Easter Egg Hunt at Loretto Convent

We slept in until 9:30 today - WOW!  When we did wake up, we couldn’t believe how warm and bright it was already.  Raj had the wonderful idea to go out for breakfast, so after quickly getting dressed, we headed to The Brunch Café for… brunch.  It’s the first time we’ve been able to get in because our other attempts have required an hour (plus) long wait for a table.  Though it seemed pretty busy this morning, we only had to wait for fifteen minutes.  Our food was fantastic.  Raj had stuffed potato pancakes with a side of sausage.  Shawn had a bowl of mixed berries (can’t go wrong there!), a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, and bites from our plates.  And, I had a huge Mediterranean omelet with feta, spinach, and sundried tomatoes, with a side of pancakes.  Everything was delicious.  We will definitely be going back… next time we get out in time for brunch!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today.  It was a perfect day to be outside at the Easter Egg hunt at the convent where Mona works.  (Although, it turned out Mona had a family emergency and wasn’t going to be there this year.)  Actually, it was even a little warm - the thermometer in my car read 86 F!

In the basement of the convent were two rooms set up for the festivities.  One room had various prizes for a silent auction as well as dozens of gift baskets for raffles.  There was also a table of pizza and salad and cookies, but most of that was already gone by the time we got there – it’s a good thing we ate a big breakfast! Down the hall was a room of activities for children.  A series of Easter themed games wound around the room (putt-putt, buckets, ring toss, dig for prizes, etc.) and the Easter Bunny was set up in a corner for pictures.  Shawn was a pretty reluctant about going near the Easter Bunny.  Each time we reached for his hand to encourage him to move closer, he’d duck out of the way.  So, Raj held him and they took the picture together.

Outside, the children lined up by age groups so the youngest ones could have a few moments of a head start so they wouldn’t be trampled by the bigger kids.  There were hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic Easter eggs scattered across the yard of the convent.  The plastic eggs had candy inside, so of all the chocolate ones had turned to mush after baking in the sun for an hour or so before the hunt started.  Any attempt to handle them just resulted in the chocolate seeping out of the wrappers.  Though I suggested putting them in our fridge, Raj didn’t think they’d make it all of the way home without turning to puddles in the car first, so all we brought home were a couple of lifesavers and Tootsie Rolls.  I was disappointed to see the chocolate wasted, but it’s probably for the best.

A little girl, who looked not quite a year old, lost interest in collecting the Easter Eggs when she found a mud puddle created by an old tire track to be much more exciting.  Taking no notice of her mom in the distance making desperate pleas for her to stop, she ran right to the juicy puddle and kicked her feet about making fantastic, brown, sludgy splashes all over her brand new Easter dress.  In her puddle splashing merriment, she lost her balance and toppled over, landing with a great splosh! in the middle of the puddle, covering any remaining inch of her Easter dress with brown goop.  The little girl’s mom was completely frozen with dismay, while she giggled with delight in her glorious mud bath.  Seeing her mom virtually distraught, all I could offer her was a partial pack of wipes that I had in my purse.  I wanted to get her a towel and some clean clothes for her daughter to change into, but my well stocked purse wasn’t quite that accommodating.

After the East festivities at the convent, Shawn napped in the car on our way to Melissa, Tom, and Blake’s house for dinner and a playdate.  We hardly ever see each other since I’m not at Blackhawk anymore, but we’re trying hard to get together when we can.  (It doesn’t help that we live 30-45 minutes away from each other now either!)  Shawn had a great time playing with Blake – and his toys.  Raj and I had a great time catching up with Melissa and Tom.  And, dinner was delicious.  Sure wish we could do it more often!

At bed time, Shawn and I traded places and he "read" me one of his favorites stories, Happy Man and His Dump Truck.  Obviously, he was just looking at the pictures and remembering a few key phrases, but he even read some of it with the same expression that I do.  It was really cute.  I’m hoping to catch it on video sometime!