Easter + New Sand at Jekyll Island

Spring break really creeped up fast on us this year.  So much so that we didn't have anything planned for the week.  Should we go somewhere? (my answer is always yes!) I mean, a week off school constitutes a vacation, right? It always has for us.  

We decided to stick around for Easter Sunday, because friends were coming over, but those plans fell through and so would you believe that we actually ate in a restaurant that day??  WHAAAA?  I think that is the only time that has happened in my life. lol.  But you know what?  It was a gorgeous day, so we opted to be outside and active on the Beltline and just stopped to eat at New REALM on the trail.  

We still colored eggs and decorated for Easter.  

I bought two packs of the PAAS original dyes and combined two tablets for each cup.  (Last year they came out more pastel and not vibrant enough)

Boy did that do the trick! BOOM!

Smita and Tashi came over for food and fun!

It was a miracle there was no spilled cups, but we took it outside just in case.

You know I had to make my egg tree too.  It was my biggest, best yet (said Ernesto)

 Easter morning came around and the Bunny 

We hid eggs for the kids and must have re-hid them 3 times.  They loved the hunt!

After several days of hanging out at the house we made a break out of Atlanta.

This scenario right here is why I highly recommend using a hotel credit card to build up free stays.  Bored--> Free nights = GO SOMEWHERE!!!  Having hotel points INSPIRES a trip.

I really wanted NEW SAND.  I feel like I haven't added to my collection for a while, and that is reason enough to plan something.  WESTIN to the rescue.  Their resort at Jekyll Island is a beauty and oh so easy for an active weekend.

 Hotel is RIGHT. ON. THE. BEACH! 

There are nice paved trails all around the island, so after checking in early at the hotel we bee-lined for the bike rentals.

There are trails all over the island which is awesome.  How cool if you were staying here for a week and didn't need to use your car at all?!
Marcelo hooked on the back of Ernesto and Mateo was on his own bike.

Paloma happily sat behind mami and even dozed off for a bit in this seat.

I was so proud of Mateo.  He cycled all around the island-no problem. We did about 7 miles that day-not bad for his first real bike ride. It was so beautiful. I will never get sick of Spanish moss hanging off the HUGE trees. 

One stop was Driftwood Beach, which was like a playground with all the dead trees to climb on. 

There were also a couple historical stops on the bike trail.

A Cemetery??

And a barely standing house.
The Horton House was the center of a plantation that operated on Jekyll Island for
more than 140 years.

The next day we traded in our bikes for this contraption....and it was super fun.

Time to kill an hour for a hot bath.

The night was not great.  Ernesto was in the worst stage of a poison ivy outbreak and MISERABLE.  Paloma woke up and was inconsolable, making the miserable man even more miserable.  I took her to the bathroom for a change of scenery, and this is how she ended up.

The next day everyone felt better, but a nap was needed by all.  (we had sleepers in the car!)

The morning was chilly, but that didn't stop the kids from running down to the water to play.

Paloma was a great helper in collecting my "new sand." 

We may have missed the "no climbing on dunes" sign.  We were promptly told by a passerby and escaped without a $300 fine. whoops! 

A nice couple stopped on their bikes to take our photos for us and this is what we ended up with. LOL Sometimes you don't get 20 takes.

A quick game of put put and we headed back to Atlanta. 

A 50th Anniversary Party and Some Easter Eggs!!

50 YEARS!!!

This is impressive, right?  It had to be celebrated.  We are all so happy that my parents have kept their vows for so long.  Thick or thin, happy or sad, sickness and in health - they have set a great example of what a loving marriage can be.  

It was time to celebrate.

 Yep.  My sister threw together this cute little invitation and the plan was set.

We had an idea to throw together a "quick" video.  It was definitely a team effort.  Everyone sent in a short clip and I used imovie to piece it all together.

To make sure we had everything finished, Paloma and I flew up a day earlier than the boys.  My sister picked us up (instead of Paul's Shuttle-gasp!) and we stayed at her house that night. We wanted to sit down with Bill and brainstorm.  We were up late laughing, and it wasn't until my siblings went to bed that I really got anywhere on the video. Ha!  Ugh and when Paloma woke up at 7, I was pretty groggy.

BUT! Like everything I do, it all came together at the last minute. Oh the pressure!

The song that came to mind right away for us was Willie Nelson's "You Were Always on my Mind."  My dad LOVES that song, and LOOOOOVES to sing it!  The video ended up being over 12 minutes long and was a big hit!  Laughing and crying from the happy couple, which is a win in my book!

Feel free to watch the finished video. And note, I am not a professional producer. LOL.

 If you don't have time for the whole video, please just take a couple minutes to watch the intro by

If you don't want to take the time to watch this (I totally understand!) you MUST at least see the intro by WIllie Nelson himself my brother Brrrian .  He used Snapchat to make his face look like Willie Nelson and it is CRAZY FUNNY!  God I love him!

Unfortunately he and my other brother Tim weren't able to make it to Ohio, but everyone sent in a little something to say on the video and it was touching (to say the least!).  My parents said it was the best video (and party) ever!

They were totally surprised too.  They just figured it would be our immediate family because it was Easter weekend, but all of their friends and family showed up and it was a wonderful evening!

These aren't the best pictures (quality) but I hope I captured a glimpse of everyone there!  It was a beautiful day and there were a bunch of kids....luckily all outside playing soccer and running around! 

CUT TO  6  HOURS PRE-PARTY.....

We colored Easter eggs super early.  My mom had 4 DOZEN to color.  ha!  

These guys were happy to color the eggs and crack most of them while doing so.  Seriously probably half. 

I stepped out of the shower that morning and this was going on outside.  Noooooooooooo!

Mateo had been saying he wanted a buzz cut and I had been ignoring him changing the subject, hoping he would forget.  ha.  Well this boy doesn't forget and his papi listened.

I was not pleased (initially).  Of course I knew he would look cute with any hair...or no hair at all.  It's just I always love when his hair gets shaggy and feel a little sad to see it go (usually 2x per year).  But yes, I like it.  He looks super cute!

What? Marcelo's hair?  You noticed his self-cut?   Ugh right before the party where we saw lots of people we haven't see for a long time.  

Somehow he still managed to look cute as ever.  When I asked him why he cut his hair (he snuck the scissors to the side of the house to snip) he said "I wanted to put my hair in grandma's garden so the deer won't eat her flowers."  (something my mom actually does)

Oh that face kills me.  #sobiased

Also, this girl.

Right? Oh my. This dress. (thanks Beth for the perfect anniversary attire!)

Back to the party..... since there were a bunch of kids, an Easter egg hunt ensued.  A BUNCHHHH of eggs on the ground.

 By the way. do you see how many plastic eggs there are in the trees?  This is just two of them...there were a few more. (hundreds of eggs!)  This is one of the reasons why my mom is #1.  (Also, why I will never measure up.  cry cry cry)

 Paloma got the jist of the egg hunting quickly and had a good 'ol time filling up her basket.

 She actually said egg for the first time right here.....
Easter Sunday included an outfit change by these fashion bugs. ...but same game with the eggs.

It was a beautiful weekend and everyone wanted to enjoy the outdoors. We actually ate outside on the PORCH!  

The kids found their Easter baskets earlyyyyyyyy.  The excitement was fun to watch/hear.  (Mateo's was hanging in the laundry room, Marcelo's in the coat closet and Paloma's behind a chair)  And the candy was pretty much gone instantly.

It is a wonder how we were able to have these boys actually stop for a split second with that sugar high and get a family photo. 

 ALSO. STOP IT with this video mami!  I die of cuteness overload!

Meanwhile back at my house, we colored eggs for a tree centerpiece that has been making me happy all month!

I hope you guys had a great Easter weekend too!