Our Easter

My favorite picture of my Uncle Jack -- grilling chicken at Easter circa 1980

We had a beautiful Easter weekend!  The weather was gorgeous (but that wind, tho!) and the company was wonderful.  Juan, Rhiana, Elizabeth and Emma arrived Saturday afternoon and stayed with us through welcoming The Easter Bunny and a family reunion at my parents' house.  My cousins, my sister and I planned an old-fashioned Easter with Daddy's side of the family, like Easters of days gone by and I am happy to report that we were able to pull it off!  Nearly 50 of us showed up.  We used to get the whole family together at Aunt Carol and Uncle Jack's and Uncle Jack would get up early and start grilling chicken for everybody.  We lost him in February after a long bout with Alzheimer's.  He was too young to get it, too young to go, and we grieve him deeply.  Yesterday was for Uncle Jack.  We all brought chicken!  Chicken and whatever else we wanted to bring and we had a feast!  Just like the old days.

Here's the whole gang!

I so enjoyed having the kids with us again.  The girls and I dyed Easter eggs Saturday afternoon...

...and then we hopped (get it?) in the hot tub for some giggles and splashes.  Lots of splashes!

The Easter Bunny came and left baskets of goodies.  He even left me one full of garden stuff and seed pods!  I can't wait to get started on our garden.  Hopefully, we'll get the bed done this week and can plant some stuff this coming weekend.  We planted two rose bushes out by the mailbox today.  A pink one and a red one to go with the yellow one that's already there.  I'm excited to see them all blooming at the same time!  We got those pretty chair cushions from Ami and Brian and they are perfect for our porch rockers!  

Larry got me this adorable turtle basket and filled it with stuff only he could.  :)  I got him a basket with a stuffed bunny, a huge solid chocolate bunny and a bunch of candy inside.  Banjo and Tabbie Hoffman got extra treats.  Banjo's were apple, bacon and peanut butter and Tabbie got cheesy ones.  They were happy.  :)  They are so spoiled completely rotten that every day is a holiday for them.

The girls enjoyed TWO egg hunts yesterday.  One here with us yesterday morning...

...and then one in the afternoon at the reunion.  

Elizabeth and Olivia became fast friends! 

Lizzy was SO happy to find that gold egg!

I love this picture of Emma, with her "lellow" egg, 

windblown hair and chocolate on her face.  So sweet.

And how precious is this one of Elizabeth and Larry 

walking across the field hand in hand??

It was a wonderful day.  I hope we made Uncle Jack proud.

My Valentine tea cart

Here's my tea cart so far...still got 9 days to go!  :)  Ami gave me some pretty Valentine paper and doilies to add and I found a few Valentines in my baby book that Mama saved for me when I was really little (free vintage Valentines!).  I am really SO happy that she saved all that stuff for me. Valentines, birthday cards, napkins and candles, Christmas gift tags and memories upon memories of my birth and first seven years. That book is priceless to me.  I don't know if you mamas out there are doing baby books for your babies but you really should.  You know, in case they want to do a vintage holiday tea cart one day.  Or if they're curious to see every single gift given to them and comment made by a beloved uncle who just went to heaven.  That stuff means SO much to me.  Anyway, here it is!

Larry made me the little LOVE board.  With 47 dots around the letters ('cause that's how old I am -- until June!). 

So what if I'm crazy?  I was born this way -- what's your excuse?  :)  I may have only been two years old when I got this Valentine but Mama and Daddy were spot on.  Ha!