Sure, it's been a few weeks since Easter, but I figured if we were going to be playing catch up, we might as well go all the way back to the beginning of April. For the last several years, we've gone to church on Good Friday. This year, Ella had a field trip to Dollywood that day and didn't get back until well after midnight. I was a little sad to rearrange our weekend, but it ended up working out okay. We went to church on Saturday afternoon instead and my parents and sister's family were able to go with us. Of course, my girls were thrilled to take family photos before we left, but there was no way we were skipping that opportunity on Polly's first Easter. The photo below is one of my favorites -- Polly would not leave Sophie's hair alone! Polly was her usually serious ...
easter
Easter Magic
Am I the only one who is constantly amazed at how my expectations and reality don't quite match up? Sometimes, I hope for the best and I'm sorely disappointed, while other times I'm prepared for disaster and everything turns out perfectly. This was one of those weekends that was filled with a little bit of both. Today's post is probably going to be one of those that's more for me than anyone else, but looking through these photos and remembering little conversations from the weekend, makes me want to cherish these days of two big girls just a little bit more. This is our third year to attend church services on Good Friday instead of Sunday morning. It's still a little weird to get dolled up right after work and school, only to spend Easter Sunday in our pajamas, but I'm finding that ...
Some Easter Things
So, yesterday was a Monday. I had every intention of getting an Easter recap on the blog, but instead I tried to stay awake and appear productive. The struggle was real! How about a delayed recap in the form of a list? 1. My sister and I took Sophie & Hudson to a local Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday morning. I don't know why I torture myself with fun family activities, because it's never as good as we think it will be. Sophie was supposed to be ready when I got back from the gym and she was nowhere close. Ella bailed on us because she's too big for baby things. We were late getting there and missed out on cotton candy and face painting. Hudson went through three balloons in the thirty minutes we were there -- they all spontaneously popped for no apparent reason. Both kids were ...
Natural + Non-Candy Easter Basket Fillers
Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. Am I the only one around here who LOVES filling Easter baskets?! And even though I'm on the verge of having nobody in my house who even believes in the Easter bunny (Ella is old enough to know better and Sophie is the most skeptical child alive), I can assure you my girls will have a basket to unpack, every Easter until they're married. Easter baskets were always one of my favorite things as a child -- my mom was THE BEST at filling them and they were always so different from what my friend's all got in their baskets. We had very little candy and, instead, my mom focused on things we already needed ...
Easter Happened
I've been working on organizing photographs, updating old blog posts and getting my external hard-drive nice and organized while I have a little downtime. I was editing photos earlier this morning and realized that I had a couple of pretty important life-events that never made the blog. Easter was already a busy weekend for us and we threw in some last minute travel, so my normal posting schedule went out the window. Who cares if it's a month later and practically summer, because I have pretty pictures to share! If you've been reading for long, you'll know that we've been in a major transition, church-wise, for the last eighteen months. Last Easter was the first time in almost thirty years that I celebrated in a different place and as it turns out, we were at another church this year. ...
Hand-Painted Easter Egg Tutorial
Please tell me I'm not the only one who waits until the last minute for everything?! I am notorious for dyeing Easter eggs or carving pumpkins in the wee hours the night before they are needed. My girls always like an impromptu craft night brought on my procrastination and nostalgia, but believe it or not, this year I actually had it all together. Just in case you're falling behind or simply need a little creative inspiration, I'm sharing this Hand-Painted Easter Egg Tutorial over at Oh My! Creative and I bet you already have everything you need to make them. Pin Our Hand-Painted Easter Egg Tutorial! I team up with Susan at Oh My! Creative the third Thursday of every month to bring you crafty kid projects, easy holiday printables and more. She and her team of moms share fun posts ...
Remember Easter?
We did Easter a little different this year and it might be one of my favorites ever! In case you aren't aware of this, you can absolutely get in touch with the bunny and make special requests. Since we were going to be at the beach until the evening before Easter (and now we go to a church with an earlier service), I was worried about being rushed to get through baskets and still get to church on-time (and with a smile on our face). The bunny was more than happy to show up a few days early and leave baskets for the girls while we were at the beach! Since I'm sure you are dying to know, here is the breakdown on what each girl got. Sophie: Frozen metal lunchbox, Frozen tumbler, Frozen panties, Bible purse sticker book, art supplies, bubbles, jump rope, swimsuit & candy. Ella: Bible ...
an Easter recap
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 ...