EASTER OVERNIGHT PARTY AT AUNT COOKIES !!!!!

Aunt Cookie decided it was time to step up her game and have an overnight party at her house with her nieces and nephews. Now, I sadly acknowledge that Dallin and Kenzie were not there and were missed. You were with us in spirit. Especially since Dustin called and said Kenzie was at home crying because she wasn't here. Sorry, Kenz.

So, I mailed each child their own invitation to the bash. Our first stop of the night was the park. Here's the crew with lots of energy to "get this party STARTED!"
You can almost hear the screaming can't you? "ARBOGAST COUSINS ROCK!"

Cousin Cassie insisted on taking the kids home across the mysterious troll bridge in our neighborhood. You have to run across it so the troll can't reach over and grab you!

Finally safe at home, we bust into the plastic eggs and fill them with candy. Of course, just as many were eaten as were put into the eggs.
Because we weren't completely in sugar shock yet, it's now time to bake cupcakes. The kids sat so nicely on my counter and each took turns putting in their ingredients. Jess is adding the cake mix...
Abbie is adding the butter...

Jay added the water, and finally biggest girl Taylor gets to crack the eggs and she did a great job! No shells!
Of course we have to lick the beaters...Auntie's doing her part to spread pediatric salmonella to your children....but hey, they LOVE IT !!!

Now we have to decorate the cupcakes...and because the kids can still walk upright I figure a little more sugar won't hurt, so as you may suspect, most of the decorative candies and frosting went straight into their little mouths.


Ah, Jess is willing to share a candy...

Here are the few cupcakes that were not eaten. The cupcake on the bottom middle is Jess'. She just can't leave a piece of candy alone. But, like a lady, she only ate the top of the cupcake. (She didn't want to look like she had NO self control).
So after all this sugar the kids were REALLY ready to party. We brought 2 spare mattresses downstairs to sleep on but they quickly turned into jumping pads. Jumping off the couch, onto the mattresses for almost an hour. Surprisingly, we only had 1 bloodly lip and that cousin didn't even notice it until we tried to tend to it. (Who knew sugar was also a pain blocker?) But hey, this picture was only taken at 9pm so we had plenty of time to burn...
MAN DOWN ! JESS, SAVE YOURSELF! MAN DOWN!

Now, just so you don't think Baby Shawn was left out, he found his own mischief too. Now he's crawling, so it was his job to chase the cat all evening. Martha wouldn't know what to do if the kids ignored her. Good job, Shawn! He and Aunt Cookie also had LOTS of cuddle time but those pictures are personal, sleeping, snuggles into Aunties "pillows" so are not posted on this blog to protect the cuddly innocent. Finally, at 11:30pm the sugar crash happened and all were out snoring like their Dad's after Thanksgiving dinner. For some reason, Martha decided to sleep with them there all night.

The next day....Grandpa and Grandma graciously had this crew over for breakfast, egg decorating and an indoor easter egg hunt in the basement with the eggs we'd stuffed with candy the night before. We hid those eggs over and over until all the candy inside the eggs slowly and mysteriously disappeared until nobody wanted to look for them anymore. Hummm...

We made bunny shaped flying pancakes and the fixin's. Thanks, Grandma!

This is my favorite picture of the party - Taylor watching her incoming flying-bunny pancake! (While Colton makes sound affects.)

Finally, (did I say that...) the parents arrive and it's time to decorate the real-hard boiled eggs.

Now the hunt is on! Grandma even hid money in some of the plastic eggs. Jess was all about the cash and Abbie gave hers away. So, thanks to everyone who came to Aunt Cookies. She will definately do this again as soon as her hearing comes back and her eye stops twitching. It was everything I had hoped it would be and I hope the kids (and parents) enjoyed it too.