Easter Celebrations

Another fast and crazy Easter morning egg hunt was here and gone already! 

{the kids wake up way too early and bring us their baskets that they find outside their rooms!}

It was so fun to watch Ellie look for eggs...but she found just a few and she was just as happy as could be with that and followed Alex and Emily around carrying her basket...

...Alex and Emily...on the other hand...ran around in a frenzy competing to find the very. last. egg...

...they searched absolutely as high and as low and in every place they could think of...
...and took the entire day to find them all!  It's always so fun to just be sitting down, or walking into a room and say, "There's another one!"

The Easter Bunny did a great job at hiding all the eggs...Emily even said that it seemed more advanced this year!

They found lots of eggs filled with chocolate, jelly beans and money...and Alex found the bunny tail this year!

I always worry how we'll ever get going in the morning with all the egg-hunting excitment and trying to get to church on time...but every year we always make it...and still get our traditional family pictures on the church steps!

We were especially tired Easter morning too because we had so much fun celebrating with family the night before...Easter celebrations along with family birthdays, retirements and college graduations!

The food was delicious...and the dancing was a hit with all the kids!

{Ellie needed to rest up prior to the big event!}

{mingling with family and friends}

{Bethanie and Ellie}

{Emma and Emily dancing}

{Janet reading a beautiful testimony to their mom's love and devotion to our family!}

{Limbo!}

{Hokey Pokey}

{Charlie and Ellie}

{Conga line!}

{...even Great Grandma Martha brought up the rear of the Conga!  She is amazing!}

 {YMCA}

We didn't leave out coloring eggs either.  Alex and Emily had Good Friday off from school so we had a great time brushing up on our dance moves before Saturday's party and coloring eggs...and made time for a special trip to the movie theater to see Mirror Mirror while Dan stayed home with a napping Ellie!

It was a perfect weekend filled with celebrations, family, fun and rest!  The kids also had Monday off from school...so it was an extra-special weekend!  We were lucky enough to have no plans which meant we were able to have their neighbor friends over for Nerf tag, watching The Muppets movie and an afternoon swim! 

Another year full of Easter surprises...and another year full of Easter wonder...How did Jesus come back to life?  Is Jesus alive right now?  Did you hide these eggs?  Is there an Easter Bunny?  ...sigh... some of these questions I was happy to answer...some I was sad that they had to ask...

May we continue to feel the infinite blessings and miracles that Easter brings and know that He is Risen!