Our Little Family: Easter

We had a really nice Easter this year. It came at the end of an already busy week, but it was great to get together with family. We love that. Saturday included an Easter egg hunt at both grandmas houses. At my mom's we saw some of my nieces and nephews and their kids that I don't see all that often so it was fun to catch up with them. S had a fun time with 2 cousins close to her age. Of course, she didn't want to leave at the end. There were more older cousins at Nathan's parents' and they found lots of eggs really quickly. I think S liked being outside as much as anything.

Sunday morning S and I colored Easter eggs and she helped me decorate bunny cupcakes and a bunny cake (okay, well, actually she was taking a bath while I did the cake =) She squealed with delight when she saw her Easter basket that morning. Nathan slept most of the morning. He's still getting used to this getting-up-early-every-day work schedule. And he usually has to get up early on Sundays, too! After church my mom and sister came over for a typical ham Easter dinner. We had a nice time visiting.

A tradition that I have tried, but not very successfully, to establish on Easter mornings is to get up and watch the sun rise. This year I kept going outside to check on the sun's progress. It was a bit cloudy and I didn't catch the exact moment the sun broke over those majestic mountains, but I saw it soon after. I love to remember how Mary got up while it was "yet dark" to visit the tomb and anoint the Lord's body. At that point Christ's death seemed like such a tragedy, and I think those saints maybe even felt like Christ's mission on earth had failed. But I love, just like the sun bursting over the mountaintops, how all that sadness and disappointment was swept away as Mary and then others witnessed the miracle of that first Easter morning when Christ rose from the dead, when He overcame it all! Their sadness was turned into joy, and, oh, what joy!! I love that Christ appeared first to Mary--such a personal, tender reunion. How grateful I am for the miracle of Christ's atonement! It gives me hope that all can be made right, that I can be made right.