Easter Pictures - Finally!!!

I have been a serious slacker in the blogging arena lately. Today my kids are all sick, which means I don't get to go anywhere. Yay for having time to sit at the computer!!!

The day before Easter, we did the traditional coloring of the eggs! (If you word it like that it sounds more exciting - kind of like the running of the bulls, only no one gets gored.) My mom came over to assist us with the four little sets of hands that would surely be dropping eggs in dye and splattering the stuff all over.




After the egg coloring was over, we made Resurrection Rolls. (Thanks again for telling me about these, Steph.) If you have never heard of them, you get refrigerated crescent roll dough and jumbo marshmallows with some melted butter and cinnamon/sugar. The marshmallow represents Christ's body. You talk to the kids about how His body was anointed with oils and spices after he died. Then you roll the marshmallow in the butter and cinnamon/sugar. Then you roll it into the crescent roll dough, making sure the edges are pinched together. That is obviously a representation of putting the body in the tomb. I was showing the girls the first one and talking to them as I made the first roll...


Then it was their turn to make a roll. They loved it and did a really good job. When they were all made, we baked them and when they come out...


The marshmallow was gone! Rylee showing off her "empty tomb." They loved this activity and they were really yummy too!


Okay, fast forward to Easter Morning...

Each of the kids with their baskets after they had to work long and hard to find them:

And here are a few pictures of the kiddos all dressed up in their new Easter clothes, ready for church.

Kate kept playing with Bill's tie while he was holding her. It was so sweet. I got a few pictures of that, but the cutest picture isn't of her playing with his tie, it is this one:

After church, we had a yummy meal! We usually do a barbecue on Easter Sunday so we can make potato salad and use up a couple of those hard-boiled eggs. This year, Lana requested hot crossed buns as well. She has had these in preschool for the last couple of years when they sing the song "Hot crossed buns." Her teacher was nice enough to get us her recipe and we made them for dinner. Lana was so excited!

Look at her. She couldn't wait to dig in!

We spent some time that afternoon doing arm wrestles, leg wrestles, sword fights, thumb wars, playing the slap game, etc. The girls LOVED it and we were all laughing so hard.

Then after baths that evening, we headed over to my parents' house to see everyone. It was lots of fun. Lana took her hula hoop that the Easter bunny brought her, and it was a hit. The adults had more fun with it than the kids.

Go, Mom! Go, Mom!! Woohoo!

My sister, Brooke, is due with her first baby in June. Check her hula-hoopin' skills out!

Our adorable cousin, Angela, even came up to join the fun! We grew up with her and her family and it is always fun to get a chance to see her.

Mike and Bill got, uh, cozy for the picture. ;)

My parents got cozy for a picture as well! Thanks for having the whole herd over there!

The guys in the family, minus Hayden. Getting that boy to stop long enough to get a picture of him was impossible. (From left to right: My brother, Jordan; my brother-in-law, Andy; my dad; Bill; and then sitting in the chair is my brother-in-law, Mike, holding his cutie pie Isaak.)

And here are some of the girls. (From left to right: My soon-to-be sister-in-law, Nikole; my sister, Tai; me; my cousin, Angela; and my sister, Brooke.)

Just before it was time for us to leave, the guys were outside playing with the kids while us ladies did what we do best - talk! Mike came running in the house saying, "You gotta see this!" So we ran outside, cameras in hand, and saw that they had put the kids all in "jail" for a minute. A window well IS good for something! The kids thought it was great.

We had a fantastic Easter and hope you all did too. :)