A Very Happy (and Soggy) Easter

We had a very low-key Easter this year. We got dressed up, took the family photo, and went to Mass. After Mass there was coffee and donuts in the back and an Easter egg hunt. It took about five minutes for all the kids to snatch up the eggs left in piles on every non-muddy surface in the vicinity of the chapel. Just as I was about to force my family into posing for another photo, the sky opened up and we all dashed for our cars in the torrential rain. It poured the whole rest of the day. and we just lazed around the house, watched movies, and ate breakfast for dinner in lieu of the traditional ham and potatoes. Tim was going to be leaving the next day and didn't want to come home to all the leftovers still in the fridge. I didn't mind, though. In fact I love breakfast for dinner and would happily eat that over most traditional holiday meals. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

I needed one good family picture before we left for Mass. One good one and I would be happy. It would have to be an indoor one since it had rained all day and all night. We did it. We got one. This is the first good picture of us as a family of six and I looked at it again and again the whole rest of the day. Last night before we turned out the lights Tim and I looked at it together again. "It's one moment, frozen in time," I mused. "10 minutes later the girls' hair was already a mess, I had spit-up on my dress --"

"You already had spit-up on that dress. Then Timmy's clothes started coming off; by the time we left church his belt was gone, the tie was hanging off the second button, his shirt was untucked.. But we reined in the chaos for a few seconds."

"And for those few seconds we really look like we have it together, don't we?"

Tim knows how important these photos are to me so he set up the camera and tripod the night before for some practice shots.

Shout out to Massachusetts and Ohio!

This time last year, we knew we'd have baby number 4 with us by next Easter, but it was so hard to imagine.

Easter 2015

We had a really nice Easter here, just us.

On Saturday, at the end of a busy day of soccer games, errands, and Tim looking in multiple stores to find me some fresh flowers (sorry hon, I know I'm a pain in the butt), the kids dyed eggs.

On Sunday morning I took a pictures of the Easter Bunny's handiwork before the kids dove in.  This year he brought the girls new earrings, including their first pairs of danglies, which they had been eagerly awaiting since they had their ears pierced last April. Timmy got a couple of the trucks that he'd fallen in love with the last time I took him to CVS. 

We Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa in Massachusetts, and they showed them their goodies. It was snowing there -- what?

I admired the mason jars I'd painted at Craft Night, with the flowers that Tim had procured for me the day before. The pink blooms came from a bush down the street. He walked down the street with Annie yesterday to get them and he felt like a thief doing it. They are so beautiful. I wish we had them growing in our own yard so we wouldn't have to feel guilt about clipping a few here and there.

Tim found this letter that Annie had written for him a few days ago while he was away on yet another trip. It says, "Dear Daddy, I miss you. I want you to come back on Thursday. You are 'pose to come back on Friday. I love you. You are coming back in two more days. Love, Annie." That just melts my heart.

Here they are ready for Mass.

After Mass, everyone went outside for an Easter egg hunt.

Back at home we asked our neighbor to take some pictures of us.

Tim gave me a hard time about the stepstool on the porch. I hadn't gotten around to taking it back inside after watering the ferns that morning. He said, "That's what you get for being lazy!" I said, "I wasn't being lazy. The stool was wet. I needed to let it dry before bringing it in." 

It was a beautiful, happy Easter Sunday for us, and today it's back to business as usual. Tim is off again on another trip and the kids are back to school. Spring break doesn't start until Monday. We're going to start the break early and drive to Ohio to see my side of the family for a week. I'm so excited. I haven't been back there in a long time -- I think two Christmases ago. I've got a busy few days to prepare!