Easter

It is almost Easter! I love Easter. I think I am going to go ahead and say that Easter is my favorite holiday. I love Christmas also. Christmas is an amazingly busy time for us. We tried to cram every major life event into one week and succeeded! The week of Christmas is Jesus' birthday (obviously), our anniversary, and our two children's birthdays. So, although I love all those things, combine that with trying to see all our families and you get STRESS. I have a point... It is, while the true celebrating of Christmas is such an amazing part of the year, I love to celebrate Easter.

Easter encompasses so many emotions. On Good Friday as we reflect on Christ's crucifixion I am filled with sadness, pain, and hurt for Him. I feel guilty for my sins that put Him there but, know that He has even freed me from the guilt. On Easter Sunday I filled with such joy and victory knowing that my Savior conquered the grave and lives today! It is unfathomable to me.

This is Holy Week. Approximately 2000 years ago (I don't do numbers) Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the people celebrated. Things certainly changed in a few days. This Friday is Good Friday, the day He was crucified. I look forward to teaching Drew and Charis why we celebrate. I remember riding in the car with my Dad one time when I was a surly kid and he asked me if I knew why we celebrate Easter and I popped off "because Jesus died and rose again". He asked how long was He dead and I didn't really know but, with complete conviction I said "a couple of days". Good guess. I remember this talk because even though I heard the pastor say it before, I don't think I truly grasped the reason we celebrate until my Dad asked and I had to verbalize it. I bought a resurrection scene last year at Hobby Lobby on sale with the intention that my kids could play with it and retell the story. Well, I got so excited to break it out that I forgot my kids are at a way destructive age so within minutes I was running around asking "where is the soldiers head". He was decapitated pretty early on and then poor Mary got it. I will have to buy another one to put away until my kids are older.

My Mom got the kids the cute clothes and so we took pictures at the Boy's Ranch last week. Which is where Stephen I first said I love you and I where I told him we were having a baby ( I didn't know it was 2 babies). Drew loved throwing bread to the ducks. Charis held her bread out and expected them to come to her. That pretty much sums up our little girl.