Easter: Poppy's holiday

Well, Ainsley's first Easter has come and gone, but what a nice holiday it was. We hosted, which is great because we could have both my side and Ryan's side together, but not so great cause I get all stressed out cooking and cleaning and trying to make things extra special. This year I thought it was just going to be Ryan's family, my parents and sister, but when we found out my 2 cousins and their families didn't really have plans, we invited them too. And I'm so happy we did! The extended family on my mom's side is still super close, and my fondest Easter memories were spent with them. My cousins each have 3 kids and let's face it, holidays are all for the kids. Here's a photo summary of the Easter egg hunt with some of our rhyming clues:

Noah found the first clue to the treasure hunt!

Here Ye, Here Ye, all rascals and scoundrels,

Legend has it, there lies a Golden Egg and treasure,
It may be hard to find, but you’ll receive great pleasure.
There are many clues hidden different places outside,
That will lead you to a treasure the Easter bunny did hide,
So I wish you good luck as you go on your quest,
Work together, try hard and do your best.
First you’ll need a map to show you the way,
And to find this map, you must hop to Ainsley’s Uncle Jay.

You’re doing a good job, but still have a ways to go,
To retrieve the next clue, you’ll have to dig below.
Look for the Easter Egg painted on a shed
Use your hands, your feet, or a shovel, not your head.

You may be messy from digging up all that dirt

So wash up at the pond where the little ducks squirt.

Between two trees, lay down and swing,

To find the next clue, pull on the string!

Listening intently for the last clue...

You’ve all done so well, and the treasure is near.

It’s hidden in the place where you can find the John Deer.

So retrace your steps to the shed where you dug,

But before you go inside give each other one big hug!!!



So with Ryan's help, we set up an epic Easter egg treasure hunt. We first did the traditional hunt where you release the children into the yard and have them gather as many eggs as possible. And after that is when the real fun began. In one of their eggs was the first clue to the treasure hunt. From there they had to follow the map, find the clues in the well-hidden yellow eggs, and listen to the instructions that led them to the treasure. Among other little tasks, they had to chase our dog, dig up one of the eggs, pull a string rigged up in the tree above the hammock and give each other hugs!

Where did I get these ideas, you ask? Well, before the internet and Facebook and Pinterest and all the different outlets to show off your creativity to the public, there was my Poppy: an extremely creative man who was always seeking out elaborate ways to entertain his grandkids and make us laugh.

Easter was always my Memere and Poppy's holiday. And Poppy went all out every year planning a grand Easter Egg hunt... We had to follow a map all around the yard and complete various tasks. One year we had to dig up buried treasure. Another year we pulled a string to this bucket that was rigged up in a tree and the treasure came raining down on us along with a live rooster!! Another year we were lead to a huge bird's nest with the biggest Golden Egg you've ever seen. And the last year, he himself dressed up as a chicken and came out doing the chicken dance. Every year we looked forward to what surprises he had up his sleeve.

The Old Wise Chicken!

My Easters growing up were simply magical because of Poppy... just as they should be, because when you think about it, Jesus raising from the dead is pretty darn magical. (Now, I've been having many religious doubts and questions lately that would require a whole separate blog entry, but whether we believe it or not, that is what we are supposed to be celebrating, right?)

So as you can tell, I've been reminiscing about Poppy a lot lately. You can check out the long crazy tribute story we wrote for his funeral here. He was so incredible and we were all soooooo lucky to have him as a grandfather. And I know, such is reality that people live and die, but it still gets me so sad to think that Ainsley never got to meet him. I really wish he could have lived forever so that all MY kids could have known a grandpa as great as he was. Shortly after he passed away, my favorite cousin, Michelle, said to me the best way to honor him and keep him alive was to carry on his traditions with our kids. So among the MANY other things that he said and did that I will continue to say and do with my kids, I promise to try and do a major Easter Egg Hunt every year. And through that hunt, Jesus will not be the only one resurrected every year… my Poppy will be too!