Easter Egg Hunt

Every year, for the last forty or so years, my family has hosted an Easter egg hunt for the kids in the community. I can remember having the hunt on the football field, and I have lots of memories of my dad and my aunts and uncles dyeing a ton of boiled eggs in the back press room at the Journal. As a kid, I loved "hunting" the eggs, and then as I got older, I enjoyed helping to stuff the plastic eggs and hiding the eggs with the rest of my family the morning of the hunt.

As I got older, I looked forward to the day I could take my kids. There were times when I worried that the Journal, and my family, would stop holding the egg hunt. I would beg my dad to keep doing it, because I knew if they stopped for just one year, it probably wouldn't get started back up again. Jillian went for the first time as an infant - only two or three months old. Of course she didn't participate. Then Rick and I moved to Dallas, and for the next three years, we weren't home for Easter, and my kids couldn't participate. Last year, we were moving back to Florida the weekend of the hunt, so we missed it. This year, though, I couldn't wait to take the kids!We got to the park a little early, so the kids had time to look at the field and get really excited.

Jake couldn't wait to get on the field to get some of those eggs!

After looking at this field for a while, Jillian decided she wanted one of the plastic inflatable bunnies. I told her that she wouldn't be hunting on this field, but there were probably bunnies on her field. Grandma Bob and I also helped her come up with a game plan - I told her if she had her eye on something specific, she had to run - fast - straight towards it. I told her there were plenty of eggs, and she could get those after, but if she wanted something else, she needed to get it first. (You don't do these hunts for years and years and years and learn nothin'!")

My "babies!" Ready for the hunt to start!

He kept staring out at the field - he couldn't wait!
Basket-heads! The day before the egg hunt, Jillian told me we needed to go buy her an Easter basket. (I was actually planning to do that, but wanted to know what she was thinking.) I reminded her that we had Easter baskets at home - cute ones with their names embroidered on them. And she said, "yeah, those are cute. But I need a BIG basket for the egg hunt!"

Jake went on the field with Daddy. As soon as they said, "go!" Jake was off! I had a hard time keeping the camera on him to get good pictures, but he was running all over the field - with Jillian cheering him on from the sides!

Here's Jake showing off his loot! It doesn't look like much in this picture, but he got quite a few eggs.

A quick picture before it was Jillian's turn to hunt eggs.

As soon as they were allowed on the field, these kids took off! I lost Jillian for a minute, and all of a sudden, she was back in front of me, proudly holding up her pink inflatable bunny! Success! I started to grab it for her before remembering the rule that parents can't pick up stuff or hold stuff for their kids, so I stuffed it in her (thankfully big) basket, and sent her back to find some eggs. She was so excited to have gotten the pink bunny, and I was excited for her!

Jillian showing off her loot. She got the bunny, a jump rope, a book of bible stories, and a ton of eggs!

I think the kids had a really good time. I was so happy to have them participate in and enjoy this event that means so much to me and my family. I think its really pretty cool that my kids are doing something that I did as a kid.