A Humble Easter

Last year I wrote about not giving Easter all the attention it deserves.

How about we make a habit out of that? 

Haha...well, this year Easter approached and I felt pretty good about the whole thing. Decided to choose one special thing to do on Easter Day to start some sort of tradition. Decided we would eat fish and honeycomb (what Christ ate with his disciples after he was resurrected) for dinner that evening. Felt pretty creative and excited about the concept. 

Trader Joe's does not carry honeycomb.

Sprouts does not carry honeycomb.

Whole Foods does not carry honeycomb. 

If Whole Foods doesn't have it, I give up.

Maybe next year I'll have to start making an effort a little earlier in the week and try a Farmer's Market.

Or make friends with a local beekeeper. (One word...?  Two...?)

Decided that if we weren't having honeycomb, fish wasn't worth it. My family was coming over for dinner (Easter just happened to fall on my Mom's birthday this year!) and like, two-ish out of ten-ish people would be excited about eating fish. I'm not even one of them. SO...chicken it is.

Gave up a little on my tradition forming...I'll try again next year.

BUT, I did have Easter shirts for the boys and a pretty new dress for Bethany to wear to church on Sunday. Points for festivity.

**Sidenote**

This is not a competition of any sort...I don't know why I give myself points...I think I'm measuring my effort and reality against my ideal...and I get points for anything that resembles my ideal in the slightest way. 

(So I think I also get points for calling those stores to ask if they have honeycomb.  Except...JC made the phone call. So he gets Easter Festivity Points...which actually count for me too...you share a joint festivity account just like you share a checking account when you get married...but he also gets husband points since I hate making those kinds of phone calls.)

**

Anyway, the point is, I had things planned. Ranging from dinner, dress-up and also an egg hunt on Saturday that was going to be rather fun. Especially with a nice weather forcast. (meaning...cold with rain. Not hot.)

Unfortunately, for that rain to blow in, a lot of wind carrying a lot of junk in it had to come through and our kids woke up with coughs/barks on Saturday morning. 

(Does anyone else's stomach turn to a rock when they hear a baby cough that croupy cough?)

I just knew it was due to all of the junk in the air and wanted to give them a chance to rest rest rest and NOT get horribly ill the way we all did last time a barky cough tore through our family.  So after discussing it with JC we grit our teeth and cancelled egg hunt plans. 

No fun for anyone.

But, lucky for the kids, the Easter Bunny came early! (though that topic has not gotten very much conversation at all...they're not really into it yet...except for Bethany looking at me skeptically when I tried to explain it all and saying "A real bunny couldn't do that...(skeptic look intensifies)...are YOU guys the bunny??"  I just laughed.)

But yes, since they were sick, the Easter Bunny took pity and visited early, hiding all their little treats around the house. We spent the morning slowly moving from one room to another, finding sunglasses, stuffed animals, Freeze-dried Mangosteen (heaven bless Trader Joe's for this one!), coloring books, picture books, etc.  Whatever room we found a new treat in, we just hung out and enjoyed. 

A very restful morning.

But, of course, since it was a Saturday, it was hard for JC to sit still with all the little and big projects around the house that are easy enough to get done while the kids color or are read to, etc.

Here's one he tackled while we took it easy. (Well, we took it easy until the kids got interested enough to get involved...but luckily, they still kept it pretty low key.)

It's time to switch out our ball pit!

We have this little room downstairs (kind of long story why it's there...) that we use for a ball pit for the kids. It's as easy as a swimming pool and tons of balls you can buy at Toys R Us.

It was time to upgrade and relocate.

We moved it out of the little cove it was in and into a bigger swimming pool.

In this picture you can see the old ball pit space behind JC and the new one...taking up practically the whole room.

While it's getting blown up, the kids explore.

The old one got kicked to the curb...or...the hallway...

And here we have an empty ball pit.

Until JC utilizes the kids' easter baskets and starts to fill it up.

Which made it much more enjoyable.

For some.

(Even more than Ben's incredible sad face, I love James' empathetic face!)

Later, hanging out in Bethany's room, Ben is feeling more chipper but a little parched.

So, he steals some of sister's water.

And you wonder why we're always passing sickness around.

Just a really great picture of James.

He spent much of his resting time downstairs poking at Scout. 

Which really really makes him laugh.

But not Scout so much.

That afternoon we settled in for a movie to get some more rest.

The boys definitely benefited.

Of coures, on Easter Sunday, the coughing was still quite intense so our bright yellow polos and lovely floral dresses had to stay hung neatly in our closets.

But there was always next Sunday.

(If I remember right, last year we were sick on Easter too.  Only we wore our Easter stuff the week before because we happend to all be well and I knew it wouldn't last! Should have thought ahead this year to!!)

We really took it easy all day and then that evening my family came over for some dinner and birthday celebrations. Both James and my mom had April birthdays to celebrate so we did presents...which is always fun.

I didn't take any of my mom opening hers.

I forget that grownups are people too.

But here are some of James:

Something that everyone is excited about: boy dress up clothes

I think JC was getting pretty tired of coming home to pictures I had taken during the day of James in Bethany's fairy and princess costumes. 

I promise, he always was the instigator.

But, anyway, now he has doctor, fireman and cowboy costumes. SO cute.

He also got a very special gift...underwear!!!

If we want to start preschool in the fall, I best get him interested soon!  I firmly believe that kids let you know when they're ready but with how badly he wants to go to school...I think he's ready! Haha...besides, little boy underpants are SO cute!!

Bethany gives him the rundown (and my brother quickly jumps on the fact that James is calling them "panties" and gives me a 'you better correct that before it sticks' look...)

Grandma opens them and gives him his first pair (Ben looks pretty amazed)

James apparently decides he can do without them for the moment...

(I want to point out Andrew's 'Carlton' shirt in the background. Like you could miss it.)

Then, for some reason, he spends the next ten minutes playing hide and seek over in this corner.

Ben gives the dress up clothes a go.

My siblings lounging on my couch (Katie! We miss you!)

So, there you have it.  Our Easter celebrations, 2009.  I guess it's always nice to have a laid-back holiday. Even sick.

Have the family over for a couple hours proved to be a nice way to start my week...which ended up involving a lot of humidifiers, pajama days and little to no time outside the confines of our walls.

BUT I rejoice in the fact that we have, in fact, kicked the majority of this sickness out of our home. I like how I always refer to illnesses as enemies to be fought and base my success as a mother on how quickly we fight them off. 

It's a strange world I live in.

Seriously though...Easter. Is there a better holiday?  I think the reason I have such high hopes for having some good traditions and celebrations as a family at Easter time is that the events and doctrine we are celebrating are really the center of all that is happiness to anyone who ever lived.  We celebrate Christmas because Christ came. And we celebrate Easter because he fulfilled his mission on earth - - the very thing that makes our eternal joy full and complete.

On Tuesday evenings I drive to the Mesa Arts Center for my bellydance class. (That's right, my hips are back on the scene.) The past three weeks, as I've driven past the temple I have been overcome with emotion as I see the Easter Pageant waiting to happen. It's never quite going yet. Just people looking for seats and a big empty stage. But I remember being in that audience in years past and the spirit I felt. And I remember being backstage in an oversized white gown nearly shaking with excitement every night while I waited to climb all those stairs. Then, having the privilege of portraying the angels that sang and danced with joy and wonder to celebrate Christ's birth and his resurrection.  My part was small. But the part that experience will play in my life is not.

Whatever else I do or don't do at this or any other holiday, I recommit myself to celebrating the joy of Easter every day.

A flash of memory - - sitting backstage one night...the air dark and spirit-filled...I started scribbling. Whether it's any good, I don't know. And for once, I don't care too much. :) I just remember the feeling behind it and am grateful my heart was able to spill onto paper that night...because it helps me remember how Easter really feels to me.

When the blessed baby came

Layed in a manger in a far away land

I know the angels sang

And even though it seemed a humble birth

I’m sure the heavens shook with joy

As they brought the glorious news

To the earth

And I’m sure their hearts were dancing

As they glorified the Father

As they spoke peace to the shepherds on the hill

I’m sure they hovered over Mary

When she kissed her precious baby

I wish I could have been there

When Christ, my Savior, came

I know the angels sang

 

As Jesus grew into a man

His life was perfect

It was pure and it was sweet

It speaks precious truth to me

Every step He took shows us how to live

His words call us from our hiding place

And I’m sure

The angels walked before those footsteps

Watched Him bring glory to His Father

Saw Him heal the blind and raise the dead

Perhaps even they were filled with wonder

When He walked upon the water

When he held the children dear

I’m sure angels were near.

 

And in Gethsemane

He suffered horrifying things

And when He cried out to the Father

There soon appeared another

An angel to be near

And catch his Savior’s falling tears

 

When the sound of a nail

Being hammered to a cross rang out at Calvary

Did the angels humbly weep?

As lightening pierced through that dark and empty night

Did they long to take Him home

Did their very souls ache

Till they heard

Mary cry out in the garden

Saw her fall before her Master

Run to tell all she could reach that He lives!

The heavens must have burst with light then

Trumps were sounding, voices sang out

‘Alleluia, He is risen’

 

When He comes again

I want to dance among the angels

Sing my love and praise forever

Till then, all I have I will give

For I know my Savior lives.