"Holy Week"....

On his way to an Easter Egg Hunt, and super excited

He was a master "hunter".  He was bound and determined to find every last egg.

I just love this picture. It really doesn't have anything to do with the egg hunt, except this antique tricycle was at the house of my friend Mary who was hosting the egg hunt! EB absolutely loves this tricycle.

Yep, a new bike - not for Easter, but a "just because" present from his grandparents. He thanked them 100 times for the bike, completely unprompted, heartfelt, genuine thanks.  Pretty funny that my 2 year old is riding a bike with neighborhood boys and also still in the crib!  I still can't get used to it.

So big, so happy.

Showing me some candy, which was quickly confiscated!

Just hanging out either before or after the Easter Egg hunt - can't remember which one.

"Resurrection Buns"

With a hollow center no doubt!

After church, at the farm, and super tired - but still so handsome.

Pretty sad this was the best family picture we could get on Easter Sunday!!   Love the trailer in the background, and EB's exhausted and "so over the pictures" look.

E-Daddy, Pop Pop, Elijah Brooks, and Daddy

Fishing with Daddy

Posing with the fish - he wasn't sure what to think about the fish. He kept saying, "put him back in the water with his mommy"! Love my boy's heart.

Loving some "Gammy time" downtown.

I think I have about decided that Easter is my favorite time of the year. I used to be a Christmas kind of girl, through and through.  Love every single thing about Christmas. However, I am changing, and my heart is changing.  I still love Christmas and everything about it, but Easter is just taking on a new meaning for me it seems. I am so thankful that God does not leave me where I am, but is daily working on me. He is so gracious to show me my sin and my need of a Savior daily. It's so painful to see my own sin, but how kind and gracious of my Lord to do that for me so that I do not have to be left in my own filth and yuckiness. My heart has been through alot in the past year - nothing earth shattering or monumental - but God is changing me and growing me and I am so thankful.  This Easter was more precious to me than ever before for that reason. "It was MY sin that held him there, until it was accomplished"!  That truth is so humbling.  The verse on my header has special meaning this season as well - "for the JOY set before Him, He endured the cross".  WE WERE THE JOY He was looking at while He endured the cross- let that truth sink in to the depths of your soul and rejoice in the salvation that is yours through His sacrifice!

We had a wonderful week of preparation, and tried our best to keep our eyes upward.  We were able to participate in a Seder Meal at our church on Maundy Thursday, which was a re-creation of the Passover Meal. It was fascinating to me, as we were given the opportunity to actually partake of the food that was served at the Passover. Each time we ate or drank something, we were told the significance and symbolism of each thing. VERY powerful, and it truly set the stage for the rest of the weekend. We had a Tenebrae Service Friday evening, which was a service of darkness. Our choir sang several songs, the congregation sang several hymns, Jay and the other ministers read portions of the crucifixion, and I sang a solo at the very end of the service - in total darkness, right before the tolling of the bell. My precious Dad played the piano while I sang, and we both agreed that this was the most powerful music we have ever done together...., not because of anything that we did, but because of what the Lord did in those minutes. Both of us felt as though we completely yielded our spirits to the Lord and allowed Him to do what He wanted to with the music. Musically, things happened that we had not planned, and spiritually, I felt as though I was sitting at the feet of Jesus singing directly to Him. We both felt as though we had encountered the Living God in those brief moments. All praise be to Him.  We left the sanctuary quietly, still in darkness, and silently walked to our cars.  There were many tears after the service, but we had the hope of the Risen Savior whom we would celebrate just 2 short days later.  Saturday morning, we gathered at the church for an Easter Egg hunt, children's sermon by Jay, and lunch. And then of course, Sunday morning, the sanctuary was full of light, hope, and celebration, as we rejoiced in our Risen Savior, and sang with confidence, "I know that My Redeemer Lives"!

Jay's parents flew in to visit us for the weekend. We had not seen them in nearly 6 months, which is entirely too long.  They couldn't believe how much Elijah Brooks has grown and changed since Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time with them, and enjoyed a true quality visit.  Even though it was a busy weekend, we still felt as though we had alot of quality time with them. They left yesterday, and Elijah Brooks has walked into "their room" and has looked for them numerous times.  He has also seen several airplanes and has asked if that was "Gammy and Pop Pop".

I am trying to start a few traditions for Easter, so I decided to make "Resurrection Buns" for breakfast Sunday morning.  Quite honestly, I was prepared for this to be a disaster, but much to my surprise it was a huge success. I let Elijah Brooks help me make them on Saturday night (I really probably should have made them on Good Friday if I wanted to be theologically correct - maybe next year)!  This was a trial run anyway!  As we prepared them, we talked about why Jesus had to die on the cross and be buried etc.....  I asked him why Jesus had to die on the cross, to which he responded, "Jesus died on the cross for His own glory"!!    Where in the world did he hear that?  We talk about God making all things in the world for his own glory, but never have I said that he died on the cross for His own glory - even though I probably should have!  After making several of the Buns, he was beginning to get the hang of it and pretty much was doing it himself and reminding me that the marshmallow was Jesus.  We put them in the fridge overnight, sealing the tomb, and waited to cook them until Easter Sunday morning.  It was so precious Sunday morning, because when he came downstairs, I yelled, "He's Alive, He's Risen, Jesus is Alive Elijah Brooks"!   He stood there looking at me, furrowed his brow as he was thinking, and said, "Mommy, where He is??  Where is Jesus"? He stood on his tip toes looking on top of the counter and said, "He's not there mommy"?  That child looked all over the kitchen for Jesus.  Well, I thought that was a good time to bake the Resurrection Buns, still halfway thinking this recipe was sure to flop.  Well, would you know, 13 minutes later they came out of the oven just as beautiful as could be!  And even more exciting was when I cut into one of them, the center was perfectly hollow - just as it should have been!!  Elijah Brooks then joined in my excitement proclaiming, "He's Alive Mommy, He's not in the tomb anymore"!  Ah, the faith of a little child........

Easter afternoon was lazily spent at my grandparents farm, eating too much yummy food, taking naps, fishing, playing with bubbles, lying in the lush green grass, riding the John Deere mower (of course), and just enjoying being with family.

It was the perfect end to a perfect week.