Easter past, present and future...

I love Easter. When I was a kid I think it was my favorite holiday of all...
Not because we got to sing my favorite hymns in church (though that is a good reason), but because of the Annual Easter Hunt. I'm not talking about hunting for dyed or plastic filled eggs. I'm talking about the Easter hunt my mother set up for my sister and I every year which led us on an investigative exploration around our house in search of our Easter gifts. This tradition, which was started by my mother's mother's mother has left many a child in the Hansen family sleepless the night before Easter (like my cousin Kira...who apparently couldn't sleep the other night for this very reason!). It was Sooooooo Exciting!! I think there was some early pretense about the Easter bunny hiding everything in the early years... I specifically remember imagining this large human size bunny coming in my room and slipping a clue underneath my pillow while I was sleeping.  I think this creeped me out a little bit which must have been why it was known early on that mom was really the one laying the clues.  But that's how it all would begin. We'd wake up in the morning to find a clue under our pillow or at the end of our bed...and our empty basket would be there waiting to be filled.  Before I could read I remember the clues were carefully drawn pictures of the dishwasher or a sink...and as I got older they turned into clever poetic rhyming hints. Each clue lead to a present and another clue until we found the biggest present of all. I'll never forget the Easter when my final clue lead me to this gorgeous hand-made bunny wearing a beautiful pink dress...I was so excited I had to bring her to church with me and she sat proudly displayed on my bed until I left for college. 

It's been a good 12 years since my last Easter Hunt...but you better believe I'm going to carry on this tradition with my children. Gunnar might be too young this year...but I might give it a try next Easter.  Thanks to my great grandmother's  clever idea her great grandchildren and  great-great grandchildren (and hopefully great-great-great grandchildren-someday) alike will most likely be sleepless on Easter Eve just like I was for years and generations to come! Thanks Great Grandma, Grandma and thanks mom...for all the special Easters of my past and for my children's future!

John's parents!

I love that we couldn't get a good pic of my family...this says it all!