Easter Surprise!

There are next to no holidays at our home that are not planned out to the very last detail—at least four months in advance!  As previous posts explain, that proved to be quite the problem for our most recent Christmas celebration.  It likewise bit us in the backside for our Easter plans this year.  With a new home and new furniture for Christmas, what would be more perfect for Easter than something for the outside of the house—say, a new kids play set.  That had been our plan for ages, and should have been the perfect present.  Once again; however, our dependence on other people to do their job and do it on time threw a wrench in our plan.  This time, it was the landscapers who dropped the ball.  We met with them back in the fall so we could be top on their list in the Spring.  Still, when Spring came, they just couldn’t get the cement curbing and Astroturf in in time.  What a disappointment!

Nick and I were like lost puppies without a clue how to move forward.  We hummed and hawed and tried to come up with a plan B, but nothing seemed to measure up.  Finally, we settled on a new idea: Rollerblades.  For the whole family.  It wasn’t a park in our backyard—the kids would simply end up getting that anyway—but at least it was something fun the whole family could do together.  So, though somewhat anticlimactic, we researched the brands, made the purchase, and had everything ready for a Sunday morning surprise.  It wouldn’t be the best Easter, kind of like it wasn't the most outlandish Christmas, but it really wasn’t the end of the world.

What was the seemingly end of the world; however, was two days before Easter when a girlfriend sent me a text asking where I got our family’s roller blades and Madison and Spencer intercepted it.  Present #2 down the drain.  I had no other choice but to tell the kids that I had bought them rollerblades as a present from Nick and I and was left once again without a present from Mr. E. B. himself.  Now I was really in a pickle.  There was no time to order something new—it would have to be something we could purchase in Bismarck.  And since I had spent the entire Easter budget on roller blades, Nick wanted it to be something dirt cheap.  What on Earth could we get though?  We had no idea!!

Easter Eve morning arrived with no stroke of genius to speak of.  We kicked off the day with a special Easter Egg hunt—the kids are having a candy blitz (no candy) until Halloween, so this year we did a hunt on our own with eggs full of money.

Then the kids got to open their Easter presents from us and give them a go.

Then it was play time with friends, preparing the Easter Eve picnic, and straining our brains to figure out what we could possibly do.   Evening arrived, and we took our picnic and roller blades down to the river.  The kids ate and then we all took a ‘roll’ down the river walk on our new wheels.

 Maybe it was the fresh breeze in our faces, I don’t know, but as we rolled along by the river, my stroke of genius finally came.  I sent Nick to the store for them and I took the kids home and got them ready for bed.  When Nick got back we made our Easter Eve pavlova, carefully placed it in the oven, and tucked the kiddos into bed.  Nick was still somewhat in doubt about my ‘crazy’ gift selection, but I was convinced it would be a hit with the kids, and for a cool $30, (we already had most of the gift) Nick couldn’t complain too much.

Easter morning the kids awoke and lined up on the stairs.  After a quick picture, 

they ran down the stairs to be greeted by an unfamiliar sight.

  There, right behind their Easter baskets, sat......

Yep.  A cage.  A hamster cage.  

With two adorable black and white fancy hamsters in it.  The kids were mesmerized!! 

Within ten minutes they were cuddling them and taking turns suggesting names.  As the naming session extended, I suggested we name them after two of the seven dwarves.  My sweet children; however, immediately thought of another set of dwarves and presto: Fili and Kili the hamsters were added to our family circle.  There wasn’t much else of excitement in their baskets, but the kids didn’t care.  All they wanted to do was play with their new furry friends.  It was exactly the kind of Easter morning I was hoping for.  I only hope the Easter excitement doesn’t wear off too soon and the Easter Bunny doesn’t regret such a rash decision.

Here are the kids in their new Easter outfits. (We did finally tear them away from the hamsters and make them go to church.)

Oh, and here are some pictures of us dying eggs and doing the traditional egg roll.  We had to do it a few days after Easter since the weather didn’t cooperate.