10 Kids, 2 Families + an Easter Egg Hunt
• 02 May 2011
I want to preface this post by saying how much we enjoyed spending time with the Blair Family last week (Design Mom & Co.). Gabrielle and Ben are lovely people in every way and their children are equally as adorable. It was so much fun getting to know those cute kids in person after seeing their faces on Design Mom. This is jumping ahead a little bit, but my kids were so sad the day the Blairs left town...this family truly left a void and we all felt it. My youngest daughter even cried, she missed that Betty so much!
We had an amazing time hopping around the Dordogne with the kids enjoying fantastic weather, great food, and lots of pain au chocolat for breakfast each day. Every child had a buddy that was their same age, which made for instant friendships and lots of smiles. With the children happily occupied, the grownups were even able to enjoy a surprising amount of adult conversation and even a "date night" in one of the nearby villages. We were quite the sight with the ten kids and two large vehicles between us (both considered industrial-size in France), but we didn't let our large numbers keep us from having fun. We picnicked, flea marketed, canoed, and played hard--and this was all outside the big Easter Egg Hunt we looked forward to so much.
On the morning of the hunt, we enjoyed copious amounts of sunshine and lots of heat; in fact, the entire week previous just as gorgeous! I was feeling confident the afternoon would be everything I hoped for. However, clouds moved in fairly quickly after arriving to the gardens and rain and thunder commenced. The smaller children had a chance to pick up eggs in an area designated for wee ones; but, most of the older kids were only able to snag one or two eggs before becoming completely soaked. We softened the blow by consuming homemade ice cream cones before running to the vans and cranking up the heat (who knew Daffodil ice cream was so delicious?!). I'm still trying to figure out why it always storms when I'm visiting the Marqueyssac Gardens with friends.
One last detail about the hunt: the eggs were real...yes, REAL! Can you believe the staff hand-dyed probably a thousand plus eggs for this event? We were flabbergasted and once again reminded why we love French things and French culture--the attention to detail. Plus, real eggs come in handy when you're hungry...more than one child dipped into their egg stash for a petite snack.
Also, it seems that many of you enjoyed Easter Egg Hunts this year too...I feel like I've heard a lot of chatter about them out and about. Did they go well? Are you finding that you enjoy Easter as much as Valentine's Day now, or have you always appreciated it?
Wow. What amazing experiences you have had! I love the fact that the eggs were real. What is it about the French that makes them get it so effortlessly right all the time?
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed this post. Family time is precious.
ReplyDeleteWe do a mix of real and candy filled eggs...
ReplyDeletesounds like y'all had a wonderful time! The photos are lovely.
I read Stephmodo and Designmom each morning...who knew that you were pals!!! No wonder I love both blogs. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
ReplyDeleteGirlfrog, I know, right?
ReplyDeleteModern Palm/Alisa, how fun that you do real eggs too! Love that.
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ReplyDeleteI grew up in the south and there were always real eggs at the annual community easter egg hunt. My husband was the one who first introduced me to the plastic candy-filled tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe photos are just lovely. Nothing quite like the love of childhood family friends. Looks like your families will see each other again ;)
ReplyDeleteErin, I love that you enjoyed a similar experience in the South. What fun that must've been!
ReplyDeleteHow fun was that??? Adorable pics too!
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