Easter!

There's just something about Easter, isn't there? Christmas is steeped in traditions and feel good, cozy thoughts, but Easter, Easter is hope and freedom. Life renewing. I find Easter very close to my heart and personal, after all Christ died for me. Each year I learn more of what that means. Each year I learn more of how to give of myself willingly, as he did. It's a long process, I'm not there yet.

Easter is also "my" holiday. Tim's mom passed it to me two years ago, but last year she took it back since I was 41 weeks pregnant at Easter. Sweet of her wasn't it? Now it's back with me until someday I pass it on to one of my daughter-in-laws as she did, but that day is a long way away.

I love to entertain and have people over, so hosting Easter is great. Making a ham is easy, so I decided to step it up with some other good things to eat. Enter Pioneer Woman! I made her Delicious, Creamy Mashed Potatoes which I quietly referred to as "kick a**", and indeed they were. I even had to go buy a potato masher so I could mash 10 lbs of potatoes by hand. However, the hit of Easter were Bakerella's Cake Balls, also featured by PW (I drizzled some of mine with melted white chocolate-fancy!). They were fairly time intensive, but not all at the same time, so I fit them into my schedule, and my were they tasty!

I have to let the internets know that my boys were a huge help to me with the food prep for Easter and I couldn't have done it without them. We went to early church and were back home about ten.

From then on all I heard from Eli was, "What can I do next?" First he made Jesse oatmeal and fed him while I was getting the ham in the oven. Then he helped with the fruit salad, well, actually, he made it; he cut up broccoli for the veggie tray and got the peppers (red, yellow, green) washed cut in half and ready to slice; he unloaded the dishwasher; he sliced cheese until the cheese slicer broke; he swept; he carried things to the dining room and all the other little things I asked him to do. He was so helpful!

Noah got off to a rough start, but quickly changed his attitude and helped clean the bathroom and the mirrors, got the dip ready for the veggie tray, loaded it with carrots, set up the "boys" table, swept a little bit, picked up toys and other little things! He was helpful and is learning that helping isn't punishment (I think he's learning it). To that point, when Noah hadn't quite changed his attitude yet Eli said, "The work can be fun too, huh Mom?" Noah didn't agree; we're working on it.

Simon was a trooper. He helped with getting the "boys" table ready, sneaking bites of cheese, playing, picking up toys, and other little things as I could think of them as well as trying to stay out of the way. He's a very good little boy.

Jesse, bless his heart, ate oatmeal and then I put him down for a nap and he slept until just a couple of minutes before Tim got home from the second service, and that's the best I could of had from Jesse.

With the help of my boys, we had everything ready when people arrived and had a wonderful meal. Then they hunted some eggs.

We had a great day celebrating the resurrection of our Savior!