Page 70 of Hope After Loss

The crowd is huge. The families who have campers all join the festivities, and folks from all over the valley show up with their children.

The bigger kids play on the playground equipment while Erin, Taeli, and I help parents get the younger kids settled at the smaller picnic tables.

Once the food is ready and all the kiddos have plates, I settle beside Erin and her husband, Ted, with Kaela on my lap.

Hilton says a quick blessing over the food, and everyone digs in.

Graham, Weston, and Morris take the boxes of eggs and hide them while the kids are distracted by their hot dogs.

As the sun begins to set, the eggs start to glow, and they look like fallen stars from the heavens, sprinkled on the playground.

Parents pass out baskets and follow their children around while we clean up the tables.

I watch as Weston takes Kaela from Leona and lifts her onto his shoulders. She squeals as he trots her around the playground while pointing out hidden eggs to some of the little ones.

“He’s good with her,” Taeli says as she and I gather empty plates and toss them into a garbage bag.

“Yeah, he is, and she adores him.”

“So does Caleb. I’m so glad he has fun uncles.”

“Yeah, big families are a blessing,” I agree.

“Hey, guys, when you’re done with that, Sara-Beth wants us to take the little kiddos to do the piñata,” Erin says.

All the children under three were kept from the egg hunt because Sara-Beth and Leona felt they were too young for the prizes inside.

“Some of those are choking hazards. The smaller ones can break open the bunny, and their parents can sort the candy for them when they get home,” Sara-Beth said when we were planning out the activities.

We finish cleaning off the tables and head over to where Erin has them all gathered together.

“Who’s ready for the piñata?” she shouts.

All the children begin to jump and cheer.

“Okay, everyone line up over here,” I direct.

Hilton hung the large bunny piñata from the lowest branch of one of the river birches by the playground.

“I’m not sure any of these guys are tall enough to hit that thing,” Taeli says as she helps me herd the toddlers.

I look up at the suspended party favor.

“Yeah, Sara-Beth might have overestimated their abilities,” I agree. “We should let the big boys have a whack at it first. Where’d they go?” I ask as I look around the campground.

“They are down at the creek. Caleb informed me that they were too old for egg hunts. He and Tucker wanted to go wading,” Taeli replies.

“More candy for us,” Erin says.

I secure a blindfold on one of the tiny humans and hand her a stick.

The little girl swings the stick wildly, never coming close to the piñata and nearly taking out my kneecap and one of the other children.

I quickly grab the stick and the child.

“We should squash this activity,” I exclaim.

Erin, who has taken a seat in the grass to enjoy a Popsicle, yells as she stands, “Heck no. We stuffed that thing, and these kiddos are getting that candy. Give me that bat.”