Easter Weekend

What a great weekend!  I mean, it really really was.  The weather was amazing, the time was balanced between scheduled and free, the company was good, the holiday was great.  Its been awhile since we've had a 3 days weekend that I have enjoyed more!

And I guess that is the first note; Chris actually had the day off on Friday!  I don't think he's ever had Good Friday off before.  It was such a treat to have him home for a bonus day, especially after he had been out of town the few days prior.  We had no real plans that day, except for Good Friday service at 7:00pm, so the day was ours.  I got to go for a long run, the kids played with Daddy, we both got a few things done that needed to be.

Of course of one those things was dying our Easter Eggs.  Plenty of little bowls to go around this year, which was good since Annabelle really loved plopping them in an moving them from one color to another.  Sam was a bit more patient (What?!) but insisted on having all of his cups full at one time.  Good thing I hard boiled 2 dozen eggs!  Too bad I'm the only one who will eat them.  The fun did not stop once the eggs were died - there was mixing of colors to be done ("I'm doing science, mom!") and hands to be dipped.  Once the eggs were dry, there were some pretty awesome stickers to be applied!

 

 

Saturday morning was one of the most noteworthy to go on record in the Hunniford Household.  I woke up to bright sunlight streaming through my windows as my daughter cheerfully called out to me at 8:05am.  Sam did not wake for another 10 minutes.  That's right: both children slept in on the same day...a Saturday...a Saturday with no scheduled morning activities.  We all slept till 8:00am.  Honestly, that made the weekend right there.  The rest was the icing on the cake.

But the icing was pretty sweet, too.  Because as soon as we got up and dressed and fed and packed a few things into the car, we headed to Millican, TX for the day.  What's in Millican, you ask?  Nothing.  And that is the beauty.  We have friends who's parents own 35 acres out there, complete with a barn and a climate controlled barn room, on which you are free to do nothing all day long.  They invited a few families up for the day and it was great.  The kids rode the Gator, went fishing, played stomp rockets, caught bugs and picked bluebonnets.  The grown-ups chatted, the guys played horseshoes.  We ate BBQ and watermelon for lunch.  We even got Annabelle to take a bit of a nap.  Sam found a playmate that could match him almost perfectly in skill, force and enthusiasm for sword fighting, and parents laid-back enough to let the game continue. Annabelle waved to and greeted the deer head mounted on the wall.

It was peaceful and social all at the same time.  Annabelle appreciated ever single cow she saw out her window on the drive up, and both kids fell asleep on the drive home.  We ate dinner outside that night, because we are becoming addicted to this beautiful weather.

(There are no pictures from our day in the country, because we did not touch our electronics all day.  Ahh.)

We prepped our Resurrection Rolls before bed.  Sam was very "into" the whole process.  He bought into all the symbolism of the marshmallows being Jesus, preparing his body for burial with the spices, and sealing him in the tomb.  Annabelle was totally "into" tossing marshmallows into the butter and cinnamon.  And then licking her fingers.

 

Chris and I were a bit hurried to get things done on Saturday night after the kids went to bed; we had plans for 8:30 church and friends over immediately after.  The bunny had baskets to assemble, a movie to wrap and a swing to hang.  And a house to tidy up.  And lunch to prep.

What movie?  Umm, Frozen, duh.  To which you either respond, "You didn't own that yet?" or "Why, Sam isn't into Princesses, is he?"  Well, no we didn't own it yet and no, Sam isn't into princesses but both of my children are just as obsessed with this movie as every other child in America.  In fact, "Let It Go" is the first movie song that my daughter has sung along to.  It may always hold a special place in my heart.

What Swing?  Turns out, probably the coolest swing ever.  It was in constant use yesterday and has already been fought over today.  It replaced the baby swing on our front tree, holds 250 pounds, can spin and swing all kinds of different ways.  The Bunny rocked it this year.  They got their first glimpse of it as we backed out for church, so they were more than ready to be unbuckled when we got home!

Back to Sunday morning: the kids woke to hunt their hard boiled eggs, bunny baskets and the movie.  They were very excited about it.  Sam is getting to be much more skilled in his hunting, although he could still benefit from slowing down and focusing on the task at hand...but that is true in so many avenues of his life!  Annabelle, the more methodical of my children, is a better hunter than he was at her age.  And quite adorable when she declares "I find it!" with great enthusiasm after every single conquest.  They were each allotted a few bites of candy, which they ate instead of their resurrection rolls, and were torn away from their new movie to heard to worship. 

Worship was wonderful, as always.  My children looked adorable (always the most important part!), even if they don't smile well for a picture.  Sam once again participated in the Flowering of the Cross during the opening Hymns, this year charging forward all on his own, with great confidence, the first kid up there.  He sat quietly, working on his Children's Worship sheet, until the older kids were dismissed for Children's Worship.  Some days I have hope that he really is maturing on schedule!

Some family friends followed us home from church and stayed until the late afternoon.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch together, all 9 of us at our big table out by the pool.  We did our hunt for plastic and confetti eggs with the kiddos, plus our neighbor Eliza, and the kids did their best to resist eating all the candy at once.  They played outside for hours. The swung and climbed and ran and pretended.  My kiddos melted down a few times, and we eventually sent Annabelle for a nap around 3.  The adults visited for hours, sitting in the shade of our trees out front.

After they left we finally cleaned up the kitchen (and Sam's room and the playroom - wow!) and ate, what my grandmother would call, Supper.  Then it was back outside.  The neighbors came out to check out the new swing and we all stood in our yard for a bit chatting and swinging until it was time for jammies.  A lovely way to end a great weekend.

I love Easter.  I love what it celebrates, and I love that there is less pressure than Christmas.  Really, it allows for a much greater focus on the actual holiday.  Happy Easter, everyone!

Bonus Picture: A friend tipped me off to the idea of packing Sam's lunch in Easter Eggs.  Raspberries in one, grapes in another, bell pepper, cracker, sausage sticks.  His teachers raved about it, said it was like he was opening a present with each new egg.  Sam was beyond thrilled and ate every single bite.  I think this may be a new family tradition!