Golden Easter Friends

Calvin has a best friend. Best Friend is an adorable boy who lives up the street. He is an only child, and frequently Best Friend's parents will call and request Calvin to accompany them to dinner, lunch, movie night, etc. Usually there are DQ Blizzards involved. I long ago gave up any pretence of trying to "even things up". Because it's just not going to happen. But we love Best Friend and his parents with all our hearts and Calvin does too. Plus, how sweet of a deal is this for him? Anyway, we endearingly call this boy the Golden Friend.

So Golden Friend's mom and aunt (the two sisters are in cahoots. They team taught Josie and Jon years ago as Sunbeams and were the best teachers ever.) decided to create a special basket of goodies for my kids (all of them!) from the Easter Bunny. I didn't even argue. The Easter Bunny made his usual rounds yesterday morning and lots of chocolate candy was consumed by the kids before 8:30 church. "The Basket" showed up after lunch to the delight of my children and I told them that the Easter Bunny had one more special surprise for them.

Okay, so this shot is staged, but about 2 seconds before I could whip out the camera there were looks of authentic Easter joy upon their smudgy little faces.

Discovering the contents of The Basket. (Sometimes you will see a gift basket in a store and the whole thing is piled high with goodies and such but when you open the cellophane wrapping you discover a large empty box underneath it all that gives the impression of "overabundance". Much like a good padded bra. But not this basket! This basket was the real deal.)

Tommy, sporting his delicious perma-stache (here looking more like some manner of goatee), and a ducky full of Playdoh.

Bags and bags of candy, jelly bean filled eggs, Bionicles, stuffed animals, parachuting bunnies, the movie Bolt, gift certificates for pizza, etc.

Josie with her 347th (and newest) Littlest Pet Shop toy.

While this (slightly sacrilegious) photo looks completely staged, it is the actual moment when I had said "Wow! I'm so grateful that the Easter Bunny loves us so much!" All the children were whooping their agreement except Calvin, who immediately knelt in heart-felt prayer. I choose to believe he is praying in thanks for the Easter Bunny, not praying to the Easter Bunny.

So thank you, Golden Friends. Our children delighted in the movie and the goodies and the toys. And we all delight in your friendship.

(I also want to thank darling Hailey (former Primary student) and her little sister Brecken for bringing me a most delicious Rice Krispie nest complete with jelly bean eggs and a (broody) crunchy-sugary Peep perched atop it all. It was scrumptious!)