52 Weeks of Joy: Weeks 14 and 15

We are cheating. Two weeks at once. But it's the Easter Season. And that makes us joyful. We celebrate the whole season so it's only fair that we get some extra joy, too, right? (Gotta get some blogging miles out of the holiday.) So prepare yourself for a photo bomb.

We had a Christian version of the Jewish Sader Meal on Holy Thursday at our house. Sarah's family has been doing this for years; Tim's parents and grandparents were able to join us this year, too. We reflect on the Jewish Passover meal and include how Christ is the new Sacrificial Lamb with New Testament scripture passages. Matzos, lamb, bitter herbs, wine, and other traditional foods are shared.

Homemade matzos

The lamb...yum.

On Saturday, we went to the Easter egg hunt at our church. Both girls had a great time. Vivian was able to participate on her own this year...what a difference a year makes! By popular demand, we've been doing our own Easter egg hunts in the living room and the yard all week.

We also made a Peep Cake. Both girls discovered they can't get enough Peeps. Vivian learned very quickly to ask, "Mo Pee Pees!?!?" (Translation: More Peep Please.) As you can see from Miriam's face, they loved tasting every step of this cake. The batter. The shavings from the tops of the cakes so they would stack. The fudge icing. The Peeps (of course).

We decided to keep the mess going and color eggs. And thank goodness it was nice enough to take this activity outside. While fun, it was also complete chaos. We had to check each egg every few seconds to see if it was "done." Fingers (and clothes) were "colorful", too. We were a little rough with the eggs. Most of the had LOTS of color on the inside, too. There is a good reason for hard boiling. Don't skip that step. 

Miriam was so proud of her eggs.

Check out Vivian's "Hulk Hand". It was BRIGHT teal by the time we were done.

Easter morning the girls cuddled with the milk cups before Mass. This is the sweetest time of the day in our house. Vivian is still and often tries to hold her sister's hand. Miriam likes worry her own little earlobe while drinking her morning milk. They are just both so warm and cozy.

After Mass, we went to Tim's parents' house for brunch. But we didn't take any pictures there...what were we thinking?!?! We'll have to dress the girls back up in their Easter outfits and show them off in another blog post. Afterwards, the girls napped in the car as we drove across the state to Sarah's aunt and uncle's home for another party.

The girls received a water table for Easter! They love it...for Miriam it's an endless supply for her plant watering obsession and Vivian has another excuse to be soaking wet. Perfect.

It has already been hours of entertainment. We highly recommend this toy. Even Sarah's older cousins were getting into it.

For the most part, Mom just got to sit back and relax. Good Easter.

Oh...and we'd like to introduce you all to...

STELLA! Uncle Michael, Sarah's brother, adopted a Great Dane. She's massive. At one point during the day, Sarah tried to stop her from running out the gate. Instead, Stella pulled Sarah through the yard. She's a very good dog, despite her huge size, and tries to be careful when Miriam and Vivian are near. But we still keep a close eye on her because she just doesn't know how powerful she is! She is absolutely in love with Michael and hates to let him out of her sight. And we're pretty sure he feels the same way.

Just want to share a few more pictures of our day with you. Then we're done (for now). Promise.

"The Three Little Girls"

Sarah's goddaughter and cousin, Amelia

Miriam's mastered bubble blowing!

 We pray you all have a wonderful Easter season, too!