Easter

We had a meaningful Easter celebration that actually began last weekend with the traditional cousin egg hunt and family dinner. While my girls remind me often that they are getting older and want so much to be big, they still get pretty enthusiastic about an Easter egg hunt. Tatum was just a blur the entire time so this was the best I could get.



Gentry found the coveted gold Prize Egg this time! Nothing says Easter like cold, hard cash.

Their buckets were filled to the brim. I'm pretty sure this candy will still be in our pantry in October, when we'll throw it out to store the crazy amount of Halloween candy they'll bring home in their trick-or-treat pails.

It got hot fast and the pool was calling their name. Thank you, Gentry, for accommodating me with a smile. Your sisters were not so solicitous. "Can we swim now?"

My mother-in-law is the consummate hostess and always has the best tablescapes, especially for the kids table.

On Easter Sunday we had our own family dinner after church services. We rarely use our formal dining room, so it's always a special occasion when I pull out the good china and goblets. The girls got to dust off their "fancy" manners for the meal.

Don't I look like I got up at 6 a.m. to pull this whole thing off? I have a new appreciation for my mother who always cooked Sunday dinner, invited at least one other family over to eat with us after church and made it look like a breeze. Mom, you're a superstar. I crashed immediately after the dishes were put away.

 We took lots of pictures because I don't know when this is going to happen again.

I especially enjoy having the girls help me prepare the meal (now that they actually help more than they hinder) and they had fun setting out their dyed eggs with our names as placecards.

Tatum helped me bake the strawberry bunny cake and Ava & Gentry frosted and decorated him. I literally had to hold my OCD hands together as I observed to keep from "fixing" a few flaws (do bunnies usually have vampire teeth?) but I didn't touch it. This is their very own creation. The pink sprinkles for his ears were a little thick and added an unexpected crunch but it was actually pretty tasty.

 
It was no small feat getting us all ready for church in the morning. With 4 girls in the household there is a lot of hair to be brushed, straightened/curled and held back in some form or fashion, but we even had time to snap a few photos before leaving. Love these 4 precious Easter blessings!

 My little Tater Tot, who is getting big way faster than I'm comfortable with.

 Gentry, as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside

And sweet Ava, the brainiac and rule-follower.

Oh, and please excuse the hanging basket laying in the flower bed. It's responsible for shattering the window last week during an especially windy storm and scaring the daylights out of me, so it's still in time out.

I hope you had an Easter abundant with blessings and the full knowledge that Christ is risen!