This Easter weekend was great, even though we didn't do our normal traditions.
Friday Matt was off of work and Kian was at a Boy Scout activity, so Matt, the 4 younger kids and I had a picnic lunch at a local lake/park. We walked a mile trail--Klaus did great walking the whole way. We attended a real estate auction at the county courthouse and were the only ones in attendance. We asked the auctioneer a lot of questions which was educational.
Friday night we attended a fundraiser/spaghetti dinner/free babysitting event to support the Young Womens program at church. It was a great evening for everyone. Delicious food!
Saturday I worked at the library so Matt took the kids to a different local state park to attend an Easter Egg Hunt. Three of the kids won prizes! They had a blast. Saturday evening we pretty much just got ready for Sunday. Kian prepared his talk for Sunday morning church. We all made "resurrection rolls" for Easter morning breakfast. Marshmallow and cinnamon and sugar inside of dough = yummy goodness for breakfast. (We don't usually eat this stuff!)
This morning, Sunday, Matt was home to help with getting ready for church. That was a treat! And then we got to eat our resurrection rolls! We took a few family pictures! The girls all looked beautiful with their matching floral crowns from my brother's wedding last summer. Kian's talk was great. Church was great. Klaus went to Sunbeams happily! This afternoon, Ella and I took a relaxing stroll along our road. The kids weren't expecting an easter egg hunt in our woods like usual because they went to one yesterday (and because I couldn't find the easter baskets or eggs and didn't want to buy candy). So they were surprised to find that the Easter bunny had in fact hidden some goodies on our trails. They weren't baskets, however, they were gifts! I had received 3 razor scooters from a friend with triplets who moved away and kept them hidden in the back of the car for a couple of months! I picked up "National Treasure" for $2 for Kian plus a new cool pen and ruler. And for Klaus I bought a random collection of cars and trains from a thrift store for $4. Each kid found their gift hiding in a tree along our trail with a note from the Easter bunny. They were all so surprised and happy. Felicity was convinced the Easter bunny is truly real!
They all played outside with their new toys while dinner cooked, screaming about how much they love easter. Nothing traditional for dinner (we don't do ham anymore!) But the potato soup was delicious and homemade rolls with honey are always welcome! After dinner chores, we made our Easter dessert: melted dark chocolate in the fondue pot with sliced bananas, sliced apples and pretzels for dipping. We devoured them!
We had some fun resurrection activities, sang some Easter hymns and before bed we all enjoyed reading stories from a family history collection about the kids' great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother. Even Klaus was listening attentively!
Days like this are perfection. It doesn't get better than this. I am so thankful for the love Matt and I share, for our beautiful children, and for the happiness we enjoy by following our Savior, Jesus Christ.
