The Easter Bunny came early! He stopped by our neighborhood's Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday. In addition to baseball fields littered with candy-filled eggs, the bunny arranged for some fun activities for the kids. Jax & Baylor were eager to explore the offerings, but paused momentarily so I could snap a quick photo. I'm not going to lie. There was some protesting to the delay of their fun, but in the end they smiled to get it over with and make me happy.
As soon as I gave them the thumbs up, both boys were racing towards the bounce houses. I'm beginning to think that bounce houses are required for any & all children's functions. You'd think the kids would get tired of them, but that just never seems to happen.
Before Jax and Baylor were a complete sweaty mess, I suggested that we pause the bounce house fun and move on to visit the ponies. Baylor agreed to the proposal, but he refused to walk with me. Why would he when his best friend Grandfather's hand was available?
Jax didn't seem to understand the need for a guide. He was ready to give that pony a little nudge that would hopefully result in some get-up-and-go!
Baylor on the other hand, felt no need for speed, but I do think he would have enjoyed having his toy 6-shooters to complete the experience. Next year, we'll remember to pack those.
As if ponies on the soccer field weren't enough, there was also a train on the basketball courts. It was like a little boy's dream come true...bounce houses, ponies, and a train! It was almost enough to make you forget all about those candy-filled eggs.
I said ALMOST! Of course, Jax and Baylor weren't going to pass up the opportunity to earn a treat, especially if it included the chance to snatch it out of some other kid's grasp. I'm kidding...sort of. All manners are essentially out the window when it comes to egg hunting.
And, they're off!!! Jax had a good strategy, passing up on most of the infield eggs and instead making a beeline for the heavily egged outfield. Always thinking!
As a result, he ended up with a fair amount of loot. We'll be rationing candy for weeks, I assure you.
With Baylor, I was actually worrying that maybe we should have taken the time to give him a little lesson about how to hunt eggs. I wasn't sure he'd know what to do because he was so little during last year's egg hunt.
Well, let me just say that my worries were quickly laid to rest. As soon as the kids took off sprinting for the eggs, Baylor was right there with them! I don't know if he understood the point, but he wasn't going to let anyone steal his eggs. Let's just say he's every bit as competitive as his big brother!
And, equally proud of his accomplishments!
What a great warm-up for Sunday's main event.
So when Atom Ali from the Mad Science lab arrived to entertain the kids with her wacky science experiments, I had my doubts about whether she'd be able to capture and HOLD the kids' attention. I mean let's be honest, 5-year olds aren't exactly known for having impressive attention-spans. They're all sort of suffer from ADD, especially when there is a playground less than 5 feet away. I thought, "Uh oh! Wasted money!"
However, I couldn't have been more wrong. Those of you that know me, know that's not a phrase you're likely to hear...well...ummmm...EVER. I was wrong though. The kids were absolutely fascinated by Ali's experiments. Shoot! Who am I kidding? The kids weren't the only ones intrigued. The parents were captivated as well! Sadly, we (the parents) were welcome to watch, but the hands-on fun was strictly for kids. No parents allowed!
I'll admit it, I was jealous. I wanted to turn styrofoam cups into silly putty and don't even get me started on how much fun it would have been to launch rockets! That special honor was given to the birthday girl. The rest of the kids had a blast retrieving the rocket after it parachuted to the ground. Unfortunately, one was lost to the mighty grasp of a huge, old oak tree. Oh well! The squirrels have a new toy.
Even Baylor hung on Ali's every word. I couldn't believe that she held his attention for the full hour. That's truly impressive! I think I see a Mad Science party in Baylor's future.
This has to be the first party where the cake was Baylor's 2nd favorite thing!
The less competition the better, especially now that Jax & Baylor both believe they should be able to get in on the action. This year, as in years past, we held a separate candy egg hunt for the boys prior to the main event, but they're too smart for us now. They wanted some green stuff to feed their piggy banks, and let me tell you, I was worried after seeing how fast they are on their feet when going after those candy eggs. Surely, they'd step it up another notch with money involved.
Sure enough, both boys bolted out of the gates with their eyes on the prize! In the picture below, you can see that Jax beat Anh & Uncle Travis to the playing field. Baylor wasn't far behind either! Unfortunately, Baylor tripped and skinned his elbow a bit, but even that wasn't enough to slow him down. There were no tears, just dusted himself off, and took off running again. He was on a mission. Nobody was going to get his eggs!
For most of us, there was no real strategy involved. You just grab any eggs you see because eggs = money. However, the Easter Bunny did play some pranks on us this year by hiding a few empty eggs. So, while I was quite happy initially with the five eggs I managed to snag, my excitement quickly faded when I discovered 2 of the 5 were EMPTY!
Baylor clearly takes after me. He was so determined to win, he started ripping the decorative egg stakes out of the ground & collecting those.
In the end, Uncle Travis put us all to shame by finding both the gold & silver grand prize eggs. Those to eggs alone, put him over the $150 mark. Aunt Nguyen placed second with $33. I'd say we all know who we're going to have to take out of the race early next year. Watch your kneecaps next year, Uncle Travis!
