Worst Easter Bunny Ever

If you ever feel like you’re a cruddy parent, then take heart. Confession: Ryan and I did nothing for the girls for Easter this year.

Okay, so I did buy them dresses (like a year ago), but there were no baskets, no candy, no bunnies… In fact, last night Ryan got home from a long shoot and admitted that he didn’t have it in him to get up and go to church this morning. So we skipped going to Easter Sunday service and opted to watch it in our pajamas online. (Hey, Jesus is one of those “come as you are” guys, right?) We even skipped BRUNCH (my favorite) in favor of the convenience of leftovers. Talk about a parenting fail! I mean, I fully believe that the commercial, cultural side of this holiday isn’t the point of Easter, that Jesus’s resurrection is really the only thing that matters today, but the secular celebration of Easter is still fun as a completely separate thing. I actually enjoy ushering in Spring with pastel dresses and belgian waffles and egg hunts and fuzzy white bunnies. Oh, well. The girls are too young to remember that the Easter Bunny skipped our house this year, right? :) I hope so, because I’m feeling like the worst Easter Bunny EVER.

Here’s what we did do to mark the occasion: Yesterday we put on the Easter outfits my mom bought the girls, went to lunch and then visited the Kroger Easter Bunny (classy). Ryan and I didn’t want to do a formal visit to the mall bunny, but when my mom mentioned that there was a free one at the grocery store, I figured it would be fun for Emma Vance. Too bad it was way more of an informal set-up than I expected, meaning that we had to run around the entire store to search for him — unsuccessfully. We eventually figured out that he was on a break, so an employee gave E.V. a balloon to tide her over. When he returned, all frustration was forgotten with a single lollipop. (Kids are so forgiving, haha!) Today, during the girls’ nap time, I decided I felt totally guilty for not doing anything, so I grabbed last year’s eggs, filled them with Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies and Fruit Snacks and set up an impromptu egg hunt for Emma Vance (which she loved!). Both she and Cricket enjoy being outside, playing and listening to the “birdies,” so we all enjoyed some last-minute fun this afternoon. Then, tonight we had dinner at Ryan’s mom’s house. Wendi and Mike helped E.V.  “plant” jellybeans a few days ago, telling her they’d sprout up for Easter day. Before we ate, E.V. ran outside to harvest her crop — which included chocolate carrots and lollipops. Like a true little kid, Emma Vance was excited about her magical Easter garden and all of the goodies that had grown. ;)

2014 wasn’t the most traditional of Easters for us (we’ve just got so much other stuff going on!), but I’m constantly reminded that my littles are filled with joy and wonder at the simplest of things in this world — which was the unexpected reminder that our unpreparedness gave us this holiday. Next Easter, though, I think we’ll at least make it to real church. ;)