Easter Festivities

Last week and this have been filled with Easter activities thanks to school and church sponsored festivities. And I love it! Whenever we talk about Easter, we talk about the real meaning of the holiday: Christ's sacrifice for our sins through His death, and the miracle of His resurrection and complete healing. Though I know my kids are young, they (well, at least Leah) aren't too young to understand the important truth that Jesus is alive. (And if you ask Leah, she'll state this truth with the appropriate level of enthusiasm.)

Our school activities have been a mix of religious and secular (eggs), but they all have provided an opportunity for us to talk about the importance of the day. We made stained glass crosses, used goodie-filled Easter eggs to practice addition and writing numbers, and dyed eggs. Such fun! (Aside: Seeing the joy and excitement on the kids' faces when we complete these lessons/ projects is a great motivator for me to continue planning more activities. Plus, watching them have fun brings me joy, reminding me of what it's like to be a kid again.)

Saturday was the annual Easter egg hunt and festival at church. The day was sunny but cold (especially when the wind blew), but that couldn't dampen the kids' enthusiasm. (We had been practicing our egg-gathering skills by holding egg hunts at home... regularly.) Hunter was all about gathering eggs and putting them in his bucket... until he discovered that they had candy in them. After that, he'd pick up an egg, crack it open, and check out the candy (or try to put a piece-- wrapper and all-- in his mouth). [Since the egg hunt for the various ages in held simultaneously, Scott and I split up, so no pictures of Leah's quest.]

After the egg hunt, it was time to check out the other activities the church had to offer, and there were plenty! The kids went in a moon-bounce (Hunter didn't exactly jump, but he did stand up a couple times with the help of cousin Alyssa. Even though he couldn't jump, he had a blast; like his sister, he had a permanent smile plastered across his face.) to work up an appetite. We then took a break to refuel with hot dogs before venturing out to the playground. (How interesting that in spite of all the activities -- additional bounce houses, crafts, face painting, a cake walk-- the kids preferred the playground.) Well, there was ONE exception to the playground: pony rides. Leah was the only one who wanted to take a pony ride, so Scott waited in line while Mom and I took the kids (Leah, Hunter,  and their cousins Alyssa and Kenzie) to the playground. The wait (for Scott) was worth it: Leah LOVED riding the pony. [Hmmm, will she one day ask us for riding lessons? I wouldn't put it past her; every time she has a chance to get on a horse or pony, she takes it.]

By now, it was late, and past due for both kids to rest/ nap, but before we left, we picked up some snow cones (because that's what all kids eat when it's cold outside). Hunter wasn't happy about leaving, and I couldn't blame him. After all, who wants to leave a grand party for Jesus?

"You mean I have to wait to get those eggs?"

Candy!

Notice the chocolate mustache. A peanut butter cup had melted, prompting Hunter to try to eat it wrapper and all.

The successful egg hunters: Leah, Kenzie, Hunter, & Alyssa

Enjoying a purple snow cone. Yummy!

Just a tad bit windy out.

Checking out the loot. Hunter didn't like when we told him he couldn't eat anymore of the candy at that moment.

PSL Science: Sink or float. Then dump all the Easter eggs in the sink and mix them up.

So, when I took this picture, I didn't realize what Hunter was doing. Apparently he had opened the egg, discovered the water, and then proceeded to drink it. That's my boy!

Leah wanted to paint some of our eggs this year.

Guess he was done painting.

Hunter liked dyeing eggs as much as painting them. Despite having plenty of colors to choose from, he wanted two orange eggs.

Playing in the dye. Moments later, Hunter CRUSHED the egg in his hand. So much for trying to take photos while dyeing eggs with a 21-month-old.

Have I told you how much my kids love the hairdryer?

Leah shows Hunter how to hold the egg in place so that Daddy could shrink the egg wrapper.

Life is full of disappointments for Hunter: he wanted to play with the egg, but Daddy wouldn't let him.