Anticipation

These last two nights have been hard to get to sleep. My mind is racing with possibilities. Where will we hide their baskets this year?

Since moving to the Land of Ice & Snow six Easters ago the dad and I have taken to hiding the kids baskets in the house. As they get bigger each year requires greater creativity. We’ve dangled baskets over stairwalls with fishing line, hidden them in dryers and half-filled garbage cans. This year is going to be the biggest challenge yet.

Not only are we in a big, new-to-us house filled with unexplored hiding spots but the boys are once again bigger. Eldest is almost sixteen. I now need days of thinking, plotting and planning to hide his Easter basket. Even though he’s trying to be cool about it, more than once I’ve walked in on him and middle child anticipating where the baskets might be Easter morning.

Meanwhile, daughter has been counting down the days for the last week. Quite accurately I might add. She’s also informed me on a daily basis that her basket was too easy to find last year. Last year it was in plain sight tucked away just barely under her dresser. That won’t do this year. Of course I’m worried I’ll make it too hard this year to overcompensate from the too easy last year. Hiding Easter baskets is a really big challenge.

I can’t wait till tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to hear who finds their basket first. Who will be the little jackbutt munching on chocolate, following around the others while gloating over his treasures. I can’t wait to lay in my bed giggling with the dad while one of the kids has a meltdown because their basket is too hard to find.

I can’t wait to finally see all the kids teaming together to find that one, last, hardest-to-find Easter basket. I don’t know whose it will be, but each year, without fail, there’s always one no one can find. And, after an appropriate length of time spent teasing the one poor, basket-less child, they all work together to find it. I love being the Easter pig.