The Easter Bunny managed to make an appearance despite stores being limited on items.  He/she even made the girls some pretty nice baskets filled with puffy paints, glues, stickers, bath bombs, Twix, and some books and socks. The girls played by the rules and stayed in their rooms until 9:00, a deal we made since they stayed up to 11:00 Saturday night watching The Greatest Showman.   That gave me a chance to meditate, journal, workout, shower, and even put real clothes and make-up on all before 9:00!

They eagerly crowded the stairs at 9:00 a.m!  They had made notes and pictures for the Easter Bunny Saturday, something they had never done before.  As such they weren’t sure if the Easter Bunny was going to leave the notes and pictures or take them.  We weren’t sure either!

The girls were super excited about their Easter baskets.

Breakfast was pancakes, sausage, and fruit for the girls while Justin and I had some eggs and yogurt respectively.  (We’ve been temporarily moving furniture around during this quarantine…today our breakfast table is in our “living room”).

At 10:10, the girls got on their IPADS and attended Sunday school while Justin and I watched the Church Service while drinking our coffee.

The girls were eager for their Easter Egg Hunt and thrilled that I was able to find some Swedish Fish and chocolate candy online. This was the first year without jelly beans; however, the girls understood and were just as excited about the Swedish Fish as a replacement.

The girls cooperated with the obligatory Easter pictures knowing that those must happen before the Easter Egg hunt could begin.

And of course some family pictures were necessary as well.

It was chilly out today causing a last minute wardrobe change for me….my cute jumpsuit turned into jeans last minute, the first time I haven’t worn a dress for Easter in at least five years.

And then finally they were off! 

The girls had their own egg colors for which they were hunting, a tradition we started last year and is liked by all the girls.  Twenty-seven eggs for each girl.

Some candy was enjoyed after the hunt.

A second hunt, a free for all hunt, occurred in the afternoon….about 40 eggs, none of which are color designated per kid.

Claws and tears came out this time!

Whether it was a friendly competition or not was debatable.  They all agreed they like having their own eggs better; yet, I did witness quite a bit of sharing, playing together, and a joyous day by all!

My dad (papa) is 70!  Tuesday was his 70^th birthday!  It doesn’t seem possible, nor does it seem possible that I am 40!  My days have always gone by quick and the months and years even quicker!  In some respects a lot has happened since the days I was a teenager and my dad was in his 40’s.  At the same time, those days still remain vivid memories.  His hair, what is left anyway, is all gray and thin.  Yet in my head, my dad still has a full head of black hair.  My perspective may not be reality; however, it is my reality.

My dad is not a huge partier and originally didn’t want to do anything special for his 70^th other than a simple dinner with family.  However, I think he realized that not only do you turn 70 only once, but that turning 70 is a gift…a gift worth celebrating!  He became excited about the prospect of a celebration and so we decided on dinner at The Palm.  It was supposed to be him, my mom, Justin, myself, the girls, Russell and Mary, and Mike and Susan.  A few weeks ago, we realized that dinner was not going to happen.  We are in midst of a pandemic….schools closed, restaurants closed, workers teleworking, the world social isolating and quarantining.  Even as I type it, this situation seems unreal.

Hugging and kissing are out of the question as is entering my parents house and vice versa.  Sunday we paid a driveway visit to my parents as a way to say hello from afar.  We also dropped off my dad’s present giving it a few days to sit and rid itself of any potential germs.While I am sure my dad was disappointed that we couldn’t celebrate as we originally planned or truly even together, I still wanted to make the day special.  And I think we did.  For surely, it was a unique birthday and one in which I am sure he will never forget!

We started the day with some birthday videos and a FaceTime call.  I ordered crab cakes over the weekend from G&M along with some She-crab soup.  Late afternoon, I made mashed potatoes and garlic green beans and a delicious healthy coconut cake with lemon buttercream.  I cut it in half and we kept half! 

We piled in the van at 5:30 and headed to their house.  We stood at one end of the driveway and them the other.

He opened his presents which included some homemade crafts from the girls and a “vintage 1950’s t-shirt.

He enjoyed the poster that I put together over the weekend that documented his life in pictures from the time he was a little boy!

We “shared” a bottle of wine by bringing our own wine glasses and having a no-touch pour in the middle of the driveway.  The girls decorated the driveway.

My parents enjoyed their dinner together and when it was time for cake, they Facetimed us so we could sing happy birthday again!

We took a break from eating our dinner, which looked identical to theirs! 

We will celebrate at The Palm in time when this all passes.  Until then, I hope he enjoyed the thoughtfulness behind this year’s celebration.