On Saturday, we got invited to an amazing Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic hosted by my friend Lesley. She found the perfect location in Central Park (map). It's crazy that I've lived in NYC for over a year and never spent anytime here at the The Pool. I must have ran past it, but never noticed it. The pond, the willow trees, the perfect weather, the grassy fields--it all felt out of a movie set. It's hard to imagine that these pictures were taken smack dab in the middle of Manhattan.
When we arrived, my family sat down on a blanket and ate a simple picnic of cheese, bread, and grapes. I forgot drinks so Rob had to run off to the store and buy some. He came back with more meat, these cookies, and a few drinks. Eventually more people arrived, and we were surrounded by friends.
Most of the women there were also in my photography class and so we compared settings. What F/Stop are you using? Shutter speed? One of my friends confessed that she put her camera on automatic mode during the hunt. I actually should have done the same. I missed out on a lot of shots because I forgot to check my settings. Whoops. I got a few that turned out. It will be interesting to see their pictures of the day. Actually, I can't wait!
There were around 40 kids involved in the hunt, so Lesley thought of a simple way to give everyone a fair chance of getting eggs. She gave each child a color coded bracelet before the hunt. Kids ages 2-3 got yellow bracelets, 3-4 year olds got green, 4-5 blue, 6+ orange. As soon as their color was called, they were aloud to start the hunt, like a tiered entry. It gave the younger kids more time to find eggs with out getting run over by the big kids. The older kids didn't have to wait long, just around 30 seconds between each group. Eventually, all the kids were out looking together and everyone got plenty of eggs. From what I could see, it was a success.
After all the eggs were found, Lesley hid a few eggs just for kids ages 2 and under. So sweet to watch the babies have their own little hunt.
But it wasn't just the super organized hunt that made this event special. It was the surprises like the "feed the ducks" bags made by Lesley, the AMAZING three layered cake by Pete The Mighty Baker, and the beautiful pinata made by Heidi. These things made the day feel so magical.
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| Can you believe Pete is a self taught baker? Pricing/flavors/gallery here. |
I'm starting to forget Owen's tantrum about the empty water bottle. I'm starting to forgive Oscar for refusing to take a family photo because wanted to wait in line for face painting. I already think it's funny when Ella's hat few in the water, annoying as it was at the time to get it out. Tantrums and all, I would relive Saturday over again. It was just about flawless.Hope you had a great weekend, too! More pictures/outtakes (12 total) after the jump. Enjoy!
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| Watch out Ducks!! ** PS Check out more pictures and all the details of the event on Lesley's Blog. ** |
When I nannied, my charge and I spent some time here and met a log of dogs and their owners. We weren't allowed to feed the ducks, but we did anyway, just as long as the guy in the golf cart wasn't driving by to check on us! If I remember correctly, there's a little side area where you walk down to a little pathway to a little waterfall and a walkway. The foliage is lovely and breathtaking.
ReplyDeletereally nice pictures!
ReplyDeleteWow, looks like a wonderful time! Brian and I spent yesterday in the park in the Conservatory Gardens- somewhere I had actually never been! It was absolutely beautiful, and I can't wait to return to the gardens again soon. ( http://daina-newyorkstateofmind.blogspot.com/2012/04/beautiful-day.html ) Happy you and your family had a nice holiday!
ReplyDeleteGreat Pics! Good job!
ReplyDeleteThe pictures sure make it look like the perfect Easter. And I can't get over that cake!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! Did you notice that a member of your family is in about every other shot? I was drawn to those fabulous hats like a bug to a light. Thank you for dressing the part! IF we do it again, maybe I'll require hats. Thank you for being so fabulous!
ReplyDeletehttp://kensingtonblue.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-egg-hunt-and-picnic-in-central.html
I always overlook this area too. it's so beautiful up there. great pics!
ReplyDeleteThey are honestly the cutest kids!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing sounding day! My son is 13 months, and even though he doesn't understand, he still wanted to run around with all the other kids at our egg hunt on the weekend. He (we) didn't find any because the older kids got to them all first. I love the idea of colour coding them. So fair and clever! And the cake is beautiful! Oh...and your kids are always so well dressed! I love seeing their outfits in your posts!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! Its so fun to see and hear how you capture the days. :) You're awesome!
ReplyDeleteAh, the Easter egg hunt. Here is how we do our neighborhood one at the park -- you bring as many eggs as you want your kid to find. I brought 12 for each of my kids. They had fun finding them, but my son was pretty disappointed with most of the candy in his. I had to secretly swap out some of the jelly beans for chocolate. Oh well.
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