
Hello, Jeanie
Looks like a wonderful and fun Easter with friends and your family. The photos of Rick and the boys are adorable. Your cake looks great, you are a creative baker too. Take care, enjoy your day!
Decorating eggs with friends...hiding eggs with children...the bread...and that bunny cake...You couldn't have had any better Easter.
Do you have some system for distinguishing the raw and cooked eggs? I hope so! Such a wonderful series of photos of kids of every age at play! I'm glad your Easter was a joyous one -- I'll bet you could have out-hopped any bunny in the world!
What a lovely Easter week-end! Great photos!
What a difference a year and the vaccine make! So glad you had a wonderful Easter weekend!
The best of Easters..wow so lucky:)♥As said above..nothing normal here..
And wow again Rick decorates eggs..I'd like to see J do that (Laughing here)..
That cake..I made it over 40 yrs ago you just brought back a slew of wonderful memories.
I had a book that sowed you how to make angel cakes..bears..bunnies..all w/ pans you could have at home..I lent it..to someone..you got the case of the disappearing book......
You had everything..weather friends..family food arts and crafts;)I've had them too..not jealous..happy.
What a wonderful day! Love those eggs! I loved the painted ones you did too.
So much fun....and the bread looks amazing.
Cam is so darn cute! I am glad you got to celebrate with one of the grands. I can never hear too much about kids or see too many pics - so keep them coming and gush away! My mom has made that bunny cake, too! It’s so cute and you did a great job decorating it! Too bad he was too full to enjoy it!!
Yum
Oh the joy this little guy brought to me, thank you so much! if only I can hug you through my screen, grow strong! Thank you for sharing these beautiful memories especially the Easter Egg painting dear Jeanie!
So glad to see some happy faces! Your grandkids are the picture of Spring! :)
Hi Jeanie, I love this post and the smile on faces - well, no price on that. Those boys are so sweet and cute I would want to squeeze them at every turn.
So glad you all could be together and enjoy a Happy Easter.
There's a blog belonging to an american living in Japan , called Challah and Cherry blossoms. Rick might find some interest in it, regarding the challah bread.
What a wonderful happy easter post! Im glad things are getting back to normal in so many ways for you both. Being alone isn't the right way to live, is it? Those boys are so lively and cute, and isn't it nice to have some time with people who live such simple, happy lives as little kids!
Look at the bunny cake. So cute and all those eggs.
I made the nest cupcakes with green coconut and jelly beans. My kids loved them. Was not a hit with the Grands. They did not want green coconut.
Glad your Easter was wondrous.
What fun! That cake is fabulous.
Jeanie,
It was fun to see you dying Easter eggs...We have not done that since the boys were in Jr. High....We also stopped doing Easter baskets then too at the boys request....Looks like you had a great Easter and I do not blame you for jumping with joy!! Thanks for sharing!! Thanks too for stopping by!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Debbie
How fun to have the grands over. Pretty eggs too! I use to love dying eggs using natural items. Janice
Good that you were able to get together.
Back to normal? Yipeee!
Great eggs and that plate!
And such a joy to see the kids, oh, I sure miss my family. Thank you for the smiles.
That is a huge cake and a funny story, too full for cake!
So much joy to see the look on the kids faces. Your bunny cake is adorable!
I wish you could see the huge grin on my face as I've read how much fun you had with your grandsons. The decorations are lovely and the cake is fantastic.
I've never colored raw eggs. Interesting.
so many good things in this post jeanie. love those beautiful bunny plates! and your colourful eggs are a delight to behold. cute kids too! looks like your easter was fabulous. ours was very quiet and very very wet! it rained and rained. but sunny and blue sky now...
Looks like a lovely Easter. The cake is darling. How fun to decorate the eggs. The kiddos are so cute and I am sure they were thrilled with your bunny cake. Beautiful bunny plates.
You have had a good time. The days amid the pandemic taught us "normal" is not always normal and people's cooperation maintains it.
I'm so glad you were able to spend your Easter weekend with friends and family Jeanie! Your bunny cake is adorable, almost as cute as your little boys!
Jenna
Please forgive my tardiness in responding to this delightful post, my allergies from the pollen finally got me down. Jeanie, I know you had so much fun on Easter weekend. It is so nice to be able to see family and friends. Children make every holiday special and I can tell you and Rick loved every moment! Thanks for sharing the fun!
Wonderful post, full of happiness :)
Your photographs were a JOY to see.
We too were able to see our two youngest grandchildren on Easter Sunday which was so WONDERFUL.
Our Covid restrictions now allow up to six people to meet outside in a garden, so we were fortunate to at least see some of the family. A small step towards normality, whatever the new normality will be...
But guess what! I didn't take any photographs, we were just so pleased to be together in the flesh and not on the internet.
Hope you've had a good week, can't believe the weekend is almost here.
All the best Jan
I love every single thing in this. The joy! I love seeing Cam and how much he’s grown and how much he loved this day. I can only imagine how much this day brought happiness to your heart.
Another wonderful, uplifting post, Jeanie. A child's smiles light up the day. You had a busy weekend after being isolated so long. That bunny cake is a masterpiece!
Looks like you had a great family visit with all the usual and much missed traditions. There was a lot of make up for since missing all this fun and family last Easter, Jeanie. Nice to see all the smiling faces on adults and young-uns. That bunny cake looked really cute too!
Glad you had a lovely Easter :)
Love all those smiles!
What an amazing Easter, Jeanie, I'm so happy for you all!
Amalia
xo
I like the eggs and the cake. You really did Easter well, and it was nice to have 2 young kids to enjoy it as much as they did.
Can there ever be too much chocolate???
What a lovely Easter you had! OH, I can understand your joy of seeing this little guy again and sharing his joy about all the wonderful Easter treats. The cake you made is fantastic - I first thought it was smaller but then I saw you holding it and thought "wow". This is a serious cake! You are a wonderful grandma, Jeanie (not just because of the cake).
This is indeed "pure joy" and I would be almost jumping too. What lucky little boys to have you in their lives. Wow! chocolate and a basket of goodies. Love, love the cake.
Hi, Jeanie! So HAPPY to see some from your HAPPY Easter, and so glad there was more "normal" about the holiday this year! The colored eggs are beautiful... and very fun the bunny cake! (My Mom used to make something similar when my sister & I were kids, I hadn't thought of that in ages!) Rick's bread! Has he considered opening a bakery when all the crazy is over? He should! Gotta have good bread for French Toast. I LOVE that pic of Rick and Cam from behind--that is just too adorable! Isn't he a a beautiful little boy! I've not had a chance to leave a comment on all your recent posts, but I've read every one, and so happy to connect with you here. Happy Days to you & yours, sweet friend ((LOVE & HUGS))
Fun times! And the challah bread Rick made looks so good. It has such a creative design. I want some with my coffee right now!
~Sheri
It looks like you also had a delightful Easter! Children do make it so special. I've made that same shaped bunny cake in the past--yours looks so adorable!
We had to do our Easter egg hunt indoors, as we still had patches of snow outside, but made it easy as each grandchild had their own room to search. They are older so we filled the eggs with money...lucky kids!
I don't know how I missed this post Jeanie. It was adorable to see those babygrands. You must be thrilled to have been able to see them for Easter. I love the bunny cake too. I haven't made of those since my daughter was little. And how does Rick keep his plaiting in his bread? Glad I found this post. Hugs-Erika
What a joy-filled post! So many traditions making up a festive occasion :) And littles are adorable as they go all-out celebrating the fun.
Jeanie, I love hearing your excitement when you talk about your sweet boys, Kevin and Cam. I agree, nothing is better than hearing,"I see one" and enjoying them scampering around finding eggs. How fun he loved looking at the bunny cake you made. I can tell it was fun for you to make it. They do fill up quickly with all the goodies, don't they! All in all, it sounds like a perfect visit.
I loved your walk on the Michigan State campus seeing all the blooming trees and reading about your cousin's visit some years back.
Jeanie, I hope the Covid numbers in Michigan drop soon. Very scary.
Thank you for your blogging friendship.
Sounds like a very hoppy Easter. You may not be jumping well these days, but your joy when you talk about the boys is clear, and it's also wonderful, so keep enjoying them.
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