Easter Morning

Last year we celebrated the entire week leading up to Easter. We started the week on Palm Sunday by talking about Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem... we did our own little hosanna shout and set up an area where we could write down acts of service that we noticed all week etc... and that was just the first day. Every night we learned about the life of Christ and especially focused on His last week leading up to his resurrection. (if your interested, check out my Easter post from last year in my blog archive) We LOVED it and had every intention of doing it again this year... well we started off pretty good but then it sort of flopped with everything we had going on this week and just life in general! We definitely plan on keeping up the tradition though because Easter is such a sacred day but often easily overlooked. We make such a big deal about Christmas and Christ's birth which is wonderful but after finding the idea to teach more and focus more on Jesus during Easter I knew we had to start doing better. We had a great Family Home Evening on Monday where we talked about Christ, his life, his example, and his unconditional love. Throughout the week... when we weren't at soccer practice, going to Wicked, re- finishing a dresser, going through baby clothes, aching from contractions etc... Glen and I both tried to take moments to talk to the boys about Christ's life and the importance of Easter... that's it not all about the bunny... etc. It felt good to be more aware of the importance of the holiday, and although not as organized as last year, our Easter week was pretty special!

Easter Morning was nice because instead of having to be at church at 8:30 AM. (seriously!)... we had Stake conference in the tabernacle at 10:00 which gave us a few extra minutes to look for hidden Easter baskets from the bunny! Every year the Easter Bunny leaves trails of jelly beans and writes the boys names in candy... pointing them in the right direction, leading to their baskets! This year the bunny also left a trail of yarn to follow. Each of the boys yarn trails, intertwined and went up and over, down and under... it was wound through the entire house!
Lots of fun!!

By each of the kids names... is where their yarn trail started

Gabe gave an excited giggle when he saw candy everywhere and within his reach! His eyes were wide and in his high little voice he said "Easter bunny bring candy!" and then he proceeded to gather jelly beans in his little hands... shoveling them into his mouth as fast as he could!

Evan's trail lead him to the oven...

Eli's ended in the basement, in the "game closet"

and Gabriel found his basket in the laundry room!

He quickly snatched the chocolate bunny, unwrapped it with shaking hands... (sugar high? excitement? not sure...) and ate it! Healthy breakfast huh?

For our Stake conference they had a primary choir. the boys had been going to practices for weeks. They quickly dressed in their new Easter attire and we headed off to the tabernacle with the sun already warming the air... it was a beautiful Easter morning!

Evan and Eli did such a great job singing! I cry every time I hear a primary choir... so sweet yet bold and testifying! Other than an occasional slouch and the noticeable eye- roll and shoulder heave with each new speaker from Eli... They were very reverent for TWO HOURS on the stand! Glen and I played tag team with Gabe, tried to keep him entertained and had to keep reminding him to whisper. He is such a chatterbox! It was a perfect Easter Service. When we got home we read from a book about the first Easter. Ate egg-salad sandwiches (my favorite!) and relaxed a bit before my brother and his family arrived for our Easter dinner.