It's been awhile since I've had the chance to sit and write, even though I think about it often and would like to get it taken care of. As the title suggests, this blog covers Easter (and the day before we call "Egg Day"), a trip to the indoor water park at the Great Wolf Lodge, and the ever so-great playthings, Lincoln Logs!
"Egg Day", while not an official holiday, is the day before Easter. As I grew up we began to see the commercialization of every holiday increase significantly. In order for my siblings and I to remember the reason for the actual holiday, we began to celebrate Egg Day the day before Easter. After all, Easter isn't about bunnies and chocolate eggs, or hunting for boiled and vividly colored or plastic eggs filled with candy and toys. Easter is about the Savior and his sacrifice for us. Valerie and I decided it would be a wonderful opportunity to carry on this tradition with our children. Not being as creative as she, I left the details up to Valerie on where to hide things and any "clues" to get from one point to the other.
After the girls "rest time" was over for the day, but before they got up and out of bed, the doorbell rang several times. The front door was opened, closed relatively hard to make some noise, and in very surprised voices, Valerie and I stated our disbelief that a large rabbit would leave a bag on our porch. We got the girls out of their room and began trying to figure out what was going on. There was a short message from the Egg Day Bunny which directed the girls to read a book about the Easter Holiday, and then to follow the clues in order to find what he had left. Before they could start their hunt, they had to put on their "ears", it kept them in tune with where the eggs might have been hidden. It was fun to see Maria and Fatima go from room to room following the clues, gathering eggs, and trying to find out what the final "surprise" was going to be.
The ears! So CUTE!!!The clues weren't very difficult, since we're dealing with younger children, and there weren't too many - I think maybe 6 in all. In every room there were two eggs for each girl and a clue that led them to another room. At the end, a large basket (small laundry basket) was decorated and filled with some candy, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and other goodies (fun stuff, not just food items) for the girls.
Maria and Fatima listen intently to Valerie as they check out the bags for the hunt and their first clue!At the end of the hunt, a basket (small laundry basket decorated with stickers, etc.) filled with some candy, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and other goodies (not just candy, but trinkets to play with) was found and the girls LOVED it!
The basket also included some candy for Valerie and some sugar free goodies for me! How thoughtful of that mysterious rabbit!
Fatima and Maria check out the HAUL of eggs... Each got a total of 14! Some had candy, others trinkets, and one even had glitter infused Silly Putty!After egg day, we spent Easter with my parents. We had a great Easter dinner with ham and mashed potatoes, fruit salad, veggies. YUM!
On April 10th we were met here in town by Valerie's oldest sister Jessica and her three daughters, Tiana 15, Shaely 11, and Sydnee 7, as well as Grandma Bev (Valerie's mom). That afternoon we drove to the Great Wolf Lodge and got to play at the indoor water park!
From left to right: Maria, Fatima, Sydnee, Shaely, Tiana. Of course, there is the lifeguard walking along the deck, and the boy to the right of the frame, but I don't know their names.Uncle Daniel and Cousin Jordan met us a little while after we got checked in, and we all had fun in the water park.
Jordan, is Jessica's oldest. 16 and at least 6' 3"!That night we had dinner at the buffet in the resort, and went to bed. I had to get up and go to work the next morning, but the girls got to stay and have another day of fun!
After such a long day, it wasn't easy to stay awake, even at the dinner table.
Fatima couldn't help it either. It wasn't long and she was out!
Wiley the Wolf tells stories every night at the resort. While I wasn't there for it, I know the kids learned "Stomp Stomp, Clap Clap, Oooowwwww!!!"
Maria, Fatima, and Sydnee getting silly before story-time starts.
Sydnee, Jessica, Fatima, Maria, and Grandma Bev in the lobby of the lodge.
Day 2 in the water park with uncle Daniel! They're getting sprayed by one of the many water features.
Maria and Fatima on one of the water features in the "kiddie pool", where the water is about 10 degrees warmer than everywhere else. Going from the larger pools to the small one is like getting out of a bathtub and into a hot tub, only not to that temperature extreme. I believe the temperature of the "kiddie pool" is somewhere in the 80s. At a doctor's appointment recently the girls discovered "Lincoln Logs". I don't know if they'd ever been intoduced to them before this particular day, but both of them seemed pretty intrigued. Valerie and I decided it would be good to get them a set when we could. A few days ago we surprised the girls with a brand new and complete set of Lincoln Logs, and they put the whole set together. They've had a lot of fun playing with it ever since!
Still the same as I remember, though maybe updated slightly for "ingredients"; however, they're still made of real wood! In some of the literature that came with our set, it looks like there might be a "pastel" set we might consider looking for. Valerie claims there are pink logs as well, and though I haven't seen them myself, wouldn't be averse to getting them for our girls.Today is school picure day, so barring any copyright laws that might prohibit their release, or anything which might be considered a safety issue, I might be able to post their new school photos soon. I'll try to keep everyone updated better, but I'm finding it gets harder and harder and I can't find a reasonable explanation.
Until next time, stay safe and be well!
