Some Truths About Easter

Last Easter was pretty low key around here. That was NOT the case this year. Here are a few things we learned.

1. There's nothing like a little sugar to really get the morning started.

Next year the Easter bunny will bring less chocolate and more coins or toys or something. Anything. The kids were completely wired by 8:30 a.m., and the boys got up from their naps saying, "Now we can have more candy?"

Isaac kept saying the Easter bunny brought him "green beans" (jelly beans). Sam and Alex kept calling them "jumping beans." That was probably a little more on target!

Isaac and Amelia check out what the Easter bunny brought.

Tonight when the boys were in bed they were talking about how the candy was all gone. Glad they think so, because they aren't getting any tomorrow. I wonder how on earth my mother ever survived eight sugared up kids at Easter?

2. Easter grass is spring's answer to Christmas tree needles.

Next year, no Easter grass. That stuff is scattered from one end of my house to the other, and I tried to confiscate it all as soon as they pulled everything out of their Easter baskets.

And even though every child got an identical pair of these silly foam glasses, all day we heard, "Those are my glasses!"

Sam and Isaac show off their specs.

3. Church with three 2 1/2 year-olds is an aerobic activity.

The nursery was closed for Easter Sunday, so we had to take all of the kids to church with us. I wished all day that the Easter bunny had brought me a body double to go to Easter mass. We went at 5:30 p.m. when it wasn't crowded.

It was raining when we got to church, so Jeff dropped us off at the door and I took the kids in by myself. First they used the handicapped button to open the door of the Perpetual Adoration Chapel. I had all I could do to keep them from storming the chapel and interrupting the peace and quiet.

Then when we went into the church, without Jeff, Sam freaked out and started hollering to leave. Amelia was holding his hand and tried valiantly to keep him from taking off while I rushed Isaac and Alex into a pew and went back to grab Sam. Alex came running out of the pew crying as well, so I ended up carrying two crying boys into the pew. Talk about an entrance!

Jeff showed up just in time to save me. He kept stepping out with Sam who wailed on and off, saying "Can we get out of here now!" for the first third of the service. We think it was the noise that bothered him. Alex and Isaac liked the guitar ("bit-tar") music, so that helped keep them busy.

Every time the music stopped or there was a pause in the service, Alex would say loudly, "It's ober." By the end, the people around us were laughing every time he said it.

We did a lot of shushing and telling the boys to whisper. They would say back, not in a whisper, "We whisker."

Sam, Isaac, Alex and Amelia in their Easter finery.

The only other incident was when Sam and Amelia found a piece of dried up chewing gum stuck under the pew. Amelia was trying to pull it off with her fingers, but Sam put his mouth on it. Ewww!

At the end of the service, the lady next to me told me we did a bang-up job of getting the kids through Mass. I appreciated that, because by the end Jeff and I were both sweating. I'm sure I burned off all the Easter candy AND the homemade carmel roll I ate.

4. Bedtime can't come soon enough on a sugar-filled holiday.

By the time we got home from church it was time for pajamas and bedtime was in sight. If only it were that easy. I think the last child finally gave up at 10 p.m.

I repeat, there will be no sugar tomorrow.

But tonight there will be wine. Mom and Dad have earned it!