Easter Smeaster.

Easter smacked me upside the head this year.  I just wasn't super ready.  We were finishing off a week of Spring Break where we had literally just taken turns being sick, me being the grand finale...the kind where I didn't rest once during the whole week since I was trying to entertain kids and make the most of their week off...therefore making my illness last a full week instead of 2 days like everyone else.  I still don't feel over it, but maybe that's just because now I am "recovering the house" from having everyone home 24/7 for an entire week.  In any case, I do love spending time with the girls when I am really making effort to "spend time" with them.  They make fun, wherever they go.

 Doesn't Hazel have the most squeezable looking face? Kinda makes me wanna go upstairs and wake her up to take that face in my hands and just kiss 'em...almost.  And those other girls...is it normal to wanna cry every time you see a picture of all your daughters together like that?

 We had some friends from Connecticut come stay with us at the beginning of the week.  I am too lame to have taken any more pictures than this but at least I got one! We were foolish enough to go downtown during Spring Break.  I mean, I sooooo know better.  But we went, we saw, we came home and relaxed.  Thanks Carol and boys for coming!! It was so fun to see you guys!

 Remember how I mentioned our skitso weather? On this particular day is was quite chilly and our stay at the farm was brief....but long enough to visit each of the animals and touch lots of dirty things.

 I was particularly taken by the litter of piglets...do you call them a litter? Well, there was a litter nonetheless.  I wish I had taken a picture again a few minutes after this when they charged their poor mother laying on her side...they attacked her underside with such voracity that her back was banging up against the back of the stall....and it continued on like that for quite some time.  Again, I would have taken a picture but I was a little horrified but how "un-cute" those rotten little piggies were being.  And the mother, not saying one darn thing.

No manners at all.

 We dyed eggs even though no one but me eats them...and I kinda have to force myself.  I did make up a big 'ole bowl of potato salad to eat at every meal since I am the only one that likes it.

 We had a lovely lunch and egg hunt at the park with friends on Saturday.  Hazel's mouth was stuffed with chocolate from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon.

 Having children stinks because it is near impossible to find matching buckets to add with each child you birth.  I scored this year at Target with these adorable little things. 

PS I love my cricut.

 And remember how I mentioned that the shipping date changed for the Easter dresses that I ordered four weeks ago? I got them in the mail today.  The girls will feel all pretty and new 2 whole Sundays in a row.  The first ones I ordered were clearance, non returnable type.  So being the Type A mother of four daughters that I am, I went out on Thursday and found four matching dresses (in do-able sizes, amazingly enough on clearance!) and cute-ified them.  I took off their funky little flower things from the shoulder and added some of my own from fabric that they each picked out from my little stash.

It all worked out in the end and only cost me a few run-ins with the hot glue gun.

Post Edit: I feel a little sheepish now having sat back and read my own words that I failed to mention anything about the real Easter.  A few years ago I was inspired by sister in law Megan's idea to do "Funny Bunny" day on the Saturday before, getting it all good and partied so that I feel good on Sunday about just sticking to the real Easter thing.  I grew up doing our big family get together and hunt on Sunday, I don't have a problem with all that but Funny Bunny Day is a tradition that we have adopted and come to look forward to.  We obviously have no qualms about participating in all the commercial celebrations throughout the year-they're fun and there's nothing wrong with that.  
So there is my two cents about the real real Easter.  I love it a lot too.