The Easter Party

What a great day! I've been daydreaming about having an easter egg hunt here at the Altman Ranch ever since I first walked the property. Our lot is long and narrow, oddly shaped but magical, none-the-less. It does seem to go on forever, further and further back, winding around to end with a little grassy back yard. The front yard is decorative and sunny. Lots of tropical plants like sago palms, bird of paradise and tropical ferns hint at the Spanish ranch tucked behind the little front gate. inside the gate, there's more tropical trees, but camellia's too, a fig tree and giant mulberry tree. the next section of the property is a brick patio with a container garden. fifty or more pots are full of a wide variety of plants. past the patio, there's a sweet little shady, woody area with azaleas, cactus and ferns, culminating in an herb and cutting garden. then there's the little patch of grass at the very back. So there's lots to explore, especially for a three year old.
After a brunch of bagels, fruit, egg bake and coffee cake, it was time to hunt eggs. Several of the adults, and some of the older kids (Devyn and Jarrett) hid them outside while I read a story about a chick and a bunny to Alex's playgroup and a few other friends.
The hunt itself lasted about ten minutes. All the children ran wildly around collecting as many eggs as they could. Surprisingly, no one was hurt and not a tear was shed. Many of the kids re-grouped for a session of egg dyeing. Of course, Alex didn't use a spoon and relied on the agility of his own hands to dye his eggs - every one green. His hands were green for the next 24 hours.
Before everyone left we did finally sample David's gorgeous bunny cake. It was delicious, of course - one of the many highlights of the morning. David truly outdoes himself each time he uses his vast creativity.
Spring's been beautiful so far. We're trying to spend lots of time outside right now. It will be sweltering hot before you know it!
Happy Spring!!