"Hop, hop." Then she bends her knees and bounces up and down. (Sadly, that's as far as it goes. No actual hopping, as she inherited her Mom's absent vertical leap.)
Brooke's 2nd Easter was a great day! Eggs were hunted, baskets were opened, yummy food was devoured. She took 2 glorious naps and was pretty angelic all day. It was such fun to experience it with her this year, through her excited little eyes. Watching her enjoy it in a hands-on way was incredible. In true mamarazzi style, I photographed most of it. And as is the usual these days, Brooke was too busy to look at me and smile. But I did capture a pretty sweet little grin post-egg hunt.
Mini-soapbox alert: I've read a lot of cynicism surrounding the extravagant celebration of Easter recently and it makes me feel like I have to justify my own celebration. I am well aware of the meaning behind Easter and our children will be well-versed in it, too. But, just like with Christmas, I don't feel that we can't still celebrate the holiday in a fun & exciting way. Growing up, my parents did an incredible job of making each holiday a magical time for us, and I plan to do the same for our kids. I want them to look forward to Easter and be excited for it, not just pass it off as "another holiday". And for the first few years, sure, it will likely be all about the toys and gifts they receive; but eventually, as I did, Brooke will understand the religious meaning and the real reason we make Easter such a celebration.
With all that being said, here's our little lady with her Easter basket. It was overflowing with books (including her 1st bible), bunny slippers, a Dora soccer ball, and some quite girly things (a new purse, bracelets, etc.) just to name a few. She tore through it quickly and enjoyed each and every little gift!
What is it about Easter grass and toddlers?
This kid owns more shades than most adults :)
And apparently she was so excited for Easter that she decided our usual wake-up time just wasn't early enough - she wanted to celebrate even longer, so we got up at 7:15 (not early for some, crazy early for Brooke & me.) Of course, I had THE plan-of-all-plans for Easter morning ready in order to get to Church 20 minutes early (an Easter Mass must), my very last attempt at fulfilling my Lenten promise of being on time. I even kept her up a little late the night before, with the hope that she might even sleep in. So that lovely early wake-up call threw me for a big loop. I was worried that Brooke would lose steam by 11:00 Mass, so we ended up adjusting our little schedule to fit in a quick morning nap. Amazingly, it was a success. We had breakfast, a bath, got her in her dress, did an egg hunt and opened her basket, put her back in her jammies, and back to bed she went. All by 9:15. An hour later, we were out the door in our Easter best and had a beautifully behaved toddler for the rest of the day!
(That paragraph, which probably overwhelmed you just reading it, is exactly how my mind works. Overkill, no? On a regular day when we have no plans, I'm totally a go-with-the-wind kind of Mama. On mornings when we have a time limit? Somewhere to be? I plan things out the night before to a T. I usually have contingency plans in place depending on what time she gets up. Easter morning, as I lay in bed listening to her over the monitor playing in her crib at 7:15, my wheels were spinning as to how to get everything accomplished and still have a pleasant toddler come lunch time. I feel like this insane brain explosion sums up motherhood pretty nicely.)
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