Our Easter Weekend with Clara

This Easter felt like a milestone for Clara — she may have discovered a new favorite holiday. Whether it’s the bright colors, the novelty of egg hunts, or simply being old enough to appreciate the fuss, she had an absolutely fantastic long weekend.

We started celebrating a few days early with a small egg hunt at a local park last Wednesday. Her older cousins, Jake (who turned 13 this weekend) and Olivia (10), weren’t with us for the main holiday, so this was a chance to kick things off together. Clara scored two eggs — which, truthfully, were gently handed to her and her 18-month-old cousin Emanuel — and she was instantly smitten. She couldn’t stop looking at them and refused to put them down even while playing on the swings. Apparently the only thing that improves swinging is swinging while holding an Easter egg.

That park hunt was only the first of three she enjoyed. On Saturday we stumbled into a store-hosted egg hunt in the grocery store; yes, it happened in the paper towel aisle. It was aimed at kids under seven, and Clara came away with a single egg, a balloon, and a huge grin. That fun little detour warmed her up for the main event on Easter morning.

Easter morning took place in the yard around my parents’ beach house in Delaware. We set a simple goal for Clara: find nine eggs. Fresh from her earlier successes, she eagerly hunted around, with Sherry and I pointing out a few well-hidden treasures. She delighted in dropping the coin-filled eggs into her basket — most of the time one egg still clung to her hand — and relished the ritual of collecting them.

Her basket for the day was actually a tin bucket we picked up at Target. It matched her nursery colors and fit perfectly with her existing love of buckets, which for the weekend was slightly eclipsed by her new fascination with eggs. We also filled it with several of her favorite things — Cheerios, ribbons (which often excite her more than the wrapped gift itself), and a few small toys — all carefully chosen to be baby-friendly.

We made sure to capture our weekly fabric-background photo with a little Easter twist. Yes, that’s a real carrot in the shot. She loved it and posed like a tiny, bemused bunny.

Beyond baskets and egg hunts, the number one reason Clara fell for Easter this year was the sand. Since we spent the weekend near Bethany Beach under unseasonably warm, 80-degree skies, both Saturday and Sunday included trips to the ocean. The breeze kept it from being swimsuit weather, but it didn’t dampen our beach fun.

Clara’s previous sand experiences were limited — once at six weeks old and largely oblivious, and once at Rehoboth Beach on Valentine’s Day when she didn’t enjoy sand blowing in her face. This time she met the beach as a curious explorer. She pinched sand between her fingers, tossed it in the air, and even tried a tentative taste (the verdict: not great). By Sunday she was confidently crawling in the sand, hunting for seashells, and amusing herself with the small discoveries that a beach day brings.

Sunday’s outing also included a brief fashion moment with new sunglasses (tolerated for about ten seconds) and plenty of quality time with family — mommy, baby cousins Emanuel, John, and aunts and uncles who were all part of the celebration. Trying to photograph three squirmy babies on a windy beach was a challenge, but we managed a few sweet shots that captured the spirit of the day.

The weekend was meaningful for grown-ups too. Our cousins Cat and Travis welcomed their baby on Sunday afternoon, and we were able to stop by the hospital on our way home to meet baby Edison Dean and congratulate the whole family, including proud big sister Elsa. Everyone was doing well, which made the weekend even brighter.

Before heading back home, Sherry and I spent some time brainstorming a new patio project from the beach. My dad is planning a stone patio behind their beach house, and we sketched out ideas for the patio we’ll be adding to the side of our own house behind the carport. The plan includes a paver patio for outdoor living and some fencing for privacy, while preserving green space for shade and landscaping. It’s early days, but we enjoyed imagining how the space might look.

All in all, Easter gave us sunshine, sand, family time, new baby cuddles, and the kind of small celebrations that make lasting memories. Clara’s Easter adventure — complete with eggs, baskets, bunny props, and lots of sand — was the highlight of our weekend. How was your holiday? Were there egg hunts, special baskets, or beach trips involved?