Easter - Part 2

Saturday and Sunday were filled with warm sunshine, fun and festivities with family and friends, good food and altogether too much candy and chocolate.

Lets start with the food. There was definitely food! We hosted a brunch at our home this year for my family after church on Easter Sunday. It's been about five years since we've celebrated Easter with them.

Keith is my secret weapon in the kitchen. The perfect partner. He made all the pancakes and the coffee and handled anything else that needed some attention.

We tried something different with the seating arrangements. We pulled the table out of the dining room and bumped it up against our everyday eating table. There's more empy space in that area. It would have been super crowded in the dining room. And if there's one thing that bothers me, it's being crowded and jammed around the table. It's my claustraphobic tendancies I inherited from my dad, I guess.  :-) Anyway, this worked perfectly.

The menu consisted of pancakes, sausage, breakfast casserole, deviled eggs, cinnamon buns (LeeAnne), fresh fruit salad (mom), black forest trifle (Kaitlin), cupcakes, rice krispie nests (LeeAnne), punch, tea and coffee. We were well stuffed. I enlisted the help of everyone to bring a dish with them which makes things a bit easier.

There were Easter Egg hunts.Yes plural. One indoors...which took place first thing in the morning when Max woke up...

And a hunt outdoors later in the afternoon...

A couple of months ago we went to my cousin's church with him and his wife. Max loved the Childrens Church. I'm sure the mini chocolate bars he received helped with that! ;-) As we were driving home he said to us, "Can I have a Bible? You know, you can bring a Bible to church with you every Sunday and read it. That's what the teacher said today."  I'm not sure when Keith and I expected him to be at the stage where he's ready to use a Bible, but we knew right then and there that we were at that spot. Since then, he's been helping to read the scriptures for our family devotions and doing a pretty good job of it considering. I mean, I have a hard time with some of the words and names in there myself! Keith suggested we get him his own Bible for Easter. We also gave him his own little special hi-liter pencil and believe me, every verse is pretty important to him because he's hi-liting up a storm!

Heading off to church with his new Bible on Easter morning...

There was some quality cousin time. Getting pictures of these two is a challenge at the best of times. Especially if anyone else or thing is around. So I just snapped a few and called it a good day.

My mom had brought potted tulips along for everyone. Wyatt found them on the front porch. He was in there like a dirty shirt. Before it was over with, he had landed smack in the middle of them. How did that happen Vanessa?! Lots of squeals of delight!

We had a beautiful rainbow in front of our house on Saturday evening. Such a special time for God's promise to appear. There was one white cloud in the entire sky floating past the rainbow. A perfect reminder of the significance of Easter.

I realize I'm jumping all over the place with photos.  Saturday Keith and Max hit the sports store and came home with some baseball equipment. Which lead into lots of baseball over the weekend. And wearing of Seattle Mariners gear.

And while they were sports shopping and playing, I spent a delightful afternoon with my friend Janice. I think we were sitting in those same chairs a year ago shooting the breeze on the Easter weekend. In Kelowna.

Getting back to Sunday afternoon....most of it was spent outdoors in the glorious sunshine. Grandpa and Grandma gave Max magnetic lawn darts. Max was challenging everyone to a game...

Everyone needs a bit of downtime on a busy day...colouring and drawing does the trick...

I'll close with a few family pics from the day...

Plaid seems to be the popular pattern of choice this season. Do you think we could convince my dad to wear a pair of plaid shorts?  Not worth my time or energy. The outcome is certain! :-)