Easter--He has risen indeed!

Anyone else confused how it's already APRIL!?  Where did it come from?  March flew by (probably because of all our Easter fun) and we are already into the 2nd week of April (which is flying by because our fabulous family is visiting almost every weekend)!  Last year we started Easter week with acting out parts of the story each morning.  It was so fun, we made it a tradition.   

Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord!  http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+21/

"My House is a House of Prayer!" (with Ty our friend we watch)  http://www.esvbible.org/Mark+11%3A15-19/

 "This is my body, which is broken for you..."   

 http://www.esvbible.org/John+13%3A1-20/  AND   http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+26%3A26-29/

"The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find." And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

(They also received wedding garments, hence the "beautiful robe")

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+22%3A1-14/

The crucifixion is a little more difficult to act out but we read the story from the Jesus Storybook Bible (so good) and they Andy and girls went upstairs to our dark attic to hide (like the disciples did after Jesus died, but before He rose again).  Easter morning we made Resurrection rolls....more on that later.

We colored Easter eggs almost 2 weeks before Easter because the girls were so excited.  This our blurb from last year about coloring eggs:

When our family decorates eggs, we compare the colored eggs with the plain ones and remember that when we believe in Christ and what He did for us on the cross, He makes us a New Creation (2 Thess. 5:17).  In God's eyes we're no longer like everyone else, but we're beautiful and set apart because of Christ's righteousness.

The paint wasn't dry and the girls were already anxious to eat their creations.  Here they are both intently peeling their eggs.

YUM :)

Leavenworth had a town egg hunt which we thought the girls would enjoy.  It wasn't quite what we had in mind and they did have fun but we will NOT be doing it again.  Way too many people, not very well organized, and the egg hunt was over in 14 seconds.

Chicken Toss

 

Kung Foo Panda...yeah because when you think of Easter he comes to mind.

They had a tiny petting zoo....2 rabbits, a chicken you couldn't touch, and a donkey.

A few games.

???  No idea.

So the idea was that the kids line up and then all go at once and get some eggs.  There were age dividers so the girls got ready in the 0-5 year section.  Andy coached the girls to run to the other side and get the eggs from down there so he walked to the other end and waited.

Not sure if you can see them but the girls are right in the middle front.....white shirts, pink and purple pants.  Andy took this picture from the other end.

 Then they said and go and it was a mad dash, mad I tell you....parents, big kids, everyone running, Joni started crying, parents started scooping up eggs, little kids getting pushed over....it was horrible.  Hadley made it to the other side and did well, but it was over and all the eggs gone before Joni and I even made it to the end.  We won't be doing that again ever but the girls walked away happy so that's what counts.

"Oh, see what a morning, gloriously bright,

 with the dawning of Hope in Jerusalem.

  Folded, the grave clothes, tomb filled with light, 

as the angels announce, "He is risen!"  

Resurrection rolls are biscuits (tomb) you bake with marshmallows (Jesus) inside, and when they are done the marshmallows have melted and Christ is risen from the dead!  The girls love making them and they are delicious too :)

Sweet Easter girls.

Sweet Easter family.

Cheesy but cute :)

For Easter lunch we had some of our favorite church friends over for lamb.  We ate a lot of food.

Waiting for lunch to be ready....Joni loves her Judson. 

Sarah, Andy, and Mr. Cole hid our Resurrection eggs in the backyard for the girls to find.

Which they enjoyed much much more than the day before.

And then, we ate! And ate!  And ate a little more.

Our feast:  lamb, spinach souffle, rolls, broccoli salad, herb potatoes, and ranch carrots.

Then while we let dinner settle, Andy went through each egg we talked about the Easter story again.  It was so awesome.  Also amazing to hear how much the girls remembered from their lessons throughout the week. We are truly blessed by a magnificent Lord.

Joni and Sarah opening the last one (which is empty....like the tomb)!...except for that tiny piece of paper that Joni put in the egg when she found it.

And for dessert:  Swedish cream with berries.  

Our cups overflow!  Love to you all!

Spring has sprung, sort of

It has been warm and wonderful....no snow for about a week!  These snow pictures are from the end of February when we had the last big storm.  This snow was perfect for snowmen and igloos so we did our best!  Andy started off the morning shoveling the front porch and he made this little guy for the girls.

The snow was wet and heavy but was beautiful!

 Our sweet Aunt Donna (church secretary) gave us this super sweet brick maker!  I could not imagine building an igloo (or fort wall) without it!

 My wall!

 Our first family snowman!  The snow was so deep that Hadley really had a hard time getting around in it (not that she minded).  Joni was perfectly content just sitting and eating it.

 Tada!!!  It is actually a snow-girl complete with earmuff and carrot nose.

 Andy thought it would be fun to make an igloo.  It didn't work.  I am trying to hold up the doorway while he finishes the supporting bricks...again, it didn't work but it was still fun!

Hadley practicing her name in the snow.

 Both girls have become quite the helpers in the kitchen.  It could be that they just like to eat the batter, like me.  Hadley started asking over and over again, for a number of days, for some banana bread.  So, we made some mini muffins to satisfy the craving.  

 Waiting is hard to do....best invention ever: the oven light!

 We have been teaching Hadley her alphabet by taking one letter a week and making a craft, reading books that start with the letter, coloring a picture, writing the letter, and occasionally eating food that starts with the letter.  'O' and 'P' were particularly fun!  We made little hot dog Octopus!  (Hadley is saying the 'o' sound)  

 The next week we had a Picnic, by the Piano, and had Pork, Potatoes, Pickles, and Peaches, with Peanut Butter ice cream for dessert.  It was perfectly precious.  Apparently lots of food start with P.

 With all the snow, we had to get creative with entertainment, so off to Pinterest I went.  :)  Found this fun activity....baking soda and colored vinegar.  

 They loved it.  It fizzes when you drop it in....

 However, it wasn't too long before drops weren't enough....and fun time was over :)  Something we will surely have to do again!

 We have lots of Easter fun to upload soon but we did this springy activity with our sweet friends.  Decorating Easter cookies!  We colored some frosting, put out some sprinkles and then them go to town.  There was A LOT of frosting eaten but most of the cookies got decorated before the frosting ran out :)

 She is so into rainbows right now....coloring, painting, frosting in rainbows!

 Chloe (who spent all of her time frosting, then licking it off, then re-frosting the same cookie :))

This is Joni's cookie.  Sprinkles anyone?

 I know that this makes a mess but look at these faces and tell me they didn't have fun!  So worth the clean-up....and the extra pounds from eating all the cookies.

 Lizzie and her creation!  Going to be doing this fun activity again soon too.

Sweet Jo! 

 Probably the best news about this post!  Joni is almost completely potty-trained!  YAY!  We made a sticker chart and she got 1 for pee and 2 stickers for poop and look at all those stickers!  When she filled it up she got to go to the "Dinosaur Place."  

And here we are!  The Dino Cafe is similar to the Rainforest Cafe except with a bunch of dinosaurs that scare Joni (but apparently in a good way because she always wants to go there).

 Lizzie and Chloe went with us (and their fabulous parents ;)) and then we went for ice cream too.  

 Blue cotton candy ice cream...so yummy!

I had a meeting I had to go to and Andy had the girls so like all fun dads he took them to the American Girl store (Joni LOVES playing with the babies)....

 And to the fun play area in the mall....where our social children picked up some friends and went for a ride.

Don't worry, he got to have a guy night too....

And the last one....Andy went to a business fair (to hand out info about our church) and came home with lots of free stuff for the girls.  They were thrilled :)

 Check back soon for our Easter post and that exciting news we mentioned!  Love to you all!