Each year it is exciting to see how holidays and traditions are appreciated more and more by the kids. Whiteny (4.5yrs) and Dylan (3.5yrs) enjoyed Easter at a whole new level this year. We got the plastic eggs out a few weeks early and they were having fun making messes and hiding them. Last year their cousins made them a set of Resurrection Eggs (similar to this) and I wouldn’t have guessed how much fun they would have opening the numbered eggs, discovering the item (palm branch, cross, bread, etc.) and running to me to ask what it was for.  I have to admit, the Easter story is a challenging one to explain to kids…injustice, betrayal, violent punishment, death, resurrection…and how about we just throw in a side of substitutionary atonement?  This year was a start.  We tried to keep it simple on the theology and heavy on the family, friends and fun.

A longtime favorite of mine is the Easter egg dying.  This is the first year the kids dipped the dye.  I think they both made 2-3 eggs before wandering off to other fun things.  Gramby was well-stocked with her bright colors and stickers.

It is always a blast when the whole family gathers.  Every year we take a pic of the cousins on this step.  It baffles me each year how much they grow in 12 months.  This was one of the first times Whitney was actually smiling in most of her pictures, I think my brother was yelling silly words and Gramby was shaking her booty – definite kid photography tips to note.  The other kid photography tip is to take 9 million shots.

When they’re babies you wonder what it will be like when they grow up and see their cousins…what joy I have in this phase where they truly delight in each other!  The playing and running around shrieking and having little nonsense conversations…it’s all even better than I imagined.
In addition to the family Easter, we were invited to join some close family friends (of my childhood) for their family celebration.  What a beautiful and fun afternoon we had with them.  And of course, there were moments I felt like I was in a magazine…just look at this Easter table!

Hunting Eggs

Whitney showing off her Easter hunt spoils.

These two spend a lot of time on the piano at home…but this was a first with an organ.

Whitney running off with a sweet “big sister” from church…it warms my heart. 🙂

A family pic. Again, this is why you need to take millions of shots at once…because 3 year old boys have lots of expressions and while some of the images won’t have a chance making it above the fireplace sometimes I just have to laugh knowing that this is so fitting for describing our life right now.

Happy Easter.