Holiday Expectations

Let's see, Easter is, tsu tsu tsu tsu.... Five days away.  When I looked at the calendar and realized this this morning I thought, "Man.  Sure doesn't look very Easter-y around here."
Where's the dyed eggs?
Where's the bunny cutouts on the windows?
Where's the Easter Lillies?
Where's all the pastels?
Where's the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs?  Where's the little bowl of Robin Eggs?
Where's the Peeps for crying out loud!

And that is when, yet another, harsh parenting reality hit me.

I'm the one that is responsible for doing all that stuff.
It's up to me to make holidays... special.
I'm the one that has to hang up the decorations and set everything out to make the eggs and get the kiddos all riled up.
If there's gonna be an Easter Egg Hunt.. uh.. I've gotta buy the eggs and put candy in them and hide them.  On top of all the regular mom stuff I do!  Jim-in-nee!
I've done really bad at celebrating holidays with Koley and Joe.
Kole's first Christmas he got one present from us.  One.
And it was pajamas.
That he needed.
His first Halloween I borrowed a costume on Halloween from my friend.
All the other holidays? Nothing happened.
Ken has helped tremendously to get the holiday ball rolling... but if he's not involved it's just a flop.
Like, this past Valentine's Day I hung up some window clings and a heart... on Valentine's day.  We made some construction paper cutouts... but I just kept thinking "I'm glad you're young... because this is sad."  I celebrated St. Patrick's Day by wearing green.  And Kole was in a shirt that had like "A" speck of green on it.  He didn't even know.  For his birthday last year... Ken made the cake.  And bought the presents.  And I was like... "Hey man, Happy Birthday!"  I did have a two week old baby... but still.  I'm the mother.  Shouldn't there have been a birthday countdown?  And balloons?  And a big birthday sign?  And special birthday privileges?  Oh the shame burns hot within me.   I will give myself props for Christmas.  Christmas was good.  I nailed it.  Except for the part where I didn't tell Kole Santa left after dropping off presents.  Kole was fully expecting to see the Jolly Old Soul there on Christmas morning and was slightly deflated upon finding he wasn't.  Bummer.
Other than that... nailed it.
Strange thing is. I love holidays.  I love all of them.  And I love parties for them.  I just like being invited to the party.  Not hosting the party.

But, with 5 days to Easter, I've seen that I need to host the party for every holiday.  Or it will just be another day.
I gotta give these boys something to look forward to and something to remember.
So, while the energy was still up I told Kole about Easter... how Jesus died and then rose on the 3rd day. I showed him some pictures in his little kid Bible.  And then I made an attempt at a segway for the Easter Bunny.  Really struggled there.  Luckily, Kole is two and heard "candy" and all was well.
I told Kole we were going to dye Easter Eggs and put up fun bunny pictures and eat special treats.  And on Sunday the Easter Bunny was going to come and hide a basket full of treats and/or toys.  (Depending on what I pick up at the store.)
To which Kole added, "Yeah!  And we'll put up the tree!  With lights!  And presents!  And candy canes!"
Really nailed Christmas with this kid.
It's a start.
I've got some work to do on the rest of these holidays.  But, I can be a good mom.  I promise.
This place is going to be Easter CENTRAL!  After Ken comes home, and we eat, and put the kids to bed, and I go to the store and get decorations, and candy, and eggs, and dye, and matching outfits for Sunday.
Easter Central.