Home for Easter

Wednesday, April 8th

It was a longer span of time since Brad's last visit, so we were ready for this one, especially since Daddy was coming home for Easter! Oliver is always a good boy at the airport. He always says "Hi! Mr. Policeman!" to the Sheriff and security guards there...and they always say howdy back and are always impressed with his manners and patience, I guess. As last time, he came over and asked you a few questions and gave a big smile to you just before he handed you two nice Sheriff stickers. You hammed it up for my camera. And then Daddy finally arrived! Whooo-ha! Happiness!! Extra exciting since earlier in the day it appeared that Brad would not be getting in as planned. American Airlines had so easily given his seat away as he waited to board the plane in Dallas. After not getting on the next available flight on standby, and a persnickety staff asserting that he would not make the last flight to Las Vegas, either, we were resigned to him staying overnite in Dallas. But yippadeedoodaa, his name was called on that last flight, the only person to get on. Long story short, he DID get into Vegas, just later than planned.

We slept in late on Thursday. We took a ride to the nursery and got some flowers and herbs for planting in pots, and Brad bought a few tomato plants to put in the garden here. We spent some time catching up on yardwork, and spending good quality time together. Here, Daddy gets some long-awaited love from his best little guy, and his best little furbaby, who decided Brad needed a good cleaning....



On Saturday there was a big Easter Egg Hunt at the park across the street from the house, so we decided to take Oliver over there and check it out. They had their own little Easter Bunny setup, so Oliver sat on his 2nd Bunny of the year. He gave him hugs and gave his bunny nose a good tickle as well.

A couple pictures with Brad and myself in them...

A sweet picture hugging Daddy's neck...

Let the Hunt begin!! I like that they had it separated into appropriate age groups, so all the little ones had a chance to get a basketful of eggs. It probably lasted a whole minute, but there were lots of eggs to be picked up and Oliver did a fine job of gathering.

Time to break open the eggs to see what kinds of goodies await...lots of sweet tarts and gum. Oliver was excited, even though he cannot have gum yet (those are for Mommy).

On the way home we stop for gas. Oliver sees me eating a piece of his gum and totally loses control. I told him not to be upset--he can't have gum yet anyway. This does not soothe him. He informs me that he wanted to keep it for years until he was a bigger boy so he could eat it then. I told him the gum would be dried-up and crusty by then so get used to seeing Mommy eat it! It is SO hard being 4!

Saturday night we spend some time coloring eggs.

We let Oliver open the big Easter care package that Meme sent. In it are the requisite candy and toys, as well as a dinosaur cape of some sort. We proceeded to dress Skippie Lu in it. She appeared to be in bliss and didn't move an inch, although with her skittish personality, more likely she was scared outta her wits and feared she might explode if she moved...her fear made for an easy picture.

The thing Oliver loved best were all the cupfuls of various "ingredients" for use in making some Ghost Pirate Stew. Penne pasta, applejacks, sunflower seeds, split peas, spices, curly egg noodles, and cinnamon sticks. There was even an Easter bucket for a pot, and a nice stirring spoon for whatever concoction could be dreamed up. And, to carry on the family legacy of wooden spoon spankings, Meme sent Oliver his very own wooden spoon so i can put it to use when needed. I love it. Hehe.

Easter Morning. Skippie relaxes. She's only had 20 hours of sleep.

Easter Bunny made his little visit to our house. He hid our colored eggs, which Oliver scoured from their hiding places. Between the Big Bunny and ReeRee, GranDaddy, and Uncle Wawa, Oliver received a child' share of cash, candy, a couple Wii games, and a Children's Bible. Mommy and Daddy gave a little basket with some candy, a kite, and some bubbles in it. After getting dressed we go out back to see if Easter Bunny hid any eggs. Yep. A little hunt ensues. Gotta capture the childish wonder and simple joy from these events while they last!

We played the HOT/COLD game trying to help Oliver find this yellow egg right near his head. He never found it. Only by accident did it fall from it's hiding place to be discovered.

Skippie gets in on the action.

AHA!

Inspection time.

Time for some nice photographs. My heart melts a little more each time i look at these. My serious, handsome, grown-up little fellow. Melt away...

In the afternoon the ingredients come out for playtime, but instead of pirate stew, Oliver has new ideas. He plants the salted sunflower seeds, and with the rest of ingredients he makes a batch of "birdfeed." He makes beautiful cupfuls of feed so elegantly decorated with sticks of cinnamon. Our little Iron Chef-in-the-Making.

For Easter Dinner we have a simple but yummy meal. Jeannie brought a lovely ham and baked beans. I made some homemade scalloped potatoes, as well as broccoli and green beans, and devilled eggs. It was all delicious.

For dessert i tried my hand at making zabaglione. With some lemon cake, mascarpone cream, strawberry lemon coulis, and fresh berries, I think it turned out well. Everyone ate it up, and Oliver wanted more. A pretty little dessert.

To work off dinner, we all tried our hand at the Wii Hottest Dance Party game. We have had it for some time and never used it prior to this. It always seems more fun when there are friends to enjoy it together. Oliver can't grasp this game yet, so he cheered Jeannie on. The game lends for some good laughter at the middle-age folks trying to get the hang of it. Good thing we had wine with dinner. We all sucked at it. :) But, it was a super-fun end to a Blessed Easter Day!

Monday night we went out to The Stratosphere. Whenever we drive around town Oliver always points and asks about it. He knows about the rides on to of it. Once we arrived to the Indoor Observation Deck, we enjoyed the view. However, the highlight of Oliver's night seemed to be the acquisition of a souvenir from the old Penny Press Machine. We indulged and he got his 51-cent squishy penny with the Stratosphere pressed into it. He marveled over the size of his muscles.

On the Outdoor Deck...

Las Vegas really has to be one of the prettiest, most colorful cities at night. What a fabulous picture!

Wednesday again. Time for Daddy to fly back. Oliver loves to ride the moving walkway at the airport.

One last family photo. They are hard to come by since I am always behind the lens. A nice stranger in line happily took this snapshot for us before Brad ran off through x-ray. We had a great time! We love you and miss you, Daddy! See you soon!