Triplets and A Duck

This post was originally entitled Easter Extravaganza.  But then I got an email today, and I couldn't resist using the punch line as my post title.  I was emailing a colleague about how nuts life is and mentioned our new baby duck (see more below), and she wrote back, "I can't even imagine … I have enough to manage just with myself let alone with triplets and a duck ;)"

Well, it really was a wonderful Easter!  I've written about how I truly love this holiday.  It's a chance to celebrate the central tenant of my faith and also spend time with friends and family.  Because of my love of the holiday, I have historically hosted family Easter lunches at our house.  I took a year off when the kids were infants, but I jumped back into hosting last year.  However, my hostessing talents were rusty and reduced, and while I'm not back 100% this year, I have made great strides in getting my entertaining groove back. 

I love love love to host events.  However, these events are usually EITHER kids events or adult events.  They are not kid-adult combo events.  But this Easter was most definitely a combo event - 11 children and 11 adults.  So tried to (a) mix up the decor so there was a little something for everyone, (b) do pot luck so I wasn't stuck roasting a lamb for four hours, (c) loosen up the schedule. 

First things first, before we all got gussied up and out the door for church (see here),

we kicked off the morning with Easter egg baskets and a pajama-ed up Easter egg hunt for just our kiddos (from the backyard to the garage with a grand finale in front). 

After wrapping up hunting and breakfast and cleaning up, we all arrived at church early and in time to get seats.  It was after church that the planned chaos ensued.  Here was the "adult" table decorated before everyone's arrivals (the place card crosses were decorated with input and help from the trio and the Easter lanterns hanging lit up):

We were fortunate that Bray's entire family could attend - both his parents, all three of his siblings and spouses, and all 11 Vincent grand kids.  My mom was able to be there as well and after my dad heard there were 11 kids there he said he wasn't all that sorry he missed!  We did have an additional uninvited, but quite welcome, guest.  A baby duck!  My niece received one from the Easter bunny and he waddled in to our celebration (outdoors of course).  The kids were smitten.  We filled the baby pool with a little water and it was all we could do to rip them away for lunch (note the duck in the front). 

After a hearty lunch, delicious because of the variety of contributors, one of my older nieces pitched in to help me hide OVER 150 eggs in our front yard.  With promises of buckets of eggs and cupcakes upon return, 9 of the 11 kiddos, ages 1 to 11, barrelled out into the front yard to collide with each other in the Great Vincent Egg Hunt of 2012.  It was a huge success, save an 11 year old's disappointment at finding some goldfish in an egg, and even involved a few recycled eggs to hunt to prolong the festivities.

The biggest surprise of the day was that my sister-in-law did not want to return to Austin with their new baby Easter duck.  This was met with great delight from my children, but possibly less so from me.  It is cute, but it is also pretty darn messy and a little co-dependent to boot.  Nevertheless, we now are the proud owners of Doo-Dah the Duck.  Hence my earlier email conversation.  Bray's building the little fellow a home.  How is it that the man that won't let us get a dog has very easily settled into us having a duck as a pet?  So I introduce to you, Doo-Dah Vincent: