It’s that time of year when stores are packed, mall lines are long for pictures with the Easter bunny, and moms fussing at their kids about getting their good shoes messed up. Guys pull out their best suits. Beauticians and barbers work tirelessly to make everyone look like models for Easter Sunday. Families dyeing eggs and enjoying dinner.
Speaking of pictures, how many of y’all have your children take professional Easter pictures? The end result looks “picture perfect” but be prepared to put in some work for it. I remember taking all 3 kids to take pictures at the professional picture studio at the mall. At this point, Marshall was about 4 months, Bubs was 1 and Mariah was about 3 and a half. I brought along my own props and the kids were all dolled up with cute hats and ties. Little did I know that it would only last for a few moments and turned into a juggling act to keep everybody together. The worst part was the wait. Although we had booked an appointment and made it there 15 minutes prior to our appointment time, we still ended up waiting another 30 minutes or so before we were called back to the photo shoot section. Once they called our name, it felt like I was selected for the Price Is Right. Yes! So we head back to the area. I was hoping we would be in the back area out of view from the common area but were placed in the middle section where the common area was. It felt weird to have other people watching you while the pictures are being taken. Anywho, the photographer announces the first pose and how the kids should be positioned. Cool, I get all three of them in place. Unfortunately Bubs is trying to take his hat off, Mariah is smiling but looking at the people in the common area instead of the camera, and baby Marshall is old enough to hold his head up but doesn’t quite know how to stop it from hitting the ground when trying to put it down. So I’m trying to hold Marshall’s head up, Mike is helping Bubs put his hat back on, as we’re coaching Mariah to “keep smiling! Look over here. Over here. Over this way Mariah!” Finally, a good pose. Now for 10 more poses with props and individual shots. The photographer was trying to get the kids to smile by using a plush bunny and high-pitched baby sounds. That was cool and all but doesn’t really work for my little people. They looked at her like she was crazy. I’m like “look I’ll take care of the funny stuff and you get that button finger ready because it has to be quick and fast”. By the end of the shoot, I probably lost about 4 pounds from sweating. Now to get everyone’s clothes changed out of the clothes that they have to keep clean for Easter and put back on regular clothes. That was another 3 lbs lost. After getting everyone dressed, we sat in the common area to wait and laugh at the other families who are experiencing what we went through. The kids need to be entertained so they are moving around, making noises, and getting antsy. Mike takes the older two to get pretzels while we wait. Finally it’s time to review pictures. I have my coupon ready and don’t try to make me buy more. So after we bought the CD (yeah they got me), we waited for the one free print that we earned with the membership. Of course it took another 20 minutes. By the time we got done, I realized we spent half a work shift there. But the pictures were awesome!
Easter egg hunts are also common for this holiday. Do you use real eggs or plastic? Indoor egg hunt or outdoor? What do you usually put inside the plastic ones? The kids love them. I usually do an indoor one and have a golden egg that contains a grand prize like a trip to their favorite restaurant and a giant egg that has a “blind bag” as they love seeing a surprise in a surprise.
And then there’s the good ole Easter baskets. Some filled with lots of sweet treats while others contain huge activity items like Basketballs and Jump Ropes. I remember I used to always want a Barbie doll basket and finally managed to get one from shopping with my Grannie. Love her! Baskets can be really expensive nowadays, which is why I choose to make my own. Plus, the kids have so many toys and knick knacks that they don’t even know the stuff inside is not new lol. I may toss a cool t-shirt in there with a coloring book to match and homemade rice krispy treats, and plastic eggs filled with stickers, cereal, etc. And they can take an egg or two with them to church to snack on as well t
keep them occupied during service. Shhh, don’t tell the ushers lol.
What’s your Easter tradition?