Bubbles and Blossoms: The McGaugh Family Blog: Catching Up: A Magical Easter

With Easter almost one week past, I am a bit behind on my blogging. So we step back in time...

This past Easter was absolutely the best Easter I have ever had...and one of the best days in life, all told.

I had stayed up late the night before getting things ready for the Easter Bunny to visit us, but when I woke up I was so excited for the day to begin and to share it all with Kate. When we came into the family room, we found a note from the Easter Bunny! And apparently he had played with all of Katie's blocks...

Kate loved her in-house egg hunt and really took to it quickly, searching high and low. She loved arranging and rearranging her candy on our hassock and eventually put all of her eggs there, too. She also received a basket from the Easter Bunny, and she loved the bendable bunny, the kitty stickers, crayons, and little car.

We then made some orange rolls for breakfast and then Kate and I got dressed. Grandma and Grandpa came to pick us up to take us to Aunt Diane and Uncle Brad's. Easter isn't really Bill's thing, so he stayed home...but it sure is my thing, especially being surrounded by family and sharing happy moments with people I love.

When we arrived, Kate and I played in the flowers for awhile and greeted everyone before settling into Uncle Brad's cheery office for a storytime and nap. While Kate slept, I helped a little with dinner; then we moved her outside onto some lawn chairs while we ate a scrumptious feast. I have never been a big fan of lamb, but the Easter lamb was PERFECTLY cooked and I loved it. We also had ham, wild rice, salads, rolls...the feast was endless.

After awhile, Kate woke up and ate some ambrosia salad with Grandma. Then many of us decided to take a walk to the beach (they live in Oceanside about 1.5 miles from the beach). We traversed our way down the seaside cliffs into a little cove-like area. We could see the lighthouse in the distance and possibly the pier, far away. The sand was wet and glorious and the sun---just beginning its descension---cast golden light on the wave crests.

Kate had never been in the ocean before, and so this would be a memory forever... The beauty was so immense, I could feel my heart fill up. Even though we take so many pictures of her, we didn't take a camera on our walk. But I do not need a picture of that moment, because it will stay with me forever. Everything I love about living was in that moment, and I got to share it with my daughter.

First we drew in the sand: hearts, balloons, smileys, our names... Kate watched the tide rise and then recede for several moments. We sang, and we looked closely at seaweed. The water came up and touched us... For Kate, it was love at first feel...

She knew to hold onto my hands, and yet she wanted to venture out. So fearless, so ready to embrace life. This last quality I hope we always share. We let the water bathe our feet, wash the hem of her dress. She had on a beautiful white dress from her Nana, a dress that danced about her legs in the wind, a dress sandy and beachy. We could smell the salt in the air. The water, while cold at first, felt like an extension of our bodies after a time. We watched the sun dip further to the horizon as we chased the water in and out and splashed and held hands tight.

When we walked home, we crossed back over the train tracks and saw TWO trains come by, hoo-hooing. A perfect time...