Easter

I started putting together this post and was shocked. We really dragged out the Easter celebrations this year. I talked to the boys several times about how Easter is not about a bunny, it's about the Lamb. I hoped to keep the focus heavily on our Savior but there were definitely a lot of hippity-hop Easter celebrations as well.

We kicked off the holiday before St. Patrick's Day. Catherine invited us over and I am always very excited for Catherine's parties. She made a different color shirt for each kid and those shirts coordinated with their craft papers, baskets, and the eggs they were allowed to pick up during the egg hunt. It was brilliant!

They also dyed eggs, read books, and had super cute snacks.

Looking for a good ball.

Declan fell asleep as soon as we got in the car. Edison held out a little bit longer but eventually succumbed to the exhaustion.

While I was at the TurboKick instructor certification, Sam took the boys to our Stake Easter celebration. It was supposed to be outside and they had invited thousands of people. Alex invited his entire preschool class! But it was a rainy day so they moved the party into the stake center. It was very packed.

This is not really an Easter thing but it happened immediately after the Stake Easter celebration so I will include it here. Alex's friend Mosiah had his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese so all of the boys got to go play.

That night, Sam took them to the Hong Kong market and then out for dinner to a place I probably would not have liked but the boys loved.

Sugar Land had a huge EGG-stravaganza held at Eldridge Park. It was overwhelming how many people were there. We got there before the thing even started and we were already in the overflow parking.

In our past Texas life, we went to Discovery Green for the Easter egg hunt and it was so awesome. I think a few million more people moved to Houston while we were gone. It was insanely crowded. Susan stayed with Edison and Dane while I took Declan over to his age group area. They said they were going to do the younger kids and then a few minutes later they would do the older kids. Declan did his hunt and then suddenly I heard them say GO for the older kids. I was confused because we were standing in the middle of the field still. When I realized the older kids were doing their hunt on another grassy area, I ran back to the playground to tell Susan and then we hustled over to the other side. But it was too late. Dane and Edison had missed their hunt. The eggs were all picked up. Declan had picked up five eggs so he shared them with the older boys. It was so sad.

Susan is a brave woman and she invited over a bunch of kids to dye eggs.

Alex and Laynie

Eli and Laura

This is the snack I brought to the party.

Chocolate!

The MOMS Club went to a senior living facility to visit the residents and have an egg hunt. Everyone loved it. I was sad Alex was at school and missed it.

I could not get Declan to look away from his candy for a picture.

The Home Depot Kids Workshop turned into a little bit of an Easter activity as well.

Alligator (what?!), snake, and basketball

  

They had an egg hunt in the nursery. Alex was literally too busy smelling the flowers so he did not find very many eggs.

We knew we had missed the boys' age groups for the egg hunt at the YMCA but we rushed over there anyway. We asked for permission and the kids were allowed to go with the older kids. There were so many eggs so it was still a success.

Easter was also the day of General Conference. The boys woke up early and found their baskets.

We had so many plastic eggs and the Easter bunny was feeling a little tired so (s)he left a poem for the kids instead.

Then they went out to the backyard to find eggs. Declan's Easter egg hunts last five times longer because every time he bends over to pick up an egg, he drops some out of his basket.

Alex found 180 eggs, Edison found 94 eggs, and Declan found 86 eggs. I gladly gave them $3.60 instead of 360 pieces of candy.

We went over to the Zamudio's to watch the morning session of Conference with them and the missionaries.

I spent most of the morning making cinnamon rolls and most of the afternoon making our Easter dinner.

The Hawkins and Moores (actually just Susan and Levi because the other three were out of town) joined us for the afternoon session and dinner.

This was a joyous Easter to remember our Savior and have fun with our friends. I am so grateful that Christ broke the bands of death so we can be resurrected and live with our families forever.