Easter In a Nutshell (or should I say 'Eggshell'?)

Well, I'll spare you form starting this post like I have the last one or two (or six) posts... with 'sorry it's been awhile, things have been crazy, yadda, yadda, yadda...' Anyway... I'm here now, and that's what matters, right? Right!

Anyway... I'm glad to see that everyone had a great Easter! I have read all of your posts, but I have not gotten to comment yet. I figured I better catch up with my posting while I had a few minutes on my own to think straight. ('cuz y'all know that doesn't happen often...)

Let's start with Easter! We had a busy morning as usual which consisted of me dashing around frantically to get everything ready for the day. (All this after going to bed at 4:45 the night...err... morning before, but I'll get to that in a second...) I had to get everyone dressed and ready, teach my Sunday School class, and then play hand bells during the 11:00 service. We did manage to get the morning off to a good start. First thing's first...

Easter Baskets!! The Easter Bunny came by and brought some good stuff for the kiddos...

We decided to do things a little different this year. We usually go to Michael's grandmothers house or to my parent's house, or struggle to do both. Well, this year we decided to let them come to us. We invited my family up for lunch at our house and it was AWESOME! We actually got to enjoy the day since we weren't rushing from one place to the next. Mom, Dad, and my brother Tim even came up for church, but Tim decided to rest at the house instead. He was diagnosed with Mono last week, so I'll cut him some slack... but just this once. Chris and Pam came up right before lunch, so we all got to spend the day together.

After church, we all went outside to take pictures by the cross. The cross is put up in the courtyard and everyone brings fresh flowers from home to hang on it. By the end of the morning it is covered with all different kinds and colors. It is amazing to see in person. We have taken a picture by it each year and it is a great way to see how the kids have grown.

Here we are...

Dad & Mom

D-Daddy, Moo-Moo, & Allie
(Wyatt is coming down with an ear infection (ughhhh), so he was not feeling too cooperative at the time)Wyatt...
Allie...Allie and Sarah. The two have known each other their whole life are absolutely joined at the hip. I was devastated this week when I found out her family is moving to Columbus this summer. I haven't had the heart to tell Allie yet. I'm waiting to tell her so the thought isn't hanging over her head for the next few months. I dread that task... it's going to break her heart.

Next stop... FOOD! I made everything myself, which I must say was totally delicious to spite the fact I usually hate to cook. I actually had a lot of fun making it all though! Maybe I don't hate it so much after all. I cooked all of my favorites... a spiral glazed ham, homemade baked macaroni and cheese, sweet potato souffle, green bean casserole, rolls, and made a whirlwind cake and icing. (I did stay up until 4:45 am the night before, but it was totally worth it!) It was all so good! I totally had to talk a day off the ole' diet to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I didn't go overboard, but man... it was good!

We all got to spend the day together as a family and it was great to have everyone up for a visit. I really hope that one day we can get all of the family to come to our house for holidays. We really missed being with Larry and Nancy and the rest of the family, but we're glad they got to continue the tradition of Easter at MeMe's.

Now, let's rewind to Saturday. Our church had a huge Easter Egg hunt for all the kids. It was a gorgeous day and they all had a blast.

Allie and (of course) Sarah... before the huntAnd they're off! While it looks like Allie is dodging a pile of dog poop, she is actually stopping short to grab a egg she almost missed out on. I could have had some fun in Photoshop with that one... Showing Wyatt her loot...

Score!

Ah, Sam! The apple of Allie's eye. This kid is such a doll!!
Showing off the eggs he found...Wyatt enjoying his one and only egg. He actually found two, but as he ate the one shown here some kid actually robbed his basket of the other egg. Nice huh?!? Wyatt didn't seem to care much though.

Sam, Wyatt, and Bonnie Greer emptying all their eggs so they can be used again next year...The hunt was so much fun. They had all kinds of activities for the kids before and after the hunt. One of which was bubbles. This picture might look like no big deal to the average parent... but to me it means progress. Allie has never been able to blow out her candles or blow bubbles on her own. It's all related somehow to her speech issues. We've been working hard, and she can now do it all by herself!! I am so proud of her!!

And finally, here's their official Easter picture...

Well, that about covers it. We have been working hard lately to paint and redecorate the house, so hopefully I will have some pictures to show for it soon. We got a new table, new curtains, and I framed tons of pictures of the kids for the shelves. I think it's going to look good when we finish... but finding the time to to it is the trick. I'm just ready for a change! Well, y'all have a great week!!!