I’m not sure you’ll remember, but I caught a little flack for the contents of our Easter baskets last year. I’ve never thought I was going overboard and I try really hard not to fall victim to comparison when it comes to how we provide for our children. Making everybody happy is too difficult, so I try to make sure my children are happy and that Josh & I are comfortable with the level of giving for Easter and Christmas. I do not want to instill a sense of entitlement in my children and we definitely say no when it comes to the “gimmes”, but I do want them to know how to receive and enjoy good gifts, how to experience gratitude and real joy over getting something that you really wanted!
In Sophie’s basket this year, there was: a gardening bag with accessories, athletic shorts, a new water tumbler, sunglasses, socks for Easter Sunday and lots of Doc McStuffins stuff. Not pictured are three large Melissa & Doug doodle/sticker books that she loves!
In Ella’s basket were: a Melissa & Doug doodle pad, rubber bands and accessories for her Rainbow Loom, flip flops, a new water bottle, wedge sandals for church, athletic shorts and sunglasses.
I got up pretty early on Easter Sunday morning to start breakfast and iron clothes. I’m always worried that the girls will be early risers on holidays and that I won’t get any good pictures. About an hour after I got up, I poked my head into the girls’ room and Ella said, “Is it already time to do baskets?!” She wanted to watch a movie! I left the girls in bed for a bit longer until they finally started peeking out of their bedroom door.
We unpacked our baskets and inspected every item with intermittent squeals and lots of laughter. Sophie was mostly excited about her “running shorts” and Doc McStuffins’ Big Book of Boo Boos, while Ella was super enamored with her new sandals. Surely the bunny is real since he brought high heels when mommy said she isn’t old enough! She teetered all over our house and church that morning, beaming with pride.
After much fanfare we managed to find all eighteen eggs, both high and low, tucked away in our living and dining rooms. We only dropped one and thankfully, Beemer didn’t eat any for breakfast this year!
I don’t know why I even ask what they want for holiday breakfast anymore, because Josh always requests sausage balls and the girls always ask for piggies. I was most excited about a leisurely morning and the opportunity to finish my whole pot of coffee. The girls wanted breakfast in bed (we moved a TV/DVD player in their room on Saturday), so they jumped under the sheets and finished their movie over breakfast.
After everybody was taken care of and I was dressed and ready for church, I chained myself to the stove top and made homemade macaroni & cheese for lunch. I didn’t have any helpers this year, so I did plenty of taste testing myself. Cheese & coffee go well together, don’t you think?!
The sunlight was streaming right into our favorite place to take Easter Sunday pictures, so this year’s’ aren’t the greatest. Either way, these two girls looked mighty pretty for church! This was the first year of no smocks and I was kind of sad about it. Ella picked her own dress out this year when we went shopping a few weeks ago. Gran made a dress for Sophie to wear, but then she got this one in a care package from my aunt last week and had an eleventh hour change of heart.
Josh and I had the nursery this year during Easter services, so we played with all the littles while their parents enjoyed a musical. We had a room full and they were all well-dressed and excited to tell us all about their Easter basket goodies. After church, we headed straight to my favorite house in the world. I love living in the Rock House, but the Log House is still my favorite place to spend a holiday!
Can we discuss how adorable these three are? We LOVE our brother cousin and had to get some sweet snuggles and lots of pictures in before lunch. Poppy had to stay after church for a few minutes, but we did manage a fun photo op with Gran. The girls were anxious to get their comfy clothes on and eat lunch before the softball game, but we convinced them to pose for a few more family pics.
This might be my new favorite family picture. Hoorah for smiling people and lots of pretty sunshine and green leaves. The weather was PERFECT for lunch outside and lots of egg hunting all afternoon long.
We convinced Sophie to do a quick outfit change and wear her original Easter dress for a few minutes to get this picture of her & Hudson. How cute are they in their bunny outfits?! He did not want to stand still for a picture, so we had to sit him in the chair to even have a hope of capturing this image. My parents’ cats were playing in the leaves and he wanted them bad.
We had such a great time celebrating Holy Week and spending the day with all of our favorite people under one roof. I am so thrilled for spring and warmer weather and lunches at the picnic tables. I love white dress shoes and ruffly socks and new sunglasses. Now we’re just counting down the days until Memorial Day when we can do it all again around the pool!
