Easter Weekend: In Photos And A Few Words, Too

Good Friday was for dying Easter eggs using Kool Aid (thank you, Pinterest.  It was the easiest, quickest method we've tried yet).  To be noted: this was the first year that I did not have to end up finishing the egg dying process on my own thanks to kids who lost interest.  Isabelle is at the most wonderful age and really, really loves these sorts of projects.  For the most part, I got to just sit back and relax and let them have fun creating beautiful things.  They made a big mess and I didn't care one bit, also to be noted.

Holy Saturday was for planting flowers and enjoying a cup of tea on the back porch with visiting best friends. We gathered at my cousin's house for a big Easter dinner with our extended family, lots of babies and aunts and uncles and good food. We had our annual egg paqueing contest, a Louisiana tradition that involves lots of egg knocking and people hollering.  Brees said, "Mommy, you wanna paque?  I got the best egg!". The kids hunted for Easter eggs long after the sun set and the grown ups laughed and talked and enjoyed each other, something we don't get to do as often as we'd like in this crazy busy world.  We drove our sleeping babies home and prepared for the Easter Bunny's arrival, feeling completely grateful for the overwhelming amount of love this big crazy family gives us.

Easter Sunday was for a very early wake up call and alone time with my mother in the kitchen as we prepared the Easter feast: slow roasted brisket, fresh green beans, homemade mac n'cheese, and "dirty rice". The kids woke up and took in their Easter basket treats, River still sleepy and annoyed with the bunny ears we forced on him to commemorate his first Easter. He warmed up pretty quickly, though, and smiled big enough for us to discover that he grew two new bunny teeth overnight! We got all dressed up and headed to church, one of the most beautiful masses and a renewed sense of faith filling my soul.  My brother and his family joined us for a relaxing day in the back yard, the cousins playing, the sun warming our faces, our plates overflowing and our laughter big and loud.  It was such a special day, so relaxing, so full of love.  Shawn and I cleaned up the post lunch mess after our guests were gone and then sat on the back porch while the kids napped, talking the whole weekend over and counting our blessings.  "That was a really good weekend, babe.  Everything just worked out so nice" he said to me, smiling proud.  And it was.  A very happy Easter indeed.

Wordful Wednesday: Easter

Our Easter weekend was 4 glorious days filled with family and love.  It was a Texas road 
trip, delicious food, a double date night, afternoon naps with the baby, and good company.  
It was a chance to catch up with family we don't get to see nearly enough, new clothes for 
our baby boy, Easter egg hunts, and some well needed down time.  It was celebrating 
time honored traditions and picking up a few new ones.  Our Easter was spent under the 
big Texas sky, the promised thunderstorms never arriving despite the threatening 
forecasts.  We were showered in love and sunshine instead.  It was beautiful in every way.  

Thanks to the super crafty ladies in Shawn's family, we were able to do lots of fun, 
Easter themed projects with the kids.  We dyed Easter eggs using Kool-Aid (full 
instructions here) and they came out beautifully.  No water to boil, no smelly vinegar, and 
they were done in less than 5 minutes!  We will most definitely be using this method again!

The kids decorated an Easter bunny cake: two round, chocolate layers cut and shaped to 
look like a bunny.  They used jelly beans, licorice, and coconut to make their bunny all 
their own! 

Nanny spoiled all the mamas and bought us each our very own cake pop maker!  We 
made carrot cake pops and decorated them like little bunnies.  My baking projects 
NEVER come out very pretty but this project was super easy, even for me.

Shawn, Isabelle, and I woke up before dawn on Easter morning and went to sunrise mass, 
just the three of us.  Our precious daughter passed right by the kitchen table, knowing that 
the Easter bunny had left her treats in her basket.  She passed right by that table without 
even peeking, instead starting her day focusing on the true message behind the Easter 
holiday: the celebration of our risen Lord.  She constantly amazes me with her grace and 
love, her ability to focus on the most beautiful and simple moments in life.  We returned 
home from mass to a pancake breakfast, happy babies, and Easter baskets filled with treats.   

The rest of our day was spent feasting on an amazing dinner, hunting for eggs, and 
enjoying good conversation.  It is such a blessing to visit with family on such a special 
holiday, to share stories about old times while creating new stories to tell.  The last time we 
saw Grandpa and Nanny and Ladell was at the hospital in Las Vegas, Shawn's life hanging by 
a thread, our future a complete uncertainty.  To reunite just 9 months later, Shawn 
healthy and well on his way to recovery, my belly growing and filled with the life of 
our precious son: it was a full circle moment.  It was the answer to so many prayers to have 
us all together, happy and healthy and moving forward.