When the Family Gets Together...

Have I ever mentioned how much I love getting together with my family?

Well, 

I LOVE getting together with my family!

All 18 grandchildren have so much fun together and it's so great to just hang out and catch up with my parents and siblings.

(And I can't forget to mention the yummy food we sample on all day!)

My amazing mom and awesome dad 

put on the best Easter party for us all every year and this year was

 no exception!

Grammy made her yummy frosting and got out her huge collection of sprinkles and 

the kids enjoyed decorating sugar cookies.

Emma was so excited 

to come to Grammy and Papa's to see her cousins!

Jack (one of my ADORABLE nephews) and Cole get in on 

the finger-lickin' fun.

Max creates a cookie masterpiece.

His cookie tower.

(It was very hard to eat!)

Then the huge Easter Egg Hunt began!

My dad saves his change throughout the year in a big jar and puts all the change in the eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt.  He also adds a few $1 and $5 bills just to add to the excitement.  

The kids make out like bandits! 

 All 18 leave with around $10. 

Cha-ching!

Lee was out of town at a funeral and was heart-broken that he missed out on the festivities.

(He looks forward to it every year. Really and truly.)

  The kids were a little disappointed, I think, because Uncle Lee wouldn't be hiding his

 "special" eggs.  

(He usually puts all kinds of gross things in some of the eggs like bugs, dirt, soy sauce,  etc.)  Well, this year I copied all kinds of funny pictures of Lee 

(Just a sample...)

and put them in a few eggs just so he could be represented. 

 The kids got a kick out of it and I think it was Emily

 (one of my BEAUTIFUL nieces)

 that said she was really glad she didn't get a gross egg this year.  

(She always seems to get the gross ones -- like ones with spiders.)

In fact, this year she got four of Uncle Lee's pictures!

Emma really got into it this year.

Ross (yet another ADORABLE nephew) and Max were too involved in finding eggs that they flashed a bottom shot

towards me at the exact same time!

Thanks guys.

Here's Max getting an egg out of the tree.

See the excitement on his face?

I love it!

My oldest and my youngest working as a team finding eggs.

This is my favorite picture of Easter this year!

Not many can say they have an "almost" 20-year-old and an "almost" 4-year-old.

I love these beauties!

(I already miss you Beth!)

Discovering the

 bounty of the hunt.

Emma was in shock with the goodies she got!

Check out the eyes...

Max separated his candy and his money.

He found $19! 

Not too shabby. 

But, being the nice cousin he is, he gave his little cousin $2 because she didn't find very much money. 

I love that kid! 

My six joys.

(Can you tell who's 12?  Nice expression as usual Cole.)

The kids then decorated the

 144 hard boiled eggs.

(Egg salad anyone?)

Emma and Liberty (another one of my BEAUTIFUL nieces) had fun with the empty eggs afterwards.

I especially like how Liberty traced around Emma's ponytail.

Details are everything!

Then, when all were asleep (except Jake),

the "Easter Bunny" came...

Good fun.

Good memories.