Easter and Since

This year I decided I would put a little effort into at least one holiday. We don't ever end up celebrating at our house, so I don't usually do anything special at home. But I have such happy memories of the great Christmas stockings and Easter baskets my mom used to put together for us, that I took action for a change.

For starters, I cleaned the house. When we were not expecting company. Then I put together some baskets for the boys (Spiderman temporary tattoos, Sesame Street books, pixie stix, robin's eggs, jelly beans) and for the grown-ups (beer, beer, chocolate candy bar with bacon, pixie stix.)  I had planned to hide plastic eggs all over the house (the weather was miserable) but found I only had six. So I snuck into the boys rooms while they were sleeping and hid three eggs in each room. Hiding one in each of their underwear drawers was a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. They talked about it all day.

I even set the table before bed and put the baskets out at each place. It was totally worth the effort.

We had a semi-fancy breakfast; as elaborate as I could manage before church. And just right, really, because we had a big holiday feast to look forward to later. We had fresh berries and boiled eggs (maybe next year I'll REALLY get it together and we'll color them), sausage, and Shaun's Easter bread, with mango-passionfruit mimosas for the adults and mango-passionfruit juice for the kids. Willem got really fancy and wore his nicest underwear and his new robot T-shirt to the table. I guess at some point we're going to have to make it a requirement to wear pants at meals.

In the afternoon, many of the extended family gathered at Shaun's folks' house for a ham dinner. Shaun must have had camera fatigue, for we only have one photo.  It features me making a deranged face at a baby and lots of people's backsides. Fortunately, cousin Amy took a lot of pictures.

The Wednesday after Easter, I started a new writing class through the Clark College continuing ed program. I enjoyed it, and I can tell that I'm going to learn a lot both from the teacher and from the other students, who are almost all writing already. Mostly it's a place to start writing rather than just thinking about writing, and to receive a lot of encouragement. Also it's two hours out of the house once a week. It's a good thing.

We really have been busy, for us. Shaun was kind enough to make a friend for me at work, and she and I went out for food and drinks in Portland. I had a good margarita and mmmmm coconut prawns at OBA!  The weather was beautiful, so we sat outside and watched the people go by. Then we went to Bar Due, where I had herbed gnocchi with rabbit.  Ah, adventures. Ah, a respite from boy energy. Ah, adult conversation.  

With all of this, we still have Shaun's birthday and our 9th anniversary coming up to celebrate. As soon as the thick layer of tree pollen coating our entire neighborhood washes away, we are going to have a great spring.  I can tell.