(Click these links to remember Easter, take 1 and Easter, take 2)
Easter morning was a bit odd this year. Tommy woke up early and then Billy. The other two were asleep and we didn’t bother waking them since church isn’t until 1 pm. Around our house, the Easter Bunny hides the baskets and the eggs that we colored. Tommy and Billy got first looks at their baskets … they weren’t allowed to touch any eggs they might see.
Tommy was starting to get tired and ready for his morning nap, so we spread out some plastic eggs (that look like baseballs, thank you very much) on the floor and let him “find” some.
He thought it was fun.
While I put Tommy down for his nap, Kevin got Rusty and Ricky up. Ricky never sleeps in. It was odd. Anyway, off they went to find their baskets.
Before he would look for his basket, Ricky had to check his note. He’d left a message for the Easter Bunny to stay at our house so Ricky could meet him. E.B. left his regrets that he had to keep moving on to other homes.
Satisfied, Ricky went basket hunting.
Then the boys got to find the eggs. I am amazed at how well these guys get along when they want to! Ricky knew to look for the harder eggs and Billy was pretty good at letting Rusty pick up the easiest ones. I had some extra plastic eggs, so I dumped them on the floor and let Rusty pick those up while the older boys kept hunting for the real ones. He was happy, Ricky and Billy were happy, I was happy.
Rusty really was happy.
All the eggs were found. Breakfast of pancakes was enjoyed (my boys might like coloring and hunting for boiled eggs, but they have no interest in eating them). It was a great morning.
The boys picked out their baskets on Saturday night from a stash we already had. Ricky, being oldest, picked first. He also picked the smallest. Billy picked the second smallest. Whatever made them happy.
Before getting bathed and ready for church, we went over the story of the last week of Christ’s life. During the week, I’d done a couple of activities with the boys and shown them pictures and discussed what had happened each day.
Palm Sunday was when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. We had our Jesus, our donkey, and a Jerusalem of blocks. The boys even had their jackets and leaves to spread on the path from our Mount of Olives to our Jerusalem.
On Monday we talked about how Jesus went to the temple and was angered by the money changers so much that he used a whip to tell them to get out of the temple. The boys got to set up a money changer’s table and, using a toy nun-chuck, whip the money off and tell the bad guys to get out. This day was definitely a highlight for Billy.
(Someday I’ll have to share the video up of Rusty being Jesus … it was adorable and funny and taught me a little something, too.)
Tuesday and Wednesday we talked about Jesus teaching the people stories to help them learn. The boys liked the 10 Virgins (we called them 10 Ladies) story best.
Friday we talked about Gethsemane and the Atonement and how Jesus was betrayed by a friend. Billy’s eyes were big the whole time.
Saturday we made cookies. It is a cute activity called Resurrection Cookies. As you mix the ingredients, you discuss parts of the last day of Jesus’s life. We broke up nuts (with a wooden spoon) and talked about Jesus being beaten. We smelled vinegar as we talked of the soldiers offering that to Jesus to drink. The boys tasted salt as we discussed how sad Jesus’s friends were and that they cried. Then we put the cookies on a tray and put them in the oven. We taped the oven closed, just like the tomb was sealed.
On Sunday, after all the egg hunting was finished, we opened the oven and opened a cookie. It was hollow and (mostly) empty, just like Jesus’s tomb.
This led to a little talk about the resurrection. Our little talks all week had Ricky the star of his Primary class on Easter. He answered all their questions and then some. Go, Ricky!
After church, we went to Grandmama’s house for dinner. She had another egg hunt set up for the boys in her yard.
The boys all divided and conquered. Cousin Danny was there too. Again, I was impressed with how well they got along.
Sometimes Billy strikes a pose.
Or two.
Ricky scored – the boys started on the porch and while the younger ones spread to the grass, Ricky stayed on the porch and scored a whole bunch of eggs without hardly needing to move. That is Ricky’s kind of egg hunt!
It was a really good Easter this year. Except for Tommy. He had a nasty little cold and felt rotten all day, but other than that, it was a really good day.