Easter Season 2013

Our Easter Season was a full one. Like usual. We hosted the cousins for IHOP breakfast, went to IBC's Eggsperience together, came back to our house for lunch and to dye eggs. Like usual. Then Sunday, we hosted the family at our house after church and had an egg hunt and dinner together. Like usual. It was fun and busy. Just like usual. 

But the week leading up to Easter, I was unusually sad. I experienced a sadness about Easter that I have never experienced before. I blame Jen Hatmaker's post for this. At least partially. (Can I just pause here to say how much I LOVE her!? I could do a whole post on how much I love her. But I digress...) It seemed like I was more aware of what Jesus experienced that week leading up to his death. The pain he went through. The torture. The humiliation. I was more sensitive to it all. Any time I thought of him, what he went through, FOR ME, I was crying. 

I went through the week in a melancholy, blue state. Not depressed exactly, but in such awe and with such a feeling of undeserved-ness that I couldn't get past it. I couldn't think of being happy. I felt guilty for buying a chocolate bunny. I felt guilty for making sure we had cute outfits for the boys to wear. Easter is about so much more than bunnies and eggs and outfits and I was much more aware of his sacrifice this year. I mentioned this to a friend and she pointed out that Sunday would be just that much more joyful and she was totally right! Thanks Julie!

Anyways, here are some pictures from our Easter season.

Saturday

Delaney is especially sweet to Austin. Always insisting on helping him with stuff. love it! 

Spencer joined us at breakfast so we weren't so totally outnumbered.

sweet cousins! 

I'm wearing Graham and taking pictures with my phone, so the shots from that morning aren't great. 

One of the stations on the Easter path... Jesus washed his disciples' feet. 

Another station. You write a sin in invisible ink on the money and nail it to the cross.

He was so thrilled to get a tatoo. 

I could simply not get over how cute baby goats are. Who knew!?

We came home, had lunch and then started dyeing eggs. Each kid got a 6-pack of eggs and their own carton to decorate.

It's possible that I'm a little obsessed with these profile/concentration/he's-looking-off-somewhere shots.

Seth was heavily involved in Austin's egg dyeing.

But we did let him do some things.

It's likely that it was after this attempt to get the egg out that we had a full meltdown and I carried him off to bed. He was crying hysterically, and stuttering he was crying so hard, calling out "da-ddy" "da-ddy" Seth came, we put him to bed and he slept soundly for hours. I love the moments when I really reach him. When I explain that he'll feel better after some sleep and agrees to let himself nod off. I feel like such a victor!

Sunday

The bike is for Austin. ;-) 

It's logical to just keep taking stuff out of the basket when you're on a roll, right?

He hopped right on! 

I was so excited to give him sunglasses. He's always stealing ours and now he has two pair!

Another one of those faces that makes me think "Definitely Seth's son." 

Graham is not yet interested in sitting up, so getting good shots of him were hard.

I love that Austin thought it'd be a good idea to hold Graham's hand. sweet brothers.

I love how big Graham is smiling here!

Again, pictures were hard to get of him, but I wanted some of him with the colorful eggs.

His necklace hasn't stopped the drooling, but it's definitely less. 

All of my pictures of him in the basket had a huge smudge, so I was thankful to Kim for this one!

Austin got a head start before all the big kids came out!

Again, more sweet cousins moments. 

Turner is literally reading the book to Austin. LOVE moments like this.

2/3 of the boy cousins with their duckies. (This is a perfect Austin smile. Not a Cheese! face.)