Easter 2012

This year we started the Lenten season talking about what we would be giving up.  Last year I decided the family was going to give up soda.  This year I thought it best if each kid decided on their own what they would give up.  So what did they choose?  Zachary and Joey gave up playing Minecraft on the computer.  I don't even know what this is, but I did catch Zach on it at least once.  Not sure about Joey.  Vinnie said he would give up hurting Christopher.  I was real excited about this, but unfortunately he did not stick with it at all.  Christopher said he would give up kicking Vinnie in the butt and penis.  He did well with that, but replaced it with farting on Vinnie. If I hear Vinnie scream "Christopher is farting on me!" one more time I am going to scream!  Not an improvement in my book!  And me?  I gave up candy.  I did pretty well until Good Friday when I was stuffing all the eggs for the hunt.  I slipped and had a piece, and then another.  Then I figured what the hell and totally went off the rails shoving candy in my mouth like there was no tomorrow.  I actually had a candy hang over the next day.  Ugh.

We started off with egg dying on Saturday.  Saturday night we went to the Easter Vigil Mass.  Pete and I have done this Mass alone, but never with the kids.  It starts at 8pm and lasts over 2 hours!  It is a beautiful service though, and I have been wanting to make this a family tradition, allowing us to skip the super crowded Easter morning Mass.

This is what the younger two looked like in the first 30 min!  Yep, sound asleep.  It looks like no one else was there because this is when the parish all went to the baptismal font.  Zachary served as altar server for the Mass and Joey hung in there without complaining at all.  Over all, a success!

Easter Sunday is always spent at my mother-in-law's house.  Brunch, Easter egg hunts and swimming always make for a fantastic day.

The little kid hunt is first for the 10 and under crowd

Vinnie stopping to check his eggs

The youngest 2 get a head start

Chris with cousin Asher, who is 18 months younger! Funny how they are the same size.

 Here they are checking out their loot-- the little kids eggs are filled with toys and candy.


After the little kid hunt was tons of swimming.  We couldn't have asked for  more fabulous weather!

Handsome Zach!

Joey and Vinnie

Christopher with cousin Augie

Finally it was time to start the big kid hunt.  Yes, most of the big kids are now young adults--that doesn't stop them from the egg hunt!!  They all still look forward to it every year.

The big "kids" checking out their loot--they get candy and money!

Zach raked in $29 this year!!

An actual picture of me!  A rare item, rarely seen on my camera!

The younger cousins with Nani

 "The March Four"  -- These 4 were born within a 3 week period of each other back in March 2002.  We try to get pictures of the 4 of them together.

Here they are on Mother's Day in 2002!  Joey is the pissed off looking one with the binky in his mouth.

No one ever wants to leave the Easter party, so we usually end up sticking around for dinner too.  And with a family this big, it is always someones birthday.  After dinner we celebrated Gregory's 19th with 56 cupcakes!

Hope everyone had as great an Easter as we did!!