Easter 2016

i have been working on this blog post for over a week. my blogging game has fallen to an embarrassing level and I.AM.SO.SORRY. 

most of all, i'm upset at myself because this blog is important to me and I hate it when it falls on the backburner. 

BUT no more complaining--here's all our easter pictures for the past week. i love this holiday! it's not about the hunts or the candy or the crafts--it's a deeper truth. something that i cannot even live today without it. knowing that i am saved because of jesus' sacrifice helps me be & live daily. at the end of the blog, you can see a little doodle i've made to celebrate this special day.

now, on to JoJo! Jonah knew it was almost easter. his  teacher does a very good job of keeping them informed of the upcoming holidays. and Jonah noticed that we did not have easter decorations--mainly a door wreath since I just finished putting up our st. paddy's one -- so he quickly decided that he could make one. 

he grabbed the foam & glue & cardboard and make an egg-cellent wreath if i do say so myself. i loved his proactivity & his creativity. i haven't done a craft with the boys since before they started school, so this was just jonah & i, in the studio, with a glue gun and it was awesome. 

 their crafts at the library were so cute too.

a week before easter, I decided to take pictures which is unusual, but we were looking pretty fly so why not? I loved Elena's little tunic (it was too chilly without the leggins) and my thrifted skirt was on point. 

on saturday before easter --- at the last minute, we were invited to a local egg hunt by a local church who put it together. i've been to others throughout the years and this one, was the best one yet. what's surprising is that it was a small church...

to get started, the kids drank soda, bounced in the bouncy house, met Ms. Vintage Bunny, painted their faces, and ran around like crazy people playing on the playset. 

the easter egg hunt was phenomenal too! --the eggs had ACTUAL candy. and REALLY good candy at that! so I was really impressed with this church & this event. hopefully we can attend next year. 

baby girl was a pro with gathering those eggs. she knew exactly what her task was. the boys didn't need my help (which was awesome, i love it when they help themselves) so watching them bounce up and down trying to get as many eggs as possible was a hoot. i couldn't catch up with Jonah because he was so fast. 

that evening, i received a call from my brother who asked me to come pick him up from the airport. he had missed his connecting flight to Brazil! we picked him up and it was SO good to see him! 

the next morning, we all went together to easter service & had a great time with him & pictures.

their photo op was inside but it was so odd. a brick wall? i was expecting easter colors & florals everywhere but no. so we  then headed outside and that's always a mistake. jonah & andrew (on cue) start squinting and try SO hard to keep their eyes open, but they always end up looking like they're in pain! ha!

so tio Carl came to make them laugh :D

even though we only had less than 24 hours with him, i loved every minute with this guy. he makes playing with the kids so fun & i miss talking to him face to face. 

we went to lunch and then we made marshmallow easter eggs! it's a cute little box kit we purchased at walmart, and it is all edible & super easy! the colors were on point. 

this easter craft was MUCH easier to handle with one-on-one kids. i let andrew begin, and then Jonah, and then Elena finished up. the mess was easier and the stress too! 

 of course our eggs didn't look even close to the ones on the box, but that's ok. the boys loved mixing the colors & making new ones. elena liked licking them too. 

and after that, i did a little egg hunt in our backyard that day too. i know, it almost seems too much, huh? but that's ok. it was small & easy & fun. each kid had a code word: a specific word so they knew which surprise was theirs, that way they wouldn't pick up another kid's surprise.

andrew had code word: bunny. it was a chocolate bunny. jonah had code word: turtles. it was a ninja turtles chocolate egg. and elena had code word: princess. a princess chocolate egg. 

we had a fantastic time. the kids ate so much sugar they had to go to the playground with their tio Carl just to burn all that energy off. it was great. 

as promised, here's the little doodle for Easter that means so much to me:

i hope your holiday was wonderfully spent with family & that you do not lose the meaning of what it means. 

have a great week, everyone! 

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:6

~Lynet