Mississippi Day 3: Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday morning we celebrated Easter with Daniel's family.

I remember our very first Easter at the Grandparent's house. Dylan was about half a year old and was the only baby and only great grandchild. Every year since then, with exception of our first year in Texas, we have celebrated Easter here. Fast forward seven years, and there are 7 great grands running around and Dylan is far from a baby.

Grandma and Grandpa do a fantastic jobs of making Easter something that our littles will never forget. The day is always full of all sorts of fun traditions. One of my favorite is that Grandpa always has something ready to build with each of the kids. He's done a bird house, a bird feeder, and this year he did a little marble game with them. The little ones love the one on one time with Grandpa and they feel so big a and special using his tools and making something cool.

At any given point during the day, you can find a group of folks swinging in the gazebo. When I spotted Grandma and Grandpa there, I had to snap a picture or two. I'm thinking this one will go in a frame.

These folks have been married over 50 years and they are still in love. Inspiration.

I've mentioned it before, but this old tree swing sure has been the co-star of many happy moments. The way that the gazebo draws in all the grown ups, the tree swing does to the children. Its rare to look over and find it empty.

Also, its rare to look over and see a kid swinging this high. What was Daniel thinking!? ;)

Every family does an egg hung. But at Grandpa's and Grandma's we do a scavenger hunt. They started this when Daniel and all of his cousins were kids themselves. Now not only do all of those grown up "kids" still get a (much harder) set of clues for their scavenger hunt, but their kids get a set of clues for one too. I think that's the neatest thing.

And because I'm Carl Edwin's daughter...

I must show you pictures of the food table.

If you know my daddy, you know what I'm saying. If you don't, lets just say...

his love language is food. ;)

I realized that I hadn't gotten a picture Daniel's parents and the kids while we were at their house, so I had to grab one when I spotted them sitting under the gazebo. (I feel like that could be the title of a good country song)

Grandma and Grandpa are my father in law's parents.

Grandpa, Umpa, Daniel, and Dylan...

that is four generations of Hilburn men celebrating Easter.

That's pretty special.

Those sweet little goat came out to celebrate with us too!

And we always have a special VIP guest each year...

And of course, the egg hunt.

That silly bunny even does the Hokey Pokey.

I don't take it for granted how special these days are for our family and for my kids.

I know that not every family has opportunities to get together like this.

Not every family sticks together long enough to see grandchildren raising great grandchildren together. Its pretty rare, at least where I live, to hear "my second cousin...."

I'm so thankful that this is the dynamic of our family. That Dylan and London know and love their second cousins and their great aunts and uncles.

I hope they'll always know how special their family is.

And I hope that this is the way that their children are raised also.