My sweet boy,
Hi, handsome. I’m currently waiting for Ellie to finally go to sleep so I can fill the Easter baskets and hide them. I need to make sure she’s actually asleep so I don’t go to fill them and she comes to find me. I know you already probably knew, but the parents are the Easter bunnies. In honor of you, I’m going to hide your basket the hardest tomorrow. We will see if your siblings give up looking for it.
We dyed eggs today. I think in the history of us doing this tradition, we have used a number of different ways to try and achieve the perfect eggs. I’m pretty sure the most disappointing one was when we used shaving cream and food coloring. The eggs looked awesome when you took them out of the shaving cream, but the second you wiped it away everything was gone. They all ended up looking like they were kind of tinted pink. The eggs today had us add vegetable oil into the vinegar and water for the tablets. I didn’t notice a difference. I did leave an egg in the green for a solid hour and it came out pretty bright. Lucas wanted to leave an egg in the blue one, but never turned it. His egg is bright blue on one half and the other half is the pale color he originally dyed it in.
We explored a new park today. Although I lived in the South Hills the first twenty-three years of my life, I had never been to Mingo Park. I always saw cross country runners in high school with Mingo Creek race T-shirts, but for whatever reason I thought it was an hour away. I wish I would have known that it’s actually close and beautiful there. You would have absolutely loved it. The creek that’s running through it reminds me a lot of Missouri and when we would go “throw rocks” into the river. Your siblings loved the zip line at the one park and the potato sack slides the best. I think you would have liked the slide and the ninja course park. You would have kept trying until you got it.
Aunt Cait was leaving the store today and the greeter threw her a Shaka. She said she had been thinking about you and then got the Shaka, so a sign from you. Nobody is Pittsburgh is just going around throwing a Shaka. Maybe if they would they’d be a little more pleasant.
I don’t know exactly how tomorrow is going to go, sweetie. Your siblings are all excited and I will put on a happy face, but having your basket sit there will be just another reminder of the life you missed out on.
The yard at this house is a complete mess, but I managed to plant a little garden for you in the front. I still need to mulch it, but the initial work is finished. Remember when someone from here painted a rock in remembrance of you? It has Lego people painted on it and your name. I actually have it sitting out there by your garden. I’m hoping I have better luck with this one than the one in Hawaii.
I think Ellie is asleep, baby, so I need to go get this Easter stuff started. I need to fill all the baskets, hide them, eat a bunch of baby carrots, and write a letter back as the Easter Bunny. You have no idea how difficult it is to disguise your handwriting every holiday. It’s not just that, but each holiday has to be different. The tooth fairy has extremely small handwriting, while Santa’s is always extra loopy. I think one year I just signed it with a big paw print that I put glitter on. Help give me the strength, baby. I need it so much. I love you with all my heart, sweetie. Goodnight and sweet dreams.