Easter

                                         Easter Crafts

                                                   Egg wreath

Lilies grow all over the place here.  We even have some behind our house.  Everytime I pick them we think of our friend, baby Lily, and we sing "He's the Lily of the Valley".  I just love Lilies.

                                         Coloring Easter Eggs.

                                                   Ann and David

                                                   Elijah and Hannah

Mary

You know those plastic sleeves that come with the Paas decorating set?  Well, we lost the directions and Paul thought you must microwave them on the egg to get them to shrink on.  I remembered something about boiling, but how can you argue with a man whose made up his mind.

It blew up! It was so loud, we all screamed and jumped.   It was so funny, but it really stunk up the house.

Twas the night before Easter.  The girls had been making pictures and "crafts" for the Easter Bunny since Christmas it seems like.  They laid them out for the Bunny to take.  On the left are Elijah's Resurrection Eggs he made at school.

Bunny grass and "droppings".  Mini-marshmellows really.

Early Easter morning I went and did a Sunrise Service, when I came back the kids were still sleeping.  Very nice for me ;)  They started pouring out of bed around 7 (that's sleeping in for them!) and were so excited to see if the Easter Bunny left anything for them besides droppings.  Daddy read the Resurrection Scriptures before the hunt began.

  It was fun to search for the baskets in a new house.  All brand new hiding spots!

       I was so mean and made them take a picture before they tore them up.

        They were all so pleased with their little trinkets and candy. 

We headed to services at the Center.  Church Service followed by a fabulous Easter Brunch.  It felt so very good to me to be in fellowship with the men and the women and our Comrads this holiday. 

                                                    He is Risen!

Mary got into her chocolate on the way home.  She had it stuffed in her shoes and she was a disaster by the time we finished our 20 min. drive home.

                                                   Captain Daddy

Captain Mommy's self-portrait.  Since I can't wear an Easter dress for Easter Sunday,

I always put on lipstick and gloss.

Easter afternoon, we watched The Blob (1958). Ate a ham.  Putzed around.  And before bed, shared the Resurrection Eggs.

We had a wonderful Easter. It felt very different to my family this year not being absolutely exhausted by the end of the day.    We still followed our usual traditions at home, but it was very sad to me not having all of our Corps(Church) traditions and people.  Even the older children were reminiscing about all of the things we would do in the Corps and community.   We have a new life in that sense, one that we haven't yet fully experienced until we get our stride as ARC Officers.    I wonder if, when Jesus rose from the dead, if it hurt?  I wonder if his body was stiff and resistant while God was restoring his flesh to life.  I wonder if Jesus was even aware that He was being brought to life, until he was fully alive...  

"The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances."
                                        ~Robert Flatt