Easter egg hunt

Today we went to the Easter egg hunt at our church.

Grace was really excited.

We walked around front.

And followed the signs.

Grace received her arm band and turned her eggs in at the check-in counter.

Then we walked around back where all the inflatables were.

Grace, which one do you want to play on first?  "Hmmmm.  I own no."  (I don't know.)

So we took her to the one with the shortest line and she started crawling up.  Then she got to the top, turned around, and came back down.

Grace, don't you want to play on the inflatable?  "No, tank you."  (No, thank you.)

So we got her a snack (Chick-fil-a nuggets, fruit snacks, and juice) that the church provided and had a little picnic.  We just watched everyone else play on the inflatables.  When we asked Grace if she wanted to go play on them, she just responded with, "No.  I fine."  (No, I'm fine.)

Soon it was time for the egg hunt to begin.  Grace's group was at the playground.

After they opened the gates, Grace took off with her Daddy in tow.

Grace found a nice spot with several eggs.

She was so funny to watch.  She would bend over to pick up the egg

And then stand all the way up to put the egg in her basket.

It didn't take long for all the eggs to be claimed.  Grace ended up with about 20 or so eggs. 

Then we saw a little girl nearby talking to her mommy.  The girl was about 4 or so and only got 1 egg with a sticker inside.  The poor little girl was so sad she was crying and her mother was trying to make her feel better.  Grace went over to the little girl and put some of her eggs into the other girl's basket.  It was so sweet to watch her share her eggs with another child.  She gave away 7 or 8 of her eggs.  Then the little girl gave Grace a big hug and thanked her for sharing with her.  My pregnancy hormones almost had me crying.  The little girl's mother was very impressed and thanked us for sharing with her daughter.  It's amazing how such an unexpected act of kindness can touch a complete stranger (and this mommy) and leave a lasting impression.

  After I got my hormones under control, we opened up Grace's eggs and found a lot of candy.

We let her eat one piece and then we went to play on the playground.

The playground is huge with multiple play areas and picnic tables.

The ground is covered with recycled rubber and that really springy stuff like on track fields.

And part of the playground is even covered under huge sails giving the kids a shady area to play.

Grace adores the playground.  She started climbing up right away.

On the 5 - 12 year old section, I should add.

She went down several of the slides.

And tried to slide down the bumpy ladder.  Ouch!

She climbed up the tunnels.

And went under the riding toys.

Then she scrambled up the swinging ladder (with Daddy's help, of course).

And went down the really big twisty slide! 

It was a beautiful day to have an Easter egg hunt.  Grace had a lot of fun finding the eggs and discovering the little surprises inside each egg.  It was also wonderful playing on the playground and burning off excess energy.  My favorite moment, however, was when Grace showed compassion to a complete stranger - that little girl - by taking some of the eggs that she worked so hard for and sharing them with someone less fortunate than herself.  I will cherish that simple act of generosity forever and let it serve as a reminder that sometimes all it takes is a small act of kindness to leave a lasting impact on someone else.