The South Lawn of the White House was filled with children and their families Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll.
There were cheers of excitement and tears of frustration as the whistle blew and children attempted to race their eggs across the finish line.
Eight-year-old Deserick Lawson of Washington, D.C., said he won the race with his sister Cecilia.
"We saw the characters. I saw Spider Man … I'm glad I won," he said.
President Obama, flanked by the first family, spoke briefly to the crowds gathered on a warm, sunny day in D.C.
"I want to wish everybody a wonderful Easter. And we are so thrilled that all of you could join us here today. My job is very simple: it is to introduce the powerhouse of the White House," said Obama, gesturing to the first lady.
Michelle Obama, the official host of the Egg Roll, welcomed people from around the country to the event.
"I think the president is going to try to beat a three-year-old," she joked of the contest. "I hope he does not."
Michelle Obama added that she hoped everyone in attendance was wearing their "comfortable shoes."
"We've got ours on," she said.
Also on stage were first daughters Sasha and Malia, the Easter Bunny and teen singer and former contestant on "The X Factor" Rachel Crow, who opened the festivities singing the national anthem.
The first lady praised the singer's performance as "amazing" and called her a "sweet kid."
The first family then made their way down to the lawn to join the youths on the lawn.
Although the president didn't participate in the competition, he did act as a referee for two of the many rounds of egg rolling, blowing the whistle before the children pushed hard-boiled eggs down the lawn.
More than 14,000 dyed, hard-boiled eggs were used for Monday's roll. Children were given wooden eggs as sovereign on their way out.
"We've got a winner," Obama was heard saying at the end of the first roll. The president then asked one little girl, who was crying, "what's the matter?" and tried to comfort her as he patted her shoulder.
Another slightly older boy, wearing a stripped polo shirt, told Obama "yes we can," a reference to his 2008 famous campaign slogan.
More than 30,000 tickets were given out for Monday's event out of 200,000 requests to the White House lottery drawing. Children under the age of 13 participated in the events.
Despite the crowds — groups of 6,000 were let in for two-hour blocks — the families that spoke to The Hill said the wait for the egg roll was about a half hour.
In addition to the egg roll, the festivities included an Easter egg hunt, a storytelling stage, face painting, a yoga garden and a basketball court.
Obama, a well-known basketball fan, headed over to shoot some hoops after his rolling duties were complete.
"I'm going to go play basketball with him," said Lawson, the egg-rolling victor, when asked if he had met Obama.
There were numerous ways to roll an Easter egg, and the children appeared to have tried all of them. Here's The Hill's field guide to the best, most efficient way to cross the Egg Roll finish line:
1. Place the wooden spoon at a horizontal angle.
2. Get in one big hit at the beginning.
3. Wear matching outfits — matching plaid is better.
4. Slowly, meticulously push your egg down the lawn.
5. If all else fails, throw your egg across the finish line.
