Easter Fun

  A few years ago I bought a great book called The Christ Centered Easter. I love it. Starting on Palm Sunday, and then each day until Easter Sunday, you do activities following what Christ did leading up to Easter.

 We didn't do it last year because we were on our road trip (Easter was celebrated in Texas). We didn't do it this year either. Aria's blessing was on Palm Sunday, we went to Knott's Berry Farm on Monday, etc... But no excuses. We should have done it because I really felt a lack of the spiritual this year. I'm not one that feels the need to do the secular Easter stuff on Saturday and the spiritual stuff on Sunday. I like to do plenty of both all week. But like I said, the spiritual stuff fell by the wayside this year. But there was plenty of secular stuff!
 We went to Knott's Berry Farm with lots of the extended family and Knott's was doing something called

The kids went to different areas of the park, got a card stamped and then turned it in for a prize (an Easter egg with a candy inside).

 Wednesday was the last day of school for Melodie before spring break. And she got sick. She started throwing up the night before and was very sad she couldn't go to school. I went (my dad was here so I had volunteered to help in the classroom) anyway and picked up her eggs and basket.

The bug only lasted 24 hours and then I got it! We had already paid for an Easter event at Pump It Up (a place with a bunch of inflatables), so Rocky took the day off work and took Melodie and Aria to the event (he took Aria because I was so sick). Normally I don't pay for Easter events, but some of her friends from school were going, so for $13 (including lunch) I thought it wasn't a bad deal.

24 hours later I was fine too...just in time for Saturday Easter fun. Every year we go to various city events (we live on the border of 4 different cities, with a few more just minutes away). We started off at one that had a pancake breakfast, the Easter bunny, and crafts.

It's very unusual for me to put headbands on babies, but the only "First Easter" onesie I could find that I liked was a boy one. So, to make Aria look more like a girl I stuck a headband on her. All the pink girl onesies said some variation on "Somebunny loves me" which I didn't like.
 Both city events we went to had an "egg hunt". Really it's just candy thrown on the ground and the kids make a mad dash to see how much they can get. Melodie got way too much.

But she was so happy and declared it the best day ever in her life. Oh, and I made her shirt. I messed up the iron on transfer a little, but I thought it was still cute. I used the Chick-a-dee scrapbooking kit by ScrappyNat.
 Later that day we dyed our Easter eggs, always a favorite thing to do for all of us.

We ended the day making resurrection rolls. They are floating around pinterest now, but I've done them for years (from the Christ Centered Easter book). They are rolls with marshmallows in them. When you bake them the marshmallows melt and they are empty...just like the tomb Jesus was put in.
 For church on Easter Sunday, Melodie and Aria wore their new-to-them Easter dresses and I did Mel's hair in a fancy 'do.

This is another one floating all over pinterest. The basket weave (inspired by an Easter basket) is on various hair sites. This is our version.
 I tried to take a beautiful picture of the girls at home, but Aria was not cooperating. We ended up taking more at church that did turn out beautifully (including one of the whole family).

At home we did a real Easter egg hunt (the eggs were actually hidden and required some effort to find).

And, of course, I had to get Minnie in on the celebrating.
 We went to the Anderson house for dinner (like always!) where Mel had ANOTHER egg hunt. We had a yummy dinner. The Andersons always get Mel an Easter basket (I think they were astonished when Mel was little and they found out I don't do Easter baskets). This year the basket was a backpack filled with goodies. Aria got one too!

I just had to throw in some pictures of Aria's pjs. The tail on her bottom was so soft and the bunnies on her feet were so cute.
 I hope you had a Happy Easter too!