More Easter Fun

 

 

 

I feel us treating holidays a little differently this year than we did last year.  What informs this feeling I think is that there's a possibility of her actually remembering some this stuff now.  She's definitely enjoying it more, maybe because we've only recently been able to build an extended sense of anticipation with her.

This Easter, we tried to be especially conscious of the build up.  With the egg dying, cookie baking, house decorating, making of cards, and finally leaving carrots out for the Easter Bunny (Huelan's idea), this is one of the first events that we felt she "got."  The egg hunt at Grandma's house was the big finale, and all the candy was the payoff.  Definitely burned in some reward center synapses in her toddler brain.

I do worry a little about overloading the pleasure centers in her noggin; near the end of the morning, there seems to be some diminishing return with each jellybean.  We saw it around Christmas and her birthday, too.  But I can't blame anyone for wanting to spoil her- I've accepted it as their right, duty even, stretching back eons.  It's the parents' job to reign the kids in later and teach them that there's more to a holiday than candy and presents.

That's why we keep this blog- so that if one of the kids end up in therapy and wants us to pay for it,  we can always point back to this record as incontrovertible proof that at least we tried to foster a positive childhood.  Might save us a few grand down the road....

Easter Pics Here, including a Saturday Easter fair at Dunsmuir Gardens, a hidden gem in East Oakland of all places.  We were rookies (no picnic blanket, chairs or anything really), but at least we got there early.  There were probably 2,000 people there when we left, and more trying to park.  Mulitiple highlights of that day: hand-feeding a pot bellied pig, petting a blue tongued skink, and face painting.

Edited to Add: I just heard Huelan ask Gosia, "What's next after Easter?"  Uh Oh. Arbor Day?