Easter!

We had a two-day Easter celebration this year - lots of fun, lots of candy, three hunts for plastic candy-stuffed eggs, lots of egg dying, and a traditional roast leg of lamb with potatoes and carrots. And I made carrot cake, of course!

On Saturday morning, we walked down to check out the Forest Heights Easter egg hunt, at Mill Pond. They've run the hunt some years but not others - my memory is of hundreds of eggs in a field, and a scrum of children racing to grab them as quickly as possible. This year, only the youngest kids got to toddle around an open field; everyone over 4 had to run around the pond, searching in the bushes and trails for the somewhat hidden Easter eggs. It was still all over in 10 minutes, but it was fun and worth the walk. Lots of the kids' friends were there as well and it was good to see everyone after spring break.

While I went for a run in Forest Park, I put the kids to work stuffing Easter eggs for the neighborhood hunt... genius parenting!

In the afternoon, we were invited to a neighborhood potluck and Easter egg hunt. The whole shebang came together through a monumental group text on Thursday afternoon, at the impetus of the master organizer Courtney (Jasper's brother's mother). It was impromptu and easy and super fun -- these are our friends who live across the street (sort of - the cul de sac on the other side of the school), so we all walked over/out and gathered in Mieke's driveway at 3:30 for festivities. There were about 7 families all together, and a scrum of children running, riding scooters, playing basketball, and having a water fight. The adults hid Easter eggs for a hunt in the school's backyard garden, which was very successful, and then we had potato sack races on the field. First there were kid teams, then each kid for him/herself, then the grownups, and then intra-family races. It was hysterical. Courtney had boiled an absurd number of eggs --  10 dozen? -- and we all set about dying them with various patterns. And then we had a crazy egg toss, throwing actual hard-boiled eggs at each other on the street. Sebastian and I came in third. So fun! Such a mess!

Sunday was a quieter day, but just as enjoyable. I made blueberry-banana pancakes with extra berries for breakfast. The kids each got a basket full of chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs and jelly beans, and then we hid eggs all over the house and they raced to find them. Steve made the hunt harder this year and it actually took the kids a long time to find all the eggs hidden in various nooks, crannies, books, baskets, pockets, drawers, pots...

Then we took a family hike on the Wildwood - it was time to burn off a little of our excess sugar and energy and let Jasper romp the woods.

 Trilliums!! Must be spring in Oregon!

In the afternoon, the kids read books and played with some friends while we did house chores and cooked a feast. I roasted a leg of lamb with potatoes, carrots and brussels sprouts, made a radicchio-apple salad and pickled radishes, and then baked a carrot cake for dessert.