The same day we hosted our Passover seder, we also attended our family’s annual Spring Celebration! While my brisket was cooking during the day, we were enjoying the prettiest afternoon at Debbie and Fred’s, frolicking around their resort-like backyard.

Getting ready to enjoy a day in the sun with family and fun! Yay rhyming!

We enjoyed chowing down from a yummy and gourmet panini bar while Madelyn chugged her bottle. Lots of catching up with family from all over made the hours pass quickly. After lunch, the youngest group of cousins were chompin’ at the bit to go swimming and who could blame them on such a beautiful day?

Bryan and I followed suit and got us and Madelyn in our swim gear so we could join the kiddos in the pool. It literally took us 20 minutes to get Madelyn in her swim diaper and bathing suit, and slathered in sunscreen. Dear Baby Swimwear Designers: Why oh WHY do you not make bathing suits with snaps like every. other. single. piece. of. baby. clothing.?? Are none of the baby bathing suit designers parents? Or humans with a single brain cell? Madelyn did not like the getting-ready process, but we marched on and did our best to wiggle her in without accidentally breaking any limbs.

At least the final product is a-dorable.

Big Cousin Jaimie holds her baby Ocean and his 3-week-older cousin Madelyn

Once we were in the pool, it was all about making sure Madelyn was comfortable. She looked a little bit concerned that her bathtub got a thousand times bigger and palm trees and children replaced her rubber duckie and funnel toy.

She watched her older cousins play and then some of them came to entertain her. She loved being held by her daddy in the pool while her mommy avoided getting splashed because it would ruin her hair would mess up her contact lenses.

Mommy & Daddy with our future Olympic swimmer

Madelyn plays Bumper Floaties with her cute cousin Remy

Madelyn and her adorable cousin Carsyn (aka, the one who got my bio clock ticking almost 2 years ago! Seriously!)

Happy Maddie likes the water!

Once all the kids were water logged, we dried off and got ready for a very special visitor. The visitor, The Easter Bunny, comes every year to the Spring Celebration and a few years ago, I got verrrrrry intimiate with The Easter Bunny in a way that I used to get verrrrrry intimate with Wilma Wildcat in college. This year’s Easter Bunny was a little taller, and he made all the kids very happy (well, except Carsyn who was still afraid of the big rabbit) with all the eggs he gave to the moms to hide before making his appearance.

The most mysterious thing about the Bunny’s visit was we kept trying to find my dad so he could see Madelyn with her first Bunny, but he was nowhere to be found! We looked everywhere for him, but there was no sign of Madelyn’s Poppa. He was probably right in front of our faces, but we’ll never know, I guess.

Hmm... This Bunny smells like M&Ms and French fries...

New mamas and the new babies with the new bunny!

All the cousins together with The Bunny!

Madelyn finds The Bunny's knee very familiar.

Our lovely hosts with the Bunny and my mom getting frisky with the Bunny. Gross.

All the candy-eager kids went nuts hunting for eggs. Madelyn and I sat with her new personalized bag and watched the madness. It was so fun to see the kids so excited about their loot. I had a mini breakdown thinking about next year’s party and that Madelyn (and Ocean!) will be toddling around and joining them in the hunt. I can’t wait to see it. As for the sugar high that follows, I think I’ll enjoy this year’s stationary style of hunting for eggs.

Maddie and I enjoy the scene.

Bryan, Madelyn and I started to make the rounds and give Jewish goodbyes (which is funny at this Easter Eggstravaganza) and snapped a couple more photos of Madelyn with my first cousin, Justin, and Madelyn with his daughter, Carsyn. She’s the youngest of his three girls and all of my favorite cousin childhood memories are with him. Not surprising, he’s a great dad.

Madelyn looks up -- literally -- to her big cousin, Carsyn. Just like I would look up to big big cousin, Justin.

It was such a fun day! Thank you, Debbie and Fred, for being such amazing hosts and having us all over for family time in your beautiful home. And maybe next year, we’ll solve the mystery of my dad’s strange disappearance. Or not.