He Is Risen!

     I know it's May but I can't leave Easter undocumented, especially when I took so many pictures! So here is our Easter, celebrating Christ's death and resurrection with family and friends. Easter is such an important holiday and one that I cherish more and more each year. What a blessing to get to celebrate our source of salvation. It's fun getting all dressed up, making special food and treats and spending the day with family, being thankful for our eternal life that we have through Christ our Lord.

Stuffing eggs with gum for his class party. 

You know me…I had to have an Easter play date. We ate snacks, hunted eggs and the kids judged crosses they'd decorated at home. It was much fun and chaos!! Loved it. 

The boys went the nature route. Cooper decorated his with leaves and wanted to write Jesus God. Ace picked two sticks and we glued them together. I thought they were great, but they didn't win anything. 

Cousin time! We were able to visit with Kallie and the kids at Mere Mere's house. I even hid some eggs for them. Then Cooper re-hid them for Mere Mere and I. 

Love the picture of Sophia and Tucker (taken by Kallie)!

Another picture by Kallie. Dalton took Sophia for a ride.

     We headed to my parents' house on Good Friday. It was the first time we'd spent Easter there since Cooper was a baby, so I was excited. The boys watched a video about Easter on the way (thanks Aunt Ellen!) and we arrived ready to visit. 

There was a surprise for us at Mom and Dad's…. a treehouse! It was a fun addition. 

Dalton used it to climb higher and higher, can you find him? 

Amy made cookies and brought goodies to decorate them with, and the boys enjoyed decorating them.  

Cooper decorated several, while Ace spent a lot of time on one cookie. Tucker enjoyed sampling them.

The kids fighting "Gowiaf" in the yard. Cooper liked playing Old Bunny (Easter version of Old Maid)

 

The boys with Uncle Garrett and Aunt Amy, who brought them Easter baskets with goodies. 

Hiding and hunting eggs on Saturday. We even had eggs that talked to us, saying "Yoo hoo! I'm over here!" so we all participated in a contest. Dalton and I lost. Mom and Dad won.

     After a little rest we decided to race. Ok, I prodded everyone else into it because I wanted to compete again. Well, that didn't work out for me either. I lost to Amy (I'm using the 'I've had 3 kids so I'm not very fast' excuse). Dalton lost to Garrett, and my relay team lost as well. So it was a humbling competition day for me, but I'm learning to be ok with that. And it was fun racing and watching!

Glad that I didn't race Mom or Dad….I might have lost against them too! 

Easter lunch outside

 The Easter Bunny came and left some goodies. Then we got dressed and went to church. 

  

It rained Easter morning so the kids hunted eggs in the sanctuary. It was sweet watching them hunt with the Altar and lillies in the background. We stayed for brunch then went home to have family time.

Our little business man Ace. 

     We had one more competition before the day's fun ended. We had an egg toss. It was hilarious because our eggs were cold and the weather was cold so they did not break easily. Every team's egg hit the ground multiple times without breaking. Dalton and I finally didn't finish in last place. We got 2nd, Mom and Dad won 1st. 

 It was great spending Easter with these families. And Mom and Dad, even though I didn't get a picture of just them. 

Sword fight!! 

One last egg hunt. 

We visited the strawberry patch near Mom and Dad's house. The berries were fresh and delicious! Ace finally had to be banned from the field because he kept picking and eating the berries before we paid for them. 

"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them 'They have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him.' Having said this she turned around and saw Jesus standing but she did not know that i was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'sir if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her 'Mary.' She turned and said to him in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!'" John 20:11-16

I love this passage because with one word…her name, Mary knew it was her Savior Jesus. I can't wait to get to Heaven to her Him say my name. I can only imagine what it will be like when I'm there and can talk to Him in person….my prayer is that following my name He said "Well done, good and faithful servant."