Easter Bunny goes to the Land of Oz

If there is one thing that I have learned in life, my expectations are usually not the same as others.  This is especially true with my kids.

When I was a kid, my Easter basket was a work of art.  Eggs with the little hole that you could look into and see a little Easter village, a SOLID chocolate bunny with your name written on it, handmade white and milk chocolate lollipops, jelly beans and homemade peanut butter eggs.  And, two 45's...you know, Afternoon Delight/Starland Vocal Band, Love Train/Ojays and Sing/Carpenters.  I loved my Easter Basket every Easter morning.  I had the best Easter Bunny.  Gene and Boots Candies were the best.

Three years ago, I found a candy store in Richmond, Virginia that makes the exact pieces that were in my childhood baskets.  I called and placed my order for my three kids.  Oh, I was SO excited for them to have the same lovely and delicious Easter basket...free of commercialism, wrappers and kid crap. 

They went to bed and the Easter bunny worked her magic.  Loved the baskets.  Oh, the little eggs piped in icing and the scenes inside the eggs were lovely.   Delicious spiced jelly beans.  And, the solid bunnies  with blue and pink icing spelling out their names and personalizing those baskets.

And, guess what happened, "mom, where are the Skittles and the Sour patch kids?"  "Mom, you cannot even eat that egg with the hole in it".  "Mom, no Reese's peanut butter eggs?"

My heart was dashed.  I did eat the home made peanut butter eggs out of their baskets just for spite and because I could.  I wasn't abstaining from chocolate then.

I guess I couldn't expect my kids to dance with merriment over the baskets when it wasn't what they were used to.  They didn't know better.  They wanted what they were used to.

We are leaving to visit the "button" tomorrow. 

We will spend all day Sunday with him. 

This will be like Easter Morning all over again.  I cannot expect them to dance with merriment when this isn't what they are used to.  It will be the first time since May 16, that all five of us spend time together, as a family.  A significant amount of "stuff" has happened to us since then.  A whole summer has come and gone. 

I do have some expectations about this trip.  I expect to have one argument with Franklin over his driving and looking in the center glove box for "something".  I expect Walker and Addie to ask 45000000 times, "when are we going to be there?.  I expect my three kids to clean out the free breakfast buffet while other patrons just stare at the amount of food they can consume while being super mannerly and gracious.  I expect to be nervous Sunday morning when we go to get the "button".   I expect some awkward moments.  

I expect to be happy to see all three of my kids together. 

That is it, that is what I expect.  And then, when we return home, when the Walker and Addie fall asleep, I expect that my husband and I will discuss and relive and dissect every moment of the visit.


What I REALLY want, is the Easter Egg with the lovely little scene in it.  That lovely scene will be the five of us.  I can sooo see it through the hole...really, I see it.  I am not going to expect it.  I am just going to HOPE for it.


After returning home, I expect that I will have about four loads of vacation  laundry to do.