The 2nd Annual Cleland Clan Easter Egg Hunt

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If you know me, you know that I don’t make Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter dinner. However, there is one tradition I’m trying to establish with our growing family, and that is our annual Easter egg hunt. Last year we started this tradition with our grandchildren, the oldest of whom was almost three (read about our 2018 egg hunt). We had so much fun that we decided to hold it again this year and to involve the older “children.” By children, we mean our 20-something year old kids. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a good Easter egg hunt?

 The 2019 Cleland Clan Easter Egg Hunt

Setting a date

I chose the Saturday before Easter this year (April 20) as our date because I knew we would be home. We were planning to travel to Utah and Nevada over our March spring break, so it was easy to plan the egg hunt close to Easter. In 2018, we held our hunt on March 18 as Dennis and I would be traveling to Ireland the week before Easter.  We originally planned to hold the egg hunt at 10 a.m. followed by lunch, but since Dennis was going to be out of town until Friday, we moved it back to 4:00 p.m. with dinner afterwards.  This really was divine intervention because at 10:00 a.m., it was absolutely pouring rain.

Planning the menu

Our menu was simple: Sloppy Joe sandwiches, chips, deviled eggs, veggies and dip, grapes, and pickles for dessert. I made lemonade and iced tea, but later picked up some pop (soda for you non-Midwest people) on sale. Mom brought a rhubarb pie, and Aubree brought “Dirt” pudding.  I also made a ham just because it sounded good and had hot dogs for the kids if they wanted them.

 

Preparing the eggs

Dennis was in Missouri for work all week, so I stuffed all the eggs by myself. I actually used Christmas candy–candy that I’d bought deeply discounted after Christmas. Who cares if the bite-size Snickers and Twix bars were wrapped in green and gold paper? It was a great deal, and the candy didn’t expire until the end of July.  I stuffed 14 dozen small eggs for the backyard and 18 dozen small eggs, 1 dozen medium eggs, 15 large eggs, and 21 extra large eggs for the front yard.  There were also six little bottles wrapped in foil–I couldn’t find enough of the extra large eggs ($1 each at Dollar General) to put them in.

I did have some issues with candy not fitting. The smarties, little Rice Krispie treats, and Paw Patrol fruit snacks didn’t fit in the small eggs. For next year, I’ll try to get some more medium eggs.

I made sure to keep the eggs separate. Some of the candy (Airheads) would not work for toddlers, and the little ones definitely couldn’t drink the adult beverages.

The Easter egg hunt

We decided to hold two hunts: a hunt for the five and under crew and another hunt for the 21 and older set. There’s no one in the family in between those ages.  The little ones would hunt in the back yard where it’s flat, going from the patio to the woodpile. Baby Josh would have the small triangular area by the garage to himself.  The adults would hunt in the front yard, on the right side of the driveway (looking at the house)  from the front of the house to the road. Eggs could be hidden in the tree line, but adults would not need to step into the woods to get them. And while the children’s eggs would all be close to the ground, there were no limits on where the adult eggs could be.

Our toddler Easter egg hunt

This year we had five participants, ranging in age from 15 months to three years. Each of the children picked a reusable shopping bag from Dollar General ($1 for the Disney bags).  The girls knew what to do and went right to it; Josh wanted to open each egg once he learned there was candy inside.  They ran around, collecting their eggs, and really seemed to have a great time. Of course, the adults helped them as well–pointing out eggs that were overlooked and holding bags as needed. Afterwards, the little ones sat on the turnaround to empty their eggs and find out what they’d received.

 

 

The adult Easter egg hunt

This was so much fun! I don’t remember where I first saw the idea to put the mini bottles of liquor in eggs, but it was great.  There were eleven participants ranging in age from 23 to 72.  Dennis and I didn’t participate, and my niece Brittany stayed with the little ones as she has a one-month-old.

 

The adults lined up at the edge of the drive, and when I said “Go!” they took off running like shots had been fired.  They knew what the bigger eggs contained, so they went after those first. Jeremy even climbed a tree to get one.  I forgot to tell them about the foil, so some of them didn’t pick the foil wrapped bottles up because they thought they were trash (silly kids!).  I wish I would have been videoing because the hunt was hilarious.

 

Both of my parents said that this was the first Easter egg hunt that they’d ever participated in. Since I don’t ever remember going to one as a child, I’m sure that’s true. Back in the 70s and before, every little town didn’t have an annual Easter egg hunt like they do today (at least in our area).

Dinner

After everyone emptied their eggs and set them aside for next year, we went inside for dinner.  It was great to see so much of the family and to spend time with them.

What about those kids out West?

Never fear, this Grammy is on top of things (sometimes)! Little J.R. had his own Easter egg hunt at Arches National Park back in March. Mommy and Daddy didn’t get an adult one, but I can only do so much.  J.R.’s egg hunt took place on the trail back from Sand Dune Arch. We took advantage of a little lull in “traffic,” and Daddy took J.R. for a little walk while Grammy and Papa hid the eggs.

Conclusion

The annual Cleland Clan Easter egg hunt keeps improving. This year’s was definitely a hit–especially with the adults that don’t have little children. While it’s nice to watch it kids run around and pick up eggs, it’s even more fun to do it yourself. I have some great ideas for next year including tickets for larger prizes in some of the smaller eggs. Until then, Happy Easter!

Did you go to or have an Easter egg hunt this year? What were your thoughts?

 

 

 

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