This year for our Easter weekend, the kids had no school on Friday or Monday. And, as we always stay in College Station for Easter, it was a really nice and restful weekend. Some years, we have family members in or friends spend Easter day with us, but this year it was just us five. On Friday, we woke up to Everly's 1st Birthday! We went to Jumping World and then home to Vic, who got to come home early for the weekend as well. We played outside and celebrated Everly's birthday with pizza and cupcakes. On Saturday, I slept in until 10:30! Vic and I had a deal that I would sleep in on Saturday and he would sleep in on Monday. After I got up, I ran some errands and then made it back home for us to load up to go to Huntsville for Kristofer and Katie's baby shower! It was a really fun evening, as it always is at Nancy & Gary's and anytime with our Veretts. We took the kids, of course, and Vic and Atticus and grace swam while Everly and I parked it on a picnic blanket next to a swing and visited with Kristofer and Patricia as well and Cady & David and Holly. It was a beautiful, cool evening and we did not want to leave at 8:45 when we did. We are very excited for Kristofer and Katie and their baby, Charles Kristofer, to be called Charley. They are due June 22, I think? So, not long to go and Katie looked beautiful and so elegant to be 30+ weeks pregnant.
At the shower, Grace became swinging buddies with Kristofer. And at the end of the night, she just flat out told him she wanted to sit in his lap to swing. So, they did! He may be having a baby boy first, but I hope a baby girl is also in his future!
This picture is so funny. We called the kids over and they were playing with this little boy, Wyatt. Well Wyatt came too and just got in the group for the picture. It was no big deal and so funny! And check out Katie. Gorgeous. No other words. Just a gorgeous mommy to be!
We made it home, got kids to bed and woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful Easter day! We have been visiting First Baptist Church in Bryan, since the end of January. I mentioned back in December, that we were feeling a need, after a year of discussing, to leave our church at Our Saviour's. We just haven't been as happy there for a little while and while it was extremely hard to leave the people we love at OSLC, we have really felt it has been the right decision. However, that morning, Vic was feeling a little sad that we wouldn't be going to our church at OSLC for Easter morning to worship with our friends, as we have for many years. But, let me tell you. After our service at First Baptist, neither of us were feeling sad anymore. It was the most wonderful service. The music was wonderful...so many great hymns and medley's and the message...it was wonderful! He spoke to "those who come here once a year because they feel a need to make it just once a year" and "to those who come to please their families on Easter" and "to those who just need more evidence of the resurrection" and he said it was his plan to give anyone who was still unsure of the resurrection, everything they would need to be convinced. And in return, he asked that if he showed you all of the evidence, you would, in return, ask Jesus into your heart that day. I mean, it was a service dedicated, even more than usual, to making sure that everyone in that sanctuary would KNOW Christ and KNOW that he died for us and our sins and rose again. It was just wonderful! I can get emotional at any moment...it's the mom genes in me, I think. But, I was just shedding tears the entire service. All of the concealer and makeup underneath my eyes was gone by the end! I think, for Vic and I, we have loved our Lutheran Church for many years and we respect and appreciate the way all denominations worships, whether traditional or contemporary or with passionate sermons or with calm sermons or with ministers or priests or little country preachers. And, I know that I grew up in a Baptist Church so it feels like home to come back to one, but we are also both really feeling good at First Baptist Bryan. We have plans to visit some other church's throughout the year, but people, the ministries, the Sunday School classes, the services and especially the preacher's sermons have been SO fulfilling. So, I am clearly making a sermon with this blog, but we loved our Easter service so much!
Our first Easter as a family of 5. Side note: Did you know Everly went
an entire year of her life before she celebrated Easter? Last year,
Easter was March 27th, early. She was born April 14th and this year's
Easter was April 16th.
Anyways, after the most important part of the day, 😀, we took the kids outside for the Egg Hunt. Actually, the church had been advertising to the community that it would have a helicopter drop with 35,000 eggs! We had to wait about 30 minutes outside for it to begin, but sure enough the helicopter came. It actually only dropped 4 trash bags full of eggs at each age group's area. The rest of the 35,000 eggs were already on the ground. But, it was still fun to see. Then, the kid went and hunted those eggs. But, it did not go well for Grace. We were about 3 people deep in the mass that went to the 3-4 year old area. And, someone else described it later to us like locusts. The eggs were picked up as kids ran and they picked them up so fast that as we got to each egg, they were snatched up with nothing left behind! Grace was so sad. She had two eggs in her little bucket and I knew the tears were coming. But, they were ready for this, I guess, because they announced to come find volunteers with buckets to get some eggs as well. And, as we walked away, older kids would see her little empty basket and put eggs in it. Even Atticus gave her some of his eggs as soon as he saw other people doing it! ha! It was just a really fun event!
Here she was ready to hunt!
Happy after the hunt!
Vic looked short here. He crouched down, so I did too. But, it looks so funny to me!
We headed home and began our long afternoon of lunch, playing, naps,
scavenger hunt for baskets and hunting Easter eggs. And let me tell you,
it was the best afternoon! A lot of times, with busy weekends and the
excitement of surprises like egg hunts, our kids are at the age that
they can get cranky and whiney and impatient. But, Vic and I were so
pleased that our afternoon was free from any of that. It was just so
pleasant and we were so proud of the kids! So, we ate an easy lunch of
salad and ham and cheese sliders. We played and then everyone napped.
Then, we got up and Vic took the kids on a spelling scavenger hunt
around our yard and down the cul-de-sac and it led them to their Easter
baskets inside. He would spell where they should go or send them to a
spot and ask Atticus to spell something or ask Grace a special question.
It was so fun! After baskets of fun goodies, which GG and I slowly buy
on clearance or through the last few months (and always end up with way
too much), I hid the eggs and they hunted away. For Everly, I just put a
bunch on the ground and she would figure out how to open them and eat
the puffs inside them while Atticus and Grace hunted.We finished the day
with leftovers and baths and bedtime and it was just so fun! On Monday,
Vic took the day off and we did things around the house. I love having
Vic home on a weekday; it's just so fun to do life together on a weekday
for some reason. Here are pictures below, as always!
We attempted pictures after church. This is the best we got. haha!
Poor Atticus. His eyes were itchy and hurting for some reason. And then Everly found his watch.
And then Everly really needed to check that watch out some more.
Then, his eye hurt more. The watch was the focus. And Grace decided to attack Everly for a hug.
We switched to fast individual pictures. Here's cutie #1.
Cutie #2 trying to smile with those itchy eyes. And um...when did he start looking so grown up? I think he might be looking like a 6 year old now! And this is good, because he is dying to be 6 years old. Everyone is turning 6 before him and it is just so hard for him to wait! haha!
And cutie #3 who found a sticker to adorn her head.
A picture with my girls. I love their sweet dresses!
Opening eggs. Every egg had a Bible Verse in it as well and Atticus keeps reading them and putting them on the refrigerator. He keeps tell me "this is another one from The Romans". haha!
We had lunch. Healthy and delicious.
This cutie!
And I am still so surprised they napped without hesitation even BEFORE we did baskets or eggs.
So, Vic got them started on their scavenger hunt. Every year, he plans one for them before they get their baskets. He has done it with notes, with pictures and this year, he did it off the top of his head.
Luc and Aaron were playing outside when the clues led the kids to the cul-de-sac. When they were sent to the cross in our neighbor's yard, they all posed for a picture!
Easter baskets are like stockings and are so fun for me!
Here they come at the end of their scavenger hunt!
She only cared about the trash. Of course!
Grace was hilarious while she opened her basket. For every single item, she would say "this is so cute!" and then "thank you mama for my (fill in the blank)!". Every single thing. She would also call Everly "sweetie" a lot that day!
She loved a peep! I had to help her not swallow it whole!
They were ready to hunt and waiting to hear which color eggs they were each to hunt for. Clearly, Everly's were purple and all close by. Look at that little face...she was so excited to see puffs inside her egg!
So, the hunt was a success! And then the afternoon continued with playing with all of their treats and organizing them. Atticus loves to organize his stuff and he had Grace playing and organizing and sharing and it was so funny.
And all afternoon, they dubbed Grace a princess and me the queen and Atticus the king while we played hangman, animals, lalaloopsey dolls, drawing, and reading books. They were so funny!
So, now I am going to share photos of Mary and Taylor and Paul! These are not mine to share, but I don't think Mary will mind because they are so special to us! But, look at this little family picture. Beautiful! And look at Paul. I have never seen a cuter little man for Easter! Everything about these photos makes me wish we lived closer to them! I will accept photos until we somehow make that happen one day.
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter day celebrating our Risen Saviour and even the Easter egg hunts to go with it! Happy Easter!!
