Easter Sunday had become a big deal in the Karev household throughout the years. It's love and intensity wasn't nearly as close to the ever-so expensive Christmas, but it easily took over second place as the family's favorite holiday. (For the kids at least. Jo and Alex would always love Halloween the most for many reasons.) They decorated their house's outer appearance to the nines, complete with easter egg lights that stuck in the ground, small inflatables, signs, and the occasional plastic bunny or two. Hanging from the tree on their lawn were easter baskets that they had tied to a piece of string, full of fake grass and hand-dyed eggs in extravagant colors. Inside, they had set out the Easter themed tablecloth, and traditional candy from the holiday could be found inside of ceramic bowls in the shape of bunny's.
It came as no surprise when at exactly seven thirty in the morning, three children came bumbling into their room, feet heavy against the hardwood floors as they raced each other down the halls, eager to awake their parent's first. They were told that they couldn't wake up Alex and Jo earlier then that, or they would postpone the hunt. The oldest, Blaire, reached the two sleeping figures before her little brothers, running up to the bed and shaking them both awake.
"Mommy, Daddy, get up get up!" she cheered, a wide grin across her face. At ten years old, she knew that the easter bunny wasn't real, but it was still more than fun to hunt for eggs across the house. Plus, she knew how much her parent's appreciated the fact that she still put on a show for her younger siblings, who were a few years younger than her, and still full of belief for traditional holiday characters.
Not even a second later, two more bodies came flying onto the bed, taking the liberty of jumping up and down to wake up their parents rather than shaking them. Their youngest, Chase, jumps onto his dad's back in all of his two year old glory, as if Alex wasn't already aware of the presence of the three in the room. Months upon months of being on high alert while raising them as newborns turned both him and Jo into incredibly light sleepers, much to their dismay. They had been awake the second their footsteps had come down the halls, it was just nice to close their eyes for a bit longer.
Jo slowly wakes up next to him, giving him a sleepy, half smile that he never failed to make his heart stutter. She takes six year old Holden into her arms, giving him a hug as well as she could while he tried to squirm away. Being in first grade meant that he was too cool to give hugs to his mom, but Jo refused to acknowledge that, and still hugged and kissed him like he was still the tiny baby that would snuggle in her lap at every given opportunity. Sometimes, when he refused to give her a hug before he went into class, she would shout an 'I love you baby' just to get back at him. It was petty, but it worked, because after enough times he had learned to give his mom a hug before class.
"No mommy! The easter bunny came!" the boy protests, eventually escaping her grasp when he lands back on the floor, brushing a strand of too-long hair out of his eyes. Jo had been trying to set up a haircut for the past week, but they both were struggling to find enough time out to do so. It wasn't like Holden was complaining, actually preferring the floppy hair more than he shorter haircut, but Jo said that he wasn't going to look like his Uncle Link used to as a grown man. (Which Holden hated, since Uncle Link was seriously the coolest and he would definitely have floppy hair if the blonde used to as well.)
"I know. Give me and Daddy a minute, and we'll be right down. In the meantime, go see if the easter bunny ate all of his carrots, 'kay?" Jo mumbles, rubbing her palms against her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of sleep faster. Footsteps then padded out of the room and down the stairs, excited chatters echoing through the halls of the house.
Jo and Alex give each other a small, exhausted smile. They had been up until two thirty that morning, hiding eggs after both working fifteen hour shifts, and to say they were tired was an understatement. Bags hung heavy under both of their eyes, but they both knew it would be worth it when they would see the kids hunt for the plastic eggs. They lean in and connect their lips for a quick peck because they were both aware of their terrible morning breath. When they pull away they both crash back onto their pillows, taking a few seconds to let the tiredness leave their bodies before the start of an eventful day. Dragging themselves out of bed, they brush their teeth and try to make themselves at least somewhat put together so they didn't seem like absolute zombies in front of their kids. Jo pulls her phone off her charger, tucking it into the pocket of her robe before they head down the stairs, the kids eagerly sitting at the island next to a plate of 'bunny eaten carrots' and a note.
