Easter Egg Hunt!

Last weekend we went to an Easter Egg Hunt a couple towns over.  We'd never done a larger scale one like this.  We had the time and the weather was pleasant, so off we went.  I had no idea how it would be but figured it was worth a try. 

It took us a while to get out of the house but we got there just in time.  However, the hunt area was on a bit of a hill and a huge crowd was lined up at the bottom of the hill.  We saw some people lined up further up on the hill, so we headed there to get a bird's eye view.  It just seemed like everyone was waiting, so we stayed there, tried to listen to someone on a megaphone giving a few instructions, and waited for the signal. 

Ready to go!

I gave Jacob a few instructions to be nice to other kids and that was about it.  He was in a good mood and was very cooperative, so I was hopeful he wouldn't end up discouraged by something.  I remember plenty of Easter Egg hunts that didn't go the way I wanted when I was a kid, so I was nervous.

When the horn blew, it took a couple extra prods to get Jacob out on the hunt...but because of our place, he got a head start on a the mass of kids at the bottom of the hill.  I felt a little bad about that, but that's just how it worked out.  In the end the whole thing was over in less than two minutes, I think!

Right at the beginning...he's right in the middle

Now you can see the mass of kids heading up the hill from the left...

He ended up with maybe 10 eggs.  I felt a little bad for the little kids that only had a couple.  I asked Jacob if he would be okay with giving eggs to any kids that looked extra sad, and he said yes, but in the end we didn't see any kids that were miserable, so he kept his eggs. 

Before we headed out, we went to get a picture with the Easter Bunny.  Jacob, by the way, knows that these kinds of bunnies are just like mascots--costumes with people inside.  Feels a little sad that there isn't more mystery, but he still does believe in the "real" Easter Bunny, so that's cool.

He was surprisingly cooperative smiling for this picture!

On the way down to the bunny, we walked past signs that weren't visible among the throngs of people when we got there....signs with age groupings.  And no, Jacob was not in the right age grouping.  Darn it.  Maybe he could pass for a tall four year old?  Ugh.  I felt really bad about that, but I blame that on bad setup by the planners.  They should have had greeters or something, or shooed us out of our spot, or moved him over when they saw him.  Something!  I'm sure we weren't the only ones, but I felt bad anyway.

Of course, when we got to the car and Jacob opened his eggs, I didn't feel as bad.  He ended up with a few googly eye stickers, one jelly bracelet, a little top, one random piece of candy and three Now and Laters.  Those little kids could not have eaten those Now and Laters anyway, so they weren't missing much with those.  Jacob was a little disappointed with the haul, even though it was all gluten-free, which had been our initial worry. 

Still, he seemed to have fun and I'm glad we gave it a shot.  It was a nice excuse to enjoy some pleasant weather, anyway.  At least we know better in case we ever go back! 

Tomorrow we're going to try to go to the SEAster Egg Hunt at the Niagara Falls Aquarium, where we're members (for the next month or so, thanks to a Groupon from last year).  Apparently the eggs are in the exhibits and you have to mark them off.  They're doing prizes and stuff, so I'm not entirely sure how it's all going to work, but it sounds like it might be fun and it's a good excuse to use our membership (which was mostly purchased for the reciprocal with our zoo).  It's just one more activity in the midst of a busy week, but we might as well cram them in while we can!  Sports start up again this week and all the fun will be over, so to speak.

I probably won't get a chance to post before Sunday, so best wishes for a Happy Easter!  Hopefully I'll have a few cute pictures to share soon!