2nd Annual Eggstravaganza!

 Last year marked the first year that Nate and I decided to make an Easter Egg Hunt an annual affair that we would invite all of our friends and 'second' family over for a fun afternoon of hunting, playing and maybe some sporadic adult conversation amidst oodles of kids under the age of 5.

It was so fun, and we couldn't wait to do it again this year. Here is the thing. There was one GIANT thing different between this year and last year (even though the hunt only took place 7 days later)....can you tell what the difference is?

Last Year

This Year

Yes...quite the difference in landscape. On one hand it made finding the eggs easier, but the kids really had to WORK to get to them given how far you would sink into the snow when walking on it. But our friends didn't let that get them down. They brought out the boots, snow pants, and 'carry-on' attitude that all MN must adopt at this point of winter. 

Matilda really liked hunting for eggs after she realized that finding eggs meant she got to put the egg in the bag--which was probably her real favorite part.

And it was fun to see some new additions to our hunt since last year. As more of my friends have babies, this is only going to get more joyfully chaotic each year. Elsie did a good job finding her first Easter Eggs.

And Elena who was only there 'in spirit' last year was already trying her hand at some finger food.

Tillie's good buddy from General Mills daycare, Amanda joined in the fun as well and she was VERY good at finding the eggs!

I didn't get a ton of pictures because let's be honest--last year Auntie Em was on Tillie duty for the whole party which meant I got to run around and take fun pictures, and Nate got to run around and drink beer. This year, with no Auntie Em, the pictures drastically decreased. Combine that with the weather and there really was no chance.

But I did snap this adorable photo of my friend, Steph's, little girl Katy. She seriously has the best 'camera' smile.

It didn't take long for these kids to find the nearly 300 eggs we hid, and I can only imagine in about 2 years when the bulk of these kids are around 4-7 years old. It is going to take them approximately 5 minutes to obliterate all of them.

I can't wait!

Given that I am due in literally 4 days, we dialed back the fun, creative special touches this year, but still managed to do some cute stuff thanks to Pinterest.

Candy-Coated Popcorn

(I may or may not have almost burned the house down popping one batch of this popcorn)

DIY Easter Banner

(You guys should have seen Nate measure and help punch out the stencils. It was impressive)

Goldfish Carrots and Cut-Out Rice Krispies

(Because I knew that Marie would be giving Matilda every possible treat she could...) :)

Easter Chick Cheese Ball

(A last minute, and very tasty decision)

And each little egg hunter got to take home a little parting gift just in case the sugar high wasn't enough to keep them happy in the car ride home. :)

It was such a fun afternoon, and Nate and I were happy that our tiny little house didn't feel tooooo tiny to hold all of the fun. I can't wait to see how this goes next year with TWO Hanson Girls at foot.