Easter is one of my favorite times of year. I love the colors, the decorations, the cute Easter outfits and the meaning of Easter. That Jesus is not in the tomb! He was crucified for our sins but He Rose again! Hallelujah!
Since Daddy was working on Easter day, we had our family Easter on Good Friday. I love letting the kids set the eggs outside in their basket for the Easter bunny to hide and leave goodies in their place. I even love waking up with Daddy at 6am to hide the eggs in the dark, wet, somewhat spooky, backyard. I love the anticipation during breakfast as they look outside to try and see what's in their basket and where the Easter bunny hid the eggs. Family memories :) 
Avery is a bit young to capture the idea of death and dying but she knows the words and knows that Jesus died on the cross. We read many books about Easter and talked in great lengths about the meaning of this special holiday. So, when I told her that we were going to dye Easter eggs tomorrow with our friends, she looked at me in horror. She said ," We can't dye the Easter eggs! I don't want to!" I said (clearly not catching on....), "That is what we do when Easter comes" Avery is almost in tears and says," But I don't want to kill the eggs! That's mean! Why are they dying?!" "Ah...." And so started the discussion of the difference between the words dye and die. After the discussion she said she understood but whenever I would mention that we would be dyeing eggs soon, she would look a little panicked.
Every year we get together with the same family to dye eggs. The Martensens have a little boy 6 weeks older than Nate. We have been friends with them since before the boys were born and started the tradition the first Easter that the boys had. It gets more interesting every year! This year we had a 3 1/2 yr old girl and 2 2 1/2 yr old boys that love to throw things. Even when you say, "Gentle! We don't throw eggs! and especially not into something that will stain!".
Since Daddy was working on Easter day, we had our family Easter on Good Friday. I love letting the kids set the eggs outside in their basket for the Easter bunny to hide and leave goodies in their place. I even love waking up with Daddy at 6am to hide the eggs in the dark, wet, somewhat spooky, backyard. I love the anticipation during breakfast as they look outside to try and see what's in their basket and where the Easter bunny hid the eggs. Family memories :) 
Avery told me that in an Easter basket, the Easter bunny always leaves a chocolate bunny. And look at that, he did! And look at that, I'm letting them eat the chocolate bunnies! Amazing!
I found the most precious Easter outfits for the kids. Avery is into anything that looks like a Princess dress, that swirls like a Princess dress, and is purple! Check, check, check! She loved it!! Nate was less impressed. His outfit matched his sisters outfit but more on a GQ level. Purple shirt, grey vest, black trousers and a clip on tie! It was adorable! He didn't agree.
Easter Sunday was an interesting morning. Doug and I went to volunteer in the signing office at LTC in Dallas from Fri afternoon-Sat evening. On the way home Saturday night I realized that the black shoes that I had planned on Nathan wearing wouldn't fit! Everything was closed when I got home! So, Easter morning comes and I try to squeeze the shoes onto Nate's feet. Not.Gonna.Happen. We all get dressed and ready for church, except Nathan's bare feet and skip class to go to Walmart in search of some black dress shoes. To my surprise.....they Don't Have ANY! Luckily, when I was texting with my brilliant mom that morning and telling her that I was going to have to go to walmart for shoes she had some wonderful advice "you may want to take an extra pair of church clothes for him unless walmart doesn't have anything." Well, walmart didn't have anything so I ended up changing Nate in the car. Which he did not like. Into way less cuter clothes that didn't match his sister. Which I did not like. Nathan hadn't quite gotten over the morning when it was picture time.
As I was growing up, I didn't understand how much work holidays are for the parents. Holidays change schedules, cost money, and take planning and preparation. Among all the craziness, I try to remember that things don't have to be perfect. Baskets don't have to look aesthetically pleasing. Kids don't have to match on Easter morning with brand new clothes. What matters most, is that our family comes together to celebrate the holiday. No matter what it is or how it turns out (according to plan or not) we are making memories and traditions that will last throughout our children's life. Glorifying God with our celebration and making sure that our kids understand the true meanings of the holidays. And that is what matters most.
No comments:
Post a Comment