I bought the bucket and the eggs just before Easter. My great-niece was coming to town to stay with me and her Grammy (my sister) for a few days while her parents worked on several projects. We hid the eggs on the deck several times, and played with them again and again in the house. We opened up the eggs and put small snacks in them so that she could shake the egg and "find" the snack. We sorted the eggs by color and lined them up (she is just barely two, but I'm a teacher, so every moment is a lesson). We remembered that we had to put them back in the bucket before taking a nap or going to bed. She wanted to take them to Grammy's, and Grammy looked at me gratefully when I convinced the baby to put them with her toys at my house (in the guest bedroom, and it's one of the first places she goes when she arrives, after speaking to the dog).
She was here again two weeks ago. It was a big weekend...my birthday, her birthday, and her mom's birthday all fall within a week's time, so we celebrated twice. Her daddy had to fly out of town for a couple of days, so she and her mom stayed with me for two extra days. Grammy had to work, but I was out of school for the summer, and got to enjoy them during the day, too. My living room got smaller when all the toys were pulled out, but the house was full of fun and laughter and love. The bucket and the eggs are still a favorite, and when the other toys were put away when they were packing up to go home, they ended up forgotten on the dining room table. I know I need to put them away, and I'm going to this evening. I have guests coming for breakfast, and I want to put the centerpiece back in its place. The house is quiet most of the time since I live alone, so I think I've left the bucket on the table to remind myself of the times when we're all sitting around my mother's antique table, all talking at the same time, laughing and telling stories about each other. I hope we're already building memories for the baby, even at her young age.
