The Happiest of Easters

I don't know what I'm going to do if we ever move to a place where winter still has hold during the Easter season.  Maybe I should start convincing Shaggy that we really need a greenhouse if we move.  What will I do without deliciously warm temperatures and blooming flowers and green grass?  I know I've said it before, but I really do love Easter here.  As long as it's not pouring rain, which it did our second week of spring break.  But the first week was gorgeous.  And I didn't procrastinate photo taking like I do some years, so everything worked out beautifully.

And no, that basket did not tip over on accident.  And yes, that is an egg B is tossing onto the ground.  She doesn't go much for props that don't do anything and which aren't small enough to be a choking hazard.  Ah, the joys of living with a whirlwind.

We did have to scramble to make time for our Easter traditions, but that's what I get when I'm trying to squeeze it all in the same weekend as a birthday party.  We decorated eggs after I finished S's cake and before the guests arrived and during a kitchen cleaning session.

Which explains the lovely hair on these two.  At least they were dressed, which is more than I can say for many of our vacation days.

K really got into the eggs again this year.  B was a menace, as usual.  She spent all her time trying to burn herself on the hot eggs or grabbing the bowls or the crayons or the tablecloth or anything else she could get her hands or feet on.  We did the crayon method again.  I think R's egg in the middle was my very favorite one.  It's a good example of her deliberately meandering approach to art.

S was too preoccupied with the countdown to her birthday party to be bothered with decorating more than a couple of token eggs.

Shaggy was a nice addition to our egg decorating this year.  Usually, he's working and misses out.

The next day we packed up and headed over to our favorite park for an egg hunt.  We branched out this year and found some new hiding places.  Those are giant Easter pencils dangling from the tree, in case you were wondering.

Little miss blue eyes here was only interested in one thing.  Getting to whatever was inside those little plastic eggs. 

Here she is tossing aside the nice shredded paper grass and dumping out her basket for easier access.

I loved the way the colors and textures and layers of these egg shells worked together to create something so visually interesting.

Happy hunters, with K doing her very best not to let B squirm her way out of her arms.  All she wanted to do at this point was run and run and run.  But what she really needed to do was sleep and sleep and sleep.

R made these bunny ears at preschool and insisted that we save them so she could wear them for Easter.  They lasted all of 5 seconds after I snapped this photo.

So even though it was busy and a bit rushed, it was a very happy Easter.  We spent a good deal of time on Sunday talking about the symbolism of eggs and bunnies and empty tombs.  And I loved being able to curl up on the sofa next to my beloved little family and partake of the Easter goodness on BYUTV and the Mormon channel via Roku.  There is something about those beautiful church videos that makes Easter come alive with power and promise and hope, even for the youngest members of my family.  How grateful we are for our Savior, who opened the door to eternity through the events that unfolded that Sabbath day so very long ago.