Happy Easter

For the past several years I've racked my brain each Easter to create Easter baskets for my kids that are age appropriate. So of course I'd go out and buy chocolate and stash a few dollars in a plastic Easter egg. This year I had to be a little more creative since I'm now playing Easter bunny for Violet. Years ago I would have gone out and bought the classic chocolate Easter bunny, peeps and jelly beans. But parents today don't allow candy especially for someone's Violet's age.

So I found one of Violet's favorite animals, a duck (quack, quack), shaped into an Easter basket and stuffed it with animal crackers, squeezable fruit, nibbly fingers (like a granola bar for toddlers), cereal bars and French toast goldfish crackers. This might be a chick but we're going with a duck.

Looks like Violet would have preferred chocolate!

Violet also got her first taste of giving a gift to me. She bought me an Easter basket with a bag of my favorite Topsy's cheese popcorn and a card with her handprint on the back. This is worth more to me than any gift bought in a store. But she did cry when she realized it wasn't for her.

Michael had to work early today so instead of cooking an Easter dinner for just me, Jamie, Melissa and Violet, we decided to go to Harrah's and meet Michael for dinner. It's not bad going out to dinner on a holiday. I'm thinking of doing this for all the holidays.