Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  I pray your Easter was a very blessed one as we remember our Lord who rose from the dead and lives forevermore!  We serve a LIVING Saviour!
I started the morning out by getting up early and (helping the easter bunny out) by hiding the eggs outside for the easter egg hunt.  :)  I told V she'd better not tell H that the easter bunny nor Santa Claus weren't real.  I know some people have mixed feelings about this- some think we are lying to our kids, others think that it takes away from the real reason we celebrate these holidays but my feeling is this: kids grow up waaay too fast in today's world and this is a little way to bring some fun memories into their childhood.  I remember growing up thinking that they were real but I also knew the real reason we celebrated Christmas and Easter.  And I turned out all right so I will continue the tradition with my girls!  :) 
So, the eggs were hidden and I sat down to breakfast.  I ate outside on my patio as I enjoyed the warm weather and had my celebration breakfast.  I called it that because for the first time I participated in lent.  I have never done that before, neither have I ever really given it a thought!  But I felt the Lord laid it on my heart that he wanted me to fast from somehing for those 40 days and I did.  I gave up coffee- something that was extremely hard.  But I have to say, the Lord didn't ask me to do that for no reason- He worked in me and through me and I experienced a closeness to Him that I haven't had in a long time.  And I believe that because of that, celebrating Easter took on a new meaning for me today- I truly serve a RISEN Saviour!!
So, as you can guess, part of my celebration breakfast was coffee!  And it tasted soooo good.  :)
Then I went inside and got the girls up and we all got ready for church.  We went to church, came home and the girls opened their easter baskets, we had our easter egg hunt and then we ate lunch.  What a wonderful Easter morning we had but it was saddened by the fact that this was our first Easter away from family and that was hard.  This also was a different Easter- first, we weren't with family;  second, my mom always made the Easter dinner and third, my sister always headed up the easter egg hunt!  So I had to do it all myself this year!  Thanks mom and Sara for all the hard work, love and time you put into it all! 
I have to start out before I post the pictures of our Easter saying that I'm sorry that there is so many pictures.  There is a lot of the egg hunt but since all our family is far away and weren't able to be with us, I wanted them so experience it with us.  So, I hope you enjoy "experiencing" our Easter with us!!

Egg festival

On saturday, we went to a fun easter egg festival  at

V's school.  The girls went fishing....

and caught a fish!!

H was enjoying herself!!

Having fun with daddy.

Making a flower with daddy

V got to make a flower with daddy too!

"Oh my,do we have to go now?"

On saturday I put the baskets together

and we also colored eggs.  It made for a fun family weekend!

Decorating eggs

She insisted on rolling the eggs around in the

bowls of food coloring so her hands were totally blue!

Leo watched us from the couch wishing he could get

in on the fun!  :)

Our beautiful decorated eggs.

Of course, Chad had to drive the dune buggy to church!

Since I drove separate, after service Chad drove the girls

over to where I was parked. 

Easter baskets

Ok, now it is Easter Sunday!  We just got home

from church and the girls are opening up their easter baskets.

Checking out the goods.  :)

She LOVES the Chuggington show so the "easter

bunny" brought her a movie and book.

(Thank you Amazon!)  hee hee

It brings me such joy to watch my children enjoying

their baskets and being together.

Egg Hunt

H found her first egg!

But V was off and running and finding eggs

way before H found her first one!

Soon after, she was into it and off and running too!

Found another one....

and she's off again!

H: "hey, I want that one!"

V: "too bad!"

My beautiful precious V

My beautiful precious H

After dinner we enjoyed easter cupcakes!

Hope you had a happy Easter like we did!