Our Special Easter

Our Easter weekend looked like a pretty typical Easter weekend, with egg-dying, opening Easter baskets, going to church....

.....but with a few very special exceptions. The first exception being the great idea below, which I stole from a dear friend. Keep in mind, I had to adjust some of the steps to fit our family's...um...needs.

Step one: On Good Friday, build a tomb out of boxes.

Step two: Let the kids play in it for a while. I know, it sounds slightly morbid. Fortunately, they know this story has a happy ending. Don't worry, I don't let my kids play in tombs very often.

Step three: Roll up some stuffed animals (in the shape of Jesus) in a white sheet and put "Jesus" in the tomb.

Step four: "Roll" a HUUUUGE stone (i.e., draw a stone with a sharpie on paper & tape it over the hole) in front of the tomb, sealing it for the rest of the weekend.

Step five: Have fun dying eggs & doing fun stuff all day Saturday. 

Step six: Try to keep cats from leaping onto the weak-paper-roof of the tomb.

Step seven: Rescue, from the grave, cats.....who have leaped (i.e., may possibly have been thrown, by certain angelic boys) into said weak-paper-roof, and onto the resting, stuffed-animal-Jesus.

Step eight: Put the sweet, angelic, kitty-throwing boys to bed Saturday night, tomb & seal still miraculously in tact.

Step nine: After said angels are sleeping, roll away the HUUUUGE stone (i.e., tear the paper & tape off of the entrance), throw stuffed animals on the floor in the living room, put sheet back into linen closet, and watch TV with hubby while filling Easter baskets.

Step ten: Sunday morning, show kids the empty tomb, ask them where Jesus is (and try not to laugh when Gideon says, dead-pan,"He's over there by the couch."), read them the Resurrection story, and celebrate that Jesus is alive & that he loves them!!!

Step eleven: Let kids open their baskets.

Step twelve: Turn tomb into a play-fort.....which is not sealed in case flying-kitties need to escape.

Goofy kids enjoyed their Easter morning loot: stuffed animals, KJV New Testament Bibles, Bible-story-books & candy....all from the dollar store....cuz I'm just that cheap. I must add that Seth was such a very good sport. He tried to tell me (being that he is almost sixteen years old) that he did not need an Easter basket. But he played along very sweetly, which is good because I only have 2 years left, give or take, to share Easter with him still living at home. And I plan to give him a basket both of those years.

The next special Easter-thing we did was go to Grandma's house for an Easter-dinner-birthday-party. Of course, she cooked a delicious meal (Rara made a delicious banana cream pie), and gave Jarod & I some awesome birthday gifts. She was even kind enough to provide a rock wall for the boys to climb during the Easter-dinner-birthday-party.

The most special "Easter thing" that happened was at church in the evening. Justin baptized Micah John into Jesus Christ. I am one proud and happy mama & wife. I'm so thankful that my children are coming to understand the deep love that God has for them, and that they want to say "yes" to Jesus. Of course, all of our local family was there for the event, including Cousins Abi & Yaya.

 This was the most civilized Easter picture I could get of them all together. Please excuse the scary eyes. 

From our family to yours, hope everyone had a Happy Easter!!! God bless!!!

I also want to tell my sister, Gloria, who's birthday was on Easter, "Happy birthday, sis!!! I love you & miss you."

PS. No kitty-cats were injured in the making of this blog post.