Easter Egg Extravaganza

Today was the last official day of Spring Break.  I asked my kids if they wanted to go somewhere like Flagstaff and watch a movie or something, but to my astonishment, they didn't!  They just wanted to stay home and veg.  I took that as a challenge to do something with them.  The solution?  Easter Egg Dying. When I was a kid we used to decorate the eggs and hide them outside.  The older siblings would help the younger ones, and then we would spend hours outside hiding the eggs until the eggs became too damaged to hide.  I am a slacker mom. I haven't done this with my kids in years!   Probably because I'm lazy and I don't like the mess the dye makes, or maybe it's because nobody wants to help color eggs with me.  But this year I decided it was time.  So I dragged them all downstairs, had the girls boil the eggs, and after eating 2 of them with our lunch (mmm, tuna sandwishes) we dyed the eggs. 
Funny things happen when you start to dip eggs into dye.  First the kids are cranky and not wanting any part of it, but as soon as that first egg comes out of the cup all colored up and pretty, they start changing their mind.  "Ooh, I might want to try one.  But just one."   Or, "That looks kinda cool mom, but if I color an egg I will make mine look like this:"   And so it begins.  16 eggs to color, and 4 kids coloring them.
  Karly was so excited to dip her eggs into the pretty colors, but not before scribbling all over them with a white crayon.

 
Clarissa experimented with dipping her eggs into 2 colors and then drawing faces on them.  Very creative. 


.





Kaitlyn would dip her eggs into multiple colors at different angles, giving it the tie dye effect.











And Ethan, well, he just had experimenting all kinds of methods, and became very creative with the permanent marker.  I love the faces on these eggs... and on that boy! 






Before long, it was no longer the ol' I don't want to do this, but instead, it was Aww, are all the eggs colored?  Can we make more?  

I love these kids, and it's moments like this that remind me that my time with my kids is the most important investment I can make.  I need to remember that, and look for more ways to spend quality time with them.  They grow up so fast, and before long I will have nobody here to color eggs with, or to make messes with.  I'm so thankful I have been blessed to have 4 terrific kids in my life.  They make me smile, give me reason to get up in the morning.  I couldn't imagine my life without them.  And because of the sacrifice that my Savior did for me, I won't have to.  I get to spend and eternity with these terrific kids.   Happy Easter everyone!