Easter 2012–A Novel

We had an entire week of Easter festivities, beginning on Palm Sunday. I love our church’s Palm Sunday traditions. I think next year AB will finally be old enough to join the other kids in bringing in the palms at the beginning of the service.

The girls on Palm Sunday…poor Mamie girl, we are working so hard with AB on being gentle with her…

After church on Palm Sunday, we always do a big potluck lunch and then hunt Easter eggs at the parsonage.

I can’t wait for the day we have a picture of everyone looking at the camera!

AB hunting eggs

Last year the group that planned the egg hunt also planned an Easter bonnet parade for the girls, and they did that again this year, too.

My SIL, Kelsey took one for the team and walked down with AB & Mamie. I was so grateful and AB would much rather have her Aunt Kels walk with her over me any day! They even have little boys from the church escort the girls down the “runway”… too precious. They ask the kids what their favorite thing about Easter is, and AB’s answer was “the candy.”

Here’s the story on their bonnets. It totally snuck up on me this year and I was way unprepared. I decided last minute I would make something for them. Maybree had a little yellow seersucker chick outfit I was going to put her in, so I thought I’d make her a bonnet-like “hair piece” to wear with it… here’s what I came up with…

It’s totally okay, yall can laugh, I did, too.

I was worried first, that she might not be able to support it on her head, and second that she looked a little like a Las Vegas showgirl. I texted my BFF a pic, and Carrie confirmed my fears with her reply: “Wow. That’s a whole lot of look.”   Ha… I decided it was a little over the top, so Mamie just wore a sweet little sun hat that matched an outfit she has.

I got AB’s bunny ears the day before at Michaels, and just added the flowers and feather to them.

That evening, we met my Mom (my Dad was still in Mexico for work) & my Aunt Kay at the mall for pictures with the Bunny for our yearly way overly priced picture and then dinner afterward.

Wednesday was our playgroup Easter party.

On Friday evening we dyed our Easter eggs with Grammy & Aunt Kay.

This year we did the crayon trick to write special messages on our eggs…

AB really enjoyed egg dying this year. Her favorite part was at the end when she got to pour all the colors together. She’s big into “cooking” these days and is always making “soup” so it was right up her alley.

On Easter morning AB was excited to see what the bunny had left for her and Mamie (who just this weekend she has started calling May-BREE”). As always a new bathing suit was in the basket…the Bunny loved getting the girls matching ones this year. :)

We made a stop by Pappy & Nie-Nie’s house so my FIL could take a picture for us before church. We took some more pictures after church on the front steps, but those weren’t on our camera.

We made it to church and had a wonderful service.

The flower cross is another of my favorite Easter traditions at our church. We took roses from DW’s grandmother’s rose bush again this year. At the end of the service they did the butterfly release, which is always neat, too.

AB & Nie-Nie watching the butterflies

We went to the cemetery after church. We took the lily we’d had placed in Cooper’s memory out there and a pinwheel that AB had picked out for the brother she never met, but knows. I cried as I tried to imagine what Easter was like in Heaven for my sweet boy. We miss him so much. Five Easters without him seems unreal. The days and years keep passing and God continues to be faithful. I’ve never been more thankful for Jesus’ victory over death. Our only Hope is because of the empty tomb we celebrate on Easter. Nothing compares to that and even though there are still many hard days and hard times, we KNOW we will see our Cooper again one day.

We had a big lunch at my Granny’s and although it was a small crowd this year, it was still a sweet time together.

My Momma, me & the girls on Granny’s porch (Momma will kill me for putting this of her with her “hat” on here… Granny has always worn a hat on Easter Sunday, so Mom & Aunt Kay were going to wear one with her this year, too…Since Mom HATES to wear a hat we found this headband style hat and she got it. I thought Aunt Kay was going to have to hold her down to make her wear it. I loved it. They had an off white one too, that I came VERY CLOSE to getting for myself and wearing, but I chickened out! :)

Aunt Kay’s coconut cake…one of my Easter favorites

Not everyone wanted to look at the camera… surprise, surprise… I wouldn’t even post this picture except that the girls coordinating outfits are unbearably cute. :)

We hunted eggs after lunch with AB and enjoyed the nice weather on Granny’s back patio.

My two favorite “Peg”s

Little miss rehydrating after all that egg hunting

We made it home just in time to unload our baskets and pack back up for dinner over at DW’s brother’s house with their Mom, who was visiting from Georgia.

We had a great dinner outside under the trees.Amber & Van had everything set up so nice. The kids played with Aunt Nen and some sidewalk chalk,

Dyed more Easter eggs,

 

and hunted a few, too…

Our nephew, Warren, is playing T-Ball again this year, so Uncle Adam & Uncle Devin were working on batting.

I’m not sure who enjoyed it more…him or them…

Even AB took a turn batting. I am keeping my fingers crossed next year that she wants to play T-Ball because I saw the cutest tiny pink bat, glove, and helmet at Target that has our name on it. :)

What a wonderful Easter week. We are so, so blessed.

~amw~