Hoppy (belated) Easter!  Hop was the word of the day this year because a holiday dedicated entirely to bunnies (or so Peanut thinks) is The. Limit.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Easter celebrations this year started on Saturday night, as we dyed our eggs.  I love having eggs dyed and I know it’s an easy thing to do, but I always get it into my head that it’s a huge hassle and mess and I dread it and procrastinate as long as possible.  It really wasn’t that bad.  A few rounds in the Paas cups and we had a nice little harvest.

On Sunday morning, Peanut was up at her customary early hour, so we bundled her downstairs to check out her Easter basket.  The bunny had been by and had left her a Peter Rabbit-themed basket, complete with a set of melamine plates and cups, a stuffed Peter, a counting book with a Peter Rabbit finger puppet, and two of the Peter Rabbit books – The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies – in the new Warne editions.

As I rather thought would be the case, the dishes were the biggest hit.  Peanut amused herself for a good twenty minutes with carrying two of the cups around the living room, offering drinks to her toys.

We fed Peanut a quick breakfast and then it was off to church.  We had barely arrived when we bumped into Grandpa, who was getting ready to sing with the rest of the choir.  We said a quick hello and then headed to the nursery to play until the Easter service began.

Why yes, those are Jesus & the Apostles finger puppets.  No big deal.

The Cathedral is a beautiful space and the choir is fantastic, but I missed what felt like most of the service (hubby assures me I wasn’t gone as long as it felt) because we’d barely made it through the processional hymn when I realized that the increasingly antsy child sandwiched between us had a good reason for all her twitching.  Peanut and I rushed back to the nursery and it was off with her sweet Easter outfit and on with the romper we’d tossed in the diaper bag as backup.  Once Peanut was changed and her wet clothes were packed away, I decided everyone would be happier if she got the rest of her antsies out in the nursery.  So we hung out while Peanut played trucks and ate cookies with the other littles, then headed back upstairs just in time for communion.

Peanut passed out in the car on the way home, but we woke her up when we got there.  We arrived to find that Nana and Grandad had laid out a yummy, light brunch to tide us over until dinner.  Kielbasa (turkey for Peanut and me; pork for everyone else), horseradish, rye bread, sweet bread, pickles, eggs, and a butter lamb – yes, please.  Peanut worked off the brunch by pushing Peter Rabbit and Goodnight Moon Bunny around in her Easter present from Nana and Grandad: this hilarious stroller.

After brunch, Peanut headed upstairs for a nap, Nana and Grandad went for a long walk, and I baked a carrot cake and prepped the veggies for dinner.  Halfway through Peanut’s nap, Grandpa arrived after finishing his long choir day and we settled in for some much-needed relaxation with a book (me) and beers (the men).

By 2:30, Peanut was up and chatting in her crib, so we found ourselves another cute spring dress and entertained ourselves with an egg hunt in the sunroom while dinner cooked.  Please excuse me for posting all of these pictures, but can you blame me?  Behold this cuteness:

 

Dinner was served around 5:00 p.m.  We had roasted chickens, carrots and Brussels sprouts, and a Romaine salad with an herbed yogurt dressing.

Dinner was delish, but all I could think about was what was coming next.

Why yes, that is a carrot cake (Pioneer Woman’s recipe) with cream cheese frosting.  WHAT.  I need to make carrot cake more often.  It’s one of my favorites.  (Second only to Angel Food, and a very close second at that.)

I think Peanut had a pretty fabulous Easter.  Come to think of it, so did we.  And the best part?  I think that would have to be the gorgeously warm, sunny day we enjoyed.  Is it really spring?  Is this interminable winter finally over?  That would be an Easter miracle, indeed.

Happy Easter to all of my friends who celebrated yesterday!  I hope your day was as glorious as ours was.