In which I reduce Easter to More Stuff. Oh, and chocolate too.

After every big eat-a-lot-and-get-presents-holiday I come home with twice as many bags as I originally packed. I am sitting here right now surveying the sudden increase in Toys and Stuffed Animals and fighting the urge to gather up all the OLD toys and stuffed animals into a very large destined-for-Goodwill garbage bag.

(Fortunately the urge-fighting is not difficult, as, unfortunately, I am queasy and generally unwell from a sudden increase in Chocolate Consumption. Or else it is the stench of the lilies Phillip gave me the other night, which I finally had to throw out because MY HEAD IS KILLING ME. Note to people who want to give me stuff: I am not big on smells.)

ANYWAY. I feel bad about it, but why do we need last year's stuffed bunnies now that we have this year's? (My mom read that and just died a little inside.) Seriously, though, there are random plastic items scattered all around the floor, stuffed things everywhere, an exersaucer taking up entirely too much space and OH YEAH pretty soon there's going to be a PLAY KITCHEN IN HERE.

The Must Throw Out And Organize brain chemical just kicked into high gear. But you know what I'm going to focus on? The entry way. DEAR GOD, the entry way is miserable. Shoes everywhere (we are a no-shoes-inside household and you shoe-wearers just have to suck it up I'M SORRY) and winter coats mixed in with spring coats and purses and scarves and an overflowing basket of slippers and whatever random junk we didn't feel like carrying up the stairs. Not to mention the floor is that stained concrete stuff, which means I NEVER EVER CLEAN IT because COME ON it's BLACK. But it's so dirty I'm even starting to see the dirt on top of the black. Which is bad, you guys, very bad.

I'm not even going to tell you about the dusty air vent. Or the carpet on the stairs. Especially the carpet. It is HORRIFYING.

I'm not sure what I'd do if I lived in a big house. I mean, if I can't keep THIS place looking decent I'm afraid of what a bathroom might look like in my Large Suburban Subdivision McMansion. I'm not sure how many times I can throw around the "two babies!" excuse because I know a lot of people with two babies and THEY manage to put toys away and keep the dining table cleared off for, you know, DINING.

We wash the dishes. We do the laundry. Whatever else I get done after those two items feels like I've climbed a mountain.

(Which people were talking about at our Easter dinner, climbing a mountain, and how great it is and the scenery and the accomplishment and how sometimes you're hiking up a near-vertical incline and oh yeah make sure you get back to the trail before dark and remember that one time we almost died? And I'll tell you that conversation did absolutely nothing for my attitude towards Nature and The Elements. I'll be scheduling my 90 minute massage now, thankyouverymuch.)

So what was I talking about? All the toys? Something like that? The lily reek is rotting my brain.

RIGHT. Tomorrow. I am cleaning out. I've got a pile of Goodwill stuff sitting at the top of the stairs and it's been there for weeks. No reason why I can't add to it.

And OH. BY THE WAY. I had yet MORE snippy looking ladies turning around and staring at my kids in church this morning, but this time I knew they were giving us Admiring Glances because my kids were 1) as well behaved as can be expected at Easter Morning Mass, aka: Jam Packed And Extra Long and 2) they were FREAKING ADORABLE.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE

Not that you can really experience the adorableness from this picture which was, sadly, the best of the eleventy billion we took today. You don't even want to see the ones of the FOUR of us. My eyes my eyes! Except pictures of the four of us are so terribly rare I have to post one, just for Posterity. At least three of us managed to at least look at the same camera. And Molly was only looking away because she thought my hair was going to eat her.

And fetch the self tanner before she blinds us all!

How was YOUR Easter? Chocolatey? MINE TOO.

Comments

[Carrie]

Sounds like quite the holiday! The kids look adorable. And it's a nice family picture. Although I laughed at your comment about the self-tanner. You really should have married an albino. Or at least a redhead. Because then you could be the dark one in the family pictures. Marrying someone Chinese and producing half-Chinese babies... not going to help the looking blindingly white in photos cause :)

(I say that all as one white, unsunexposed Seattleite to another. Although you do have me beat on the paleness, no doubt)

[Lindsay]

awww cute pics. And good idea on the family pics...we don't have enough of my dad because he was ALWAYS behind the camera.

[Elizabeth]

Your babies are extremely adorable. That headband is killing me. And you look so skinny!
If it makes you feel better I have the "throw out crap" urge myself. The other day I threw out the toothpaste in a fit of clean up overachievement.

[-R-]

Your whole family is adorable!

I hate having too much stuff too. I already want to institute a no toys - books only gift policy for my son, and he's only 5 months old. We already have too many toys.

[Jess]

Jack looks like a grownup. CANNOT DEAL.

Also, I have those worries about this house we're buying. FIVE BEDROOMS to keep clean? OH GOD. It may be time to invest in a cleaning lady.

[Jessica]

Dude, you're not that pale. Seriously, you live in SEATTLE for cripes sake. Nobody expects more!
VERY cute family. And I, too, am having a gotta-get-it-out-of-my-house/spring-cleaning meltdown.
I wish I knew how to effectively utilize craigslist. I have a huge pile of baby crap that needs to GO. Travel swing, papasan chair, toystoystoystoys.
AAAAAAHHHHHH why do people keep giving us stuffed animals? Charlie could care less about them. Now, more M&Ms... that's the way to go.

[Jessica]

OH, and your legs look really skinny.

[Lindsay]

Molly is just too cool for posing. She knows that everyone is going to ooh and aww over her regardless, so why put in the effort? I love the picture of her & Jack. She looks so terribly bored. I actually laughed.

[Christiana]

Don't even start on the self-tanner. I'm a redhead. One of my co-workers used to harass me for wearing white pantyhose - when I was going bare-legged. Next to me, you would be positively DARK.

So with you on the Easter toys issue - still have a bunny or 2 from last year that I don't know what to do with. This year she got 2 bunnies, a duck that is bigger than her and a bear.

And you should totally get one of those boxes with the shoe compartments for your entryway that way you've got a place for all your shoes and you can justify their placement in that space. I want one myself. You can get them for like $30 at Target.

[Lisa]

Great family pic! Can't believe that is your BABY. They grow so fast. And they are so CUTE by the way.

[Elsha]

I'm with Christiana; I've even had my SISTERS think I was wearing white pantyhose when my legs were bare. Also, my sisters (who both tan quite nicely) and I used to compare legs in church and I didn't even look related. So come sit next to me and you'll look plenty tan.

Also, love the photographic evidence of the adorable! I just want to eat Molly's little cheeks!

[Wickedly Scarlett]

Oh heavens... the cuteness is completely overwhelming!