Easter....before and beyond

This past weekend was magnificent! On Saturday we took the kids fishing to a local pond (Turtle Pond). We all had a great time. The weather was great, it wasn't too busy, and Bobby amolst caught "The Big One". He had it snagged on his line, was pulling it in, and then the line snapped as it made this huge splash. I was the only one that didn't get a good look at it since I was waiting to get a great picture. Jesse enjoyed looking at all the tiny fish swimming around her hook.

On Sunday we went out to lunch and then had the best egg hunt ever. With this much space to hide eggs, the kids were searching for quite some time. With the combination of real and plastic eggs, they had 79 to hunt down. We started out with 80, but hubby decided to place one of them on the outside of squirrel hole on one of the trees. Soon after, the egg rolled into the hole and partway down the tree. At least one squirrel family had a little treat this easter.

We got creative this year and decided to put some different things inside the plastic eggs instead of the usual sugar filled treats. Here are some of our ideas:

• Big, juicy strawberry
• gold fish crackers
• grapes
• cat food (yes, cat food. Hubby's idea as a joke, but the kids absolutely loved it. Jesse said, "You HAVE to do this next year!")
• notes with the following written on them
• one free blizzard
• one video game rental
• one pack of gum

Next year we'll have to think of some more creative ideas ahead of time. 12:00a.m. the night before my brain does not want to work so well.

After the big hunt, we decided to do some yard work (I think hubby was feeling bad after I hurt myself.....hey however the work gets done). Since I was still not in any shape to rake, I had my first lesson on lawn tractor driving. I must say that when I was finished with my lawn tractor duties, I now know why Tim Taylor grunts all the time. I almost *almost* found myself grabbing my crotch, spitting a big 'ol lugie on the freshly cut grass, and sitting down to a nice, big cold one. There's something about those lawn tractors that raises the level of testosterone in your body. I may have to my face to mylist of things to shave if I take over that job too often.

And now for the "beyond Easter" part. Monday I took the kids to go see "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown". We stopped at Home Depot on the way home (I hate that store) to get some wood for my garden boxes. When we returned home, hubby was outside raking (yeah!). I joined in, while cooking dinner on the grill. One of neighbors was out walking his dog and stopped to introduce himself. I love meeting the neighbors but it always seems weird to just go knocking on people's doors to introduce yourself. The spring weather seems to bring people outdoors more often therefore increasing the chances of bumping into one another. We told him our plans of wanting to have a barbeque and bonfire, sort of a block party. He said that's just what this neighborhood needs. There's something about sitting around a fire that gets people talking. It's always been my favorite part of camping. I can't wait to get the marshmallows toastin'! Anyone want to join our party just let me know.......as long as you're not one of those creepy internet lurkers.