I was over the moon when my mom told me that the whole family would be coming down to visit for Easter. We love to host and having everyone here in Orlando for a holiday is a special treat! It's a little cozy with everyone here at once but we make it work and wish it would only happen more often.
Everyone got in on Friday afternoon while N was napping so when he woke up and everyone got settled we spent the rest of the day hanging out and enjoying the sunshine in the backyard.
Saturday morning began with a cousin breakfast for the boys before packing up and heading to our church for their Easter egg hunt. It was a whole spring carnival with bounce house, petting zoo, pony rides and face painting.
Carter was a pro at finding the very well-hidden eggs. N, on the other hand, had a toddler moment just before the hunt began and insisted on being carried the whole time so we were a bit slower at finding any.
It was still fun and a beautiful day to spend time outside with the family.
Lolly even joined us for the festivities.
After the hunt we took the boys back over to the church to check out the other attractions. N was drawn to the petting zoo, saying hello to all the animals including baby goats, ducks, chickens and bunnies.
He even got to pet a baby duck. He was so gentle and the girls even commented that he was the sweetest child they had seen all morning interacting with the animals. My little animal lover!
We headed to the playground next and enjoyed some of the Easter egg candy while we waited for our lunch reservation on Park Ave. We all ate at Prato, our new favorite spot, and had a great meal trying new dishes and watching the kitchen prep everything.
By the time we walked back to the church, C was feeling a bit more brave and stopped to chat with the animals at the petting zoo.
Both boys even sat on the horses (N for a split second, C took a couple spins around on them!) before saying goodbye and heading home.
Of course, a family day would not have been complete without a quick photoshoot when we got home.
We grilled out that night for dinner and had another great evening relaxing at home together, walking around the neighborhood and playing golf with the boys in the backyard.
Unfortunately, that didn't last long and the next morning (Easter Sunday), we woke to the stomach bug. Poor N got sick while I was getting ready for church so Ryan stayed home with him. Lincoln stayed back with the Hamilton boys, too, just to keep things simple so just the Nathan clan made it out. Dad started feeling ill at church and by the time we got home both he and Ryan had caught it.
There is nothing worse that having a sick baby and not being able to do anything about it. It's even harder when hosting and trying to keep germs away from the healthy while tending to those who need nursing. We used up every set of sheets I own, making up beds around the house to keep the sickies quarantined.
On Monday, those of us that were feeling okay made it out of the sick house and out to Islands of Adventure. I tried my best to fight through it but by then I was feeling pretty ill myself and ended up having to take a cab home to go back and rest. Everyone else managed to have fun and escape without catching the bug so for that I was very grateful.
Thankfully, it seemed to pass the adults relatively quickly and everyone got back on their feet in time for the visit to be over. Poor N spent the week more lethargic than I've ever seen, with no appetite and high fevers. I am so sad that our much anticipated visit was spoiled by such a rotten germ but I'm still more than thankful that we were all together and that we got to see family for Easter. Hopefully the next time will be a much better trip and we'll all get to enjoy each others' company for the full time!
