Easter 2011

We are having a joyous Easter season here in Michigan, especially now that the snow has melted. The Wednesday prior to Easter it was questionable as we awoke to almost a foot of snow in the driveway. The kiddos and I got a surprise snow day out of the deal. Part of our "work" for the day was decorating eggs and making bunny tails which Ty is sporting here.

Snow days are such a treat for me. I can understand how for the rest of the working world they are a source of anxiety and frustration but for me I get a surprise gift of a day home with my kiddos. We went to the park and made snowmen with some neighbors and then Marie went home with them for a play time. Ty and I headed home for a nap. Snow days can be exhausting, you know. I actually do try and accomplish one thing extra those days but also try to really enjoy the gift of unexpected time with my kids.

The night before Easter we had to make an executive decision on egg placement: main floor, outside??? Ahhhh...basement. Marie and Ty are so young that the whole egg hunt is still a surprise for them. We hid the eggs in the basement so we could lounge around in the morning till Jim and I felt ready to have the egg hunt. I think that was a one-shot deal and that next year they will call us on it but, hey, take it while you can.

They could NOT believe that they got candy. And that they could eat more than one piece.

Then it was time to go to church. We have not been taking Ty to church recently because it always resulted in one of us not being able to pay attention, rather spending a lot of time herding him in the lobby. We decided on Palm Sunday it was time to re-introduce him. Well, if your first experience of church is Palm Sunday mass, that is a pretty good one to start with. You get a palm frond, you are expected to wave it all around, there are dancers down the aisle and lots of music as Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem is remembered. Ty loved it. Needless to say, he was quite excited to return on Easter. Until we got there and had to sit in the overflow seating and watch the service over the monitor. "I NO WANT WATCH TV! I WANT TO GO TO CHURCH!" he announced. Major bummer but he dealt with it by falling asleep on Jim halfway through the service. Then as we left, the Easter Bunny had left a balloon tied to a bag of candy for each child to pick up on their way out. Ty slept through that too but Marie got him a bag and balloon. Sadly, Ty learned (likely not for the last time) the story of the helium balloon and what happens when you let go. But Marie shared hers so all was well in balloon-world.

You can see that it was a far cry from the snow day 5 days beforehand. Just a gorgeous day!!! Happy Easter to all of you!