Some of the Many Reasons I Enjoyed Easter

First, it was great to be with family. We got together for several meals. Tim and I were in charge of Sunday's brunch, but we didn't want to host at our house because a) we're trying to keep it relatively clean in case we need to show it, and b) I am finding that the kids behave better if our attention isn't spread too thin, such as it is when we have guests in our home. Even when I'm really prepared, the world often falls apart by the time the guests get to our home and we're trying to get the food on the table with hungry kids waiting.

Sooooo this time I did all the shopping and planned on getting up really early to make the food before I had to be to church for the early service to serve in the nursery. However, I slept too late, so I took Kate with me and left Tim and Ethan in charge of making the egg casseroles and putting them in the oven to bake while we were at church.

They did a stellar job, and as soon as our church service was over, we headed to our house to pick up all the food, and took it to Gabe and Karen's house, who live a mere 3 blocks from our house. It was delicious and actually quite relaxing.

We followed brunch with some relaxation time:

Then we headed home, let our kids sleep, then headed back to Tim's parents' house for more food and the Easter egg hunt.

Another of my favorite memories of this Easter was riding bikes (or motorcycles, as both the kids call them) to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It's a great memory because I was happy that the weather was starting to get warmer, Ethan pedaled the entire way all by himself, and Kate clung to her goldfish and every so often the kids would stop and have a goldfish break.

Reason #3 Easter was great was that I got to play with Monet! I've been sick every other time I've seen her, so I was thrilled to be able to interact with her. Can you believe how big she looks?! She is about 8 months here: