Easter Smilin'

Easter traditions vary.  I remember my Mama's homemade fried chicken and potato salad.  I remember pink congealed salad and cakes and pies and Easter cupcakes.  I remember how the picnic table looked all covered with enough food to feed an army.  I remember all the egg hunts with all my cousins.  I remember Mama making me pose by the Azaleas in my new Easter outfit that she made for me herself.  I wasn't thrilled about it.  Hey, I was pre-teen and the other kids were wearing name brand.  Typical.  How in the world did she have time to make clothes?  That makes me scratch my head and scrunch my nose.  One of her many phases.

What will they remember?  It's so different and yet so the same.



We decorate the eggs.  We hide the eggs.  It's all about the eggs.  That's not much different.  This Mama didn't sew new outfits though.  Gosh, I am amazed when I think back at what all she did do.



I'm  playing around with saturation here in these photos.  I don't want to go black and white, but I'm not digging on the yellow.



Ok, so I've figured it out.  They will say I took and engineered photos of them non-stop.



With no particular goal in mind but to enjoy their sweet faces in the experimental process.



I can't help myself.



And there were eggs.

And Jonah ate them for dessert, and Jesse cracked them open hoping for chocolate inside and was quite disappointed with the yellow yolks.  No kidding, I came in after the egg hunt, and little yolks were rolling around my living room rug.  She totally cracked them looking for chocolate.  Only Jesse girl.



Our family is not that big and not close enough to swing by, but I think we make the best of it.



We have Aunt Kelly, and she brought us flowers.  She's the one that remembers to do this sort of thing.  So incredibly thoughtful.



We have good food and Easter cupcakes.



We have friends.



This is Egan.  He does the best rendition of "Like a G6".  He thinks the lyrics are "Like a cheese stick" and I could listen to him sing it over and over all day and always want more.



Love this child.



This is Zac.  He's an incredible ball player.  Babe Ruth here.  Love this child too.



Sweet for sweets.



Let the hunt begin.  I absolutely love this tradition.



They were just as excited as I remember being.



And as competitive.



But seemed to aquire about the same amount each.



I adored the sun in their hair.  Oh, and the fact that she never ate her yellow candy necklace the Easter Bunny left for her.



And this photo right here is just my favorite.  I love the candidness of it.  So much better than a perfectly posed picture.  It's real.



And after a hunt, it's all about sitting down and digging in.



And wondering if we got them all?



And the "what's up with this egg with no candy inside?"



And Jonah organized an indoor hunt for us later that evening.  He was so excited and sweet about it.  It was my favorite.



His smile gives away how proud he was.  Her expression, well, don't know what to think about that.  Finally a huge egg with candy and you are still taking my picture?  Maybe that's what she was thinking.

My face hurts from smilin' at these pictures.  Love my family and friends.  I love having traditions like this for them.  It takes me back.  It makes me happy.  It makes me smile.