Sunday, April 4, 2010

Day 224 The Perfect Mom Project



Happy Easter!
It is official now it is spring. It never seems like spring until Easter. After a few jelly beans and a chocolate egg or two I really can feel the rebirth of spring.

 
Back when I was a little girl Easter meant that my cousins would be coming to town with my Aunt Ellie. That was the best! All of us cousins rambling around Grandma's house getting into things. Somehow when my cousins were there it transformed my life. With more people around, I would fly under the radar. If there was trouble I always had back up. At night my cousin Laurel and I shared a room and we would talk like sisters. I always looked up to her, she seemed so wise at six years old, she had the world all figured out. My other cousins Steve and Eric knew how to have fun; they were always coming up with some activity to keep us entertained.

 
One activity that still stands out is when we would use my Grandmas patio chase lounge that had wheels on the back end as a push cart. One of us would climb on it and then another of us would flip it up and push it around. That was great fun until we got caught, and even then we would sneak in a ride or two when we could. I also remember that early on every Easter I was dressed up like a doll. My favorite year was the year that my cousin Laurel had the same dress that I did. She has mentioned that it was not her favorite year, because she was upset that I had a purse, hat and gloves and she was terribly jealous. Now looking at the photo I see she did have little white gloves on, but there I am with my hat and purse. I know if the shoe had been on the other foot I would have felt the same way.

 
I recently asked Ashleigh what her Easter memories are and she said she loved getting dressed up on Easter. She remembers each year getting a pretty dress and feeling like a princess. My younger girls (13 and 15) have been asking for a week if the Easter bunny was coming this year. I just kept saying how do I know, do I look like the Easter Bunny to you? Each year we have them put their baskets on the table and then the Easter Bunny comes and fills them with treats and then hides them. There have been years when the Easter Bunny hid them a little too well, and there would be tears of frustration, so Mom and Dad would have to jump in and help locate the missing basket. Sadly the years of egg hunts are over, but the basket hunt still continues. Our yard will be quiet this year. I loved making the egg hunts for the girls (I still have a big bag of plastic eggs in my basement), but I also do not miss the stress of trying to pull all of that fun together. Someday when there are grandchildren around perhaps I will feel differently. I might even dress them all up and get a picture of them.
So, I sit here in the quiet house sipping my coffee waiting for the sleepy heads to all wake up and find there baskets. There is even a little something for Ashleigh and Scott. I hope that there will be talk of other memories that we all have, and who knows, maybe we will make a few more memories today too. So, I guess I better get hopping; this bunny has breakfast to make.
Todays photo is from 1963...Easter with my cousins!

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