Easter Egg-stravaganza

Our family did a variety of activities to celebrate Easter this year. The weekend before Easter, we attended an Easter Egg-stravaganza event sponsored by my parents' neighborhood association. The event is well-organized with a wide variety of kids' games and booths, and it isn't too crowded-- perfect! Right after arriving, Jaden and Cody stood in line to get balloon creations.

My ninja-loving, battle-ready boys asked for swords.

The kind balloon artist insisted that Daddy have a sword too so he could join the battle. :)

Next, we took Adley to the petting zoo, thinking that she would get a kick out of the animals. Even with cousin Abby trying to encourage her, Adley wasn't sure she loved being so close to all these creatures. Adley never cried, but this little scowl on her face never really left either... :)

Playing on the playground equipment was MUCH more up her alley! 

Cody and Jaden also stood in line for cotton candy, which ended up being worth the fairly long wait, as these creations were HUGE!

Of course, the primary reason for attending the Egg-stravaganza was having an opportunity to collect Easter eggs. Because this was Adley's first egg-hunting/gathering experience, we had practiced ahead of time at home-- spreading plastic eggs across our carpet and encouraging her to put them in her bucket. We were curious to see if she'd carry over the knowledge to this event.

Daddy held Adley back until the egg hunt began.

Right away, Adley picked up an egg...

...and then sat and analyzed it for quite some time, trying to figure out how to open it.

Then she walked around the field, not too interested in collecting eggs.

In the end, however, Adley did pick up probably 6 to 8 eggs. Not bad for her first time!

Adley's big brothers were quite helpful in showing Adley how to open the eggs and finding the candy inside.

Now Adley realized the joy behind the hunt! :)

Shortly after the younger kids' egg hunt division, the 5-year-olds were ready to start their hunt.

These experienced egg hunters had a plan!

It cracked me up to see how much they took off when the countdown concluded.

This egg hunt lasted much less time than Adley's age group! These kids knew how to gather eggs quickly! The boys were very pleased with their large pile of eggs and their nice haul of candy.

Thanks to Grammy and Papa for including us in your great neighborhood event. What a wonderful morning!