Unconventional Easter Fun

With any holiday comes many traditions and countless variations thereof. I had the fortunate opportunity to join Char-Lane to her family-in-law's Easter festivities. She mentioned her husband would be working, so she would love to have some company for the ride and for the afternoon. Ryley was going to be up in Calgary working longer than he expected, so I was excited to get out for the day and experience the annual egg-rolling. I conveniently had 2 dozen eggs in my fridge to hard-boil, and Grayson and I went to Char's place a little early to color them. Without fail we were met with Summer's happy jig when we arrived. 


Soon after we arrived the kiddos we sent on an Easter egg hunt, and shortly afterwards we headed out to the hill to roll some eggs. I've actually only heard of people rolling eggs down a hill, so I was a little excited to participate. We rolled a few, and sent the kids to fetch the unbroken eggs. After a couple rounds it was time to watch the guys see who could throw the farthest. We girls opted out of the distance  round as to avoid certain embarrassment. 

The highlight of the afternoon is when I learned more about this variation in family tradition. I was told that some years ago someone thought it would be a good idea to sacrifice themselves as a moving target for the avid egg throwers. This year two such targets volunteered for the occasion. I managed to get a few pictures of one contender in action.

Padded jacket on, hard hat in place, ready to go... 

He's off with egg's already in mid-air.

Tactical skills definitely an asset when dodging this kind of colorful ammunition.

The afternoon was less than ordinary and lots of fun. I didn't learn until after we had left that there was also a family Easter dinner that afternoon. It wasn't my intent to encroach on the family function, but I felt welcome and was met with friendly and some familiar faces. I appreciate the generosity of Char-Lane's extended family, and thank them for the food and the fun. This Easter has been memorable to say the least. 




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An ~ Earth Friendly ~ Easter Event

Today we met the Easter Bunny! This year has been lots of fun because Grayson's little imagination has started to catch on to things like Halloween, Santa Claus and the Eater Bunny. He was super excited to go see the big fluffy candy-loving rabbit this morning and we couldn't get out the door fast enough. But of course, when the time came to actually sit with the Easter Bunny, he needed a little encouragement. Thank you Auntie Carly!

The Galt Museum here in Lethbridge usually has some sort of event going on each week. I know there's events for the children and families planned each Saturday, year round. For us it's just a matter of getting out and taking advantage of the community event and resources, such as the Galt.


In addition to meeting the Easter Bunny, there were lots of different -Earth friendly- things for the kids to do.


First we dyed Easter eggs with all natural colors. I'll admit the egg turned out better than I expected. The beet dye worked a little more efficiently than the others, but we were told that the other colors did work. It just takes time and patience, which all preschoolers have ample amounts of...  I'm not sure what the other dyes were made from, but after a little research I've found out that you can use blueberries, kale, turmeric, grape juice and coffee to dye eggs. But really. Brown eggs? That doesn't seem very festive.

We then stepped outside to color with some sidewalk chalk where we were greeted by some familiar faces. Angie and Anderson were out with her sister-in-law, Jolie, for the morning. It is sure becoming common occasion to see more people I know, and I love it. Angie told me that I need to go out for another visit to come see the lambs and baby goats. I'll expect to meet them goats in the near future.

Kite flying is also Earth friendly, and Grayson would not focus on the other activities inside until he had a turn. It was a small challenge to catch the kite in the wind, especially after getting tangled in the other kites, and with the kite itself  as Grayson experienced firsthand. I'll admit it was my highlight of the morning, the struggle it was somewhat amusing. But soon enough we got the kite and the kid coordinated and he was free to fly.

We finished up the morning decorating Grayson's eco-Easter tree. I was assigned the task to build the eggie sheep and Carly helped with the chicken. There were other goodies to add to his tree, but I think Grayson's attention span was spent, and we left before anyone got grumpy. 

I say so far this Easter's festivities have been a success, and Eco to boot. I love the 3 year-old imagination, and I'm looking forward to assembling the rest of the Easter goodies tonight. I actually really enjoy hiding the Easter candy, in addition to eating it. I'm looking forward to spending more time with family and friends, and less time with my textbooks. If this blog does nothing but help me get my priorities in order, it's already been a success. 




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