Happy Easter!!

Well, this week-end was a whirlwind to put it mildly! We had all sorts of family here because of a funeral. Although it was a sad occasion, everyone was glad to be together. We got the chance to spend time with some of my cousins that we haven't seen in a long time. It's amazing how wonderful it is to see the children play together and get to know each other.

On Friday, I decided that I was going to have to do the Easter dinner by myself. So, I went to Costco and bought a ham, potato salad, green salad, rolls, and coconut cream pie. I then went home and boiled the eggs so we could dye them on Saturday night. That's when I got a call from my cousin. It was their grandmother that had passed away and they were still trying to get babysitters for their younger kids. I jumped at the chance to babysit for them! I was so glad to be able to do something for my family. It seems so rare that I really get a chance to feel like I'm contributing to the family. So, the next day, I watched four 6 and 7 year old boys and three 3 and 4 year old girls. It was a great day. The kids were so much fun and they were really well behaved. That brings up another story.

I started getting sick late Thursday night with a cough. By Friday it was a full blown cold. I was so worried about being able to watch all of the kids while I felt so horribly. I went to bed earnestly praying for the strength I needed to get through the day. By morning I decided that I really couldn't watch the baby that I had said would be ok. And thankfully my cousin had no problem taking him with her! The day turned out to be from 7am to 5:30 pm and it turned out beautifully. As sick as I was, the kids were awesome! I had the energy I needed to do everything to the best of my ability. I was so thankful that my prayer was answered and the day worked out for everyone! The family was grateful too and invited us to come over for Easter!

Easter morning was so fun! Glenn was off of work and the kids were bubbling over w/ excitement! After going to bed at 10:30pm, Charles was up at 6am! I was not happy about this but I kept a smile on my face as I made him wait for Maryn to wake up. Our little princess woke up at 7:45am and was in her usual grumpy state. The Easter Bunny had made them a little egg hunt. We let Maryn go first because she likes to take her sweet time at everything she does and Charles already had a gameplan in mind to collect them all! So, as Charles is hopping and bouncing in the doorway, I proceeded to take Maryn's hand and guide her towards the eggs. She picked up a few and then I let Charles loose! He was so quick! He found a lot! Maryn quit the game after Charles found a huge lavender egg with a bunny on it. That was just too much for her. Even though he gave it to her, she still had to cry because SHE had wanted to find it! So, life keeps going on as normal!

We went to church and enjoyed the Easter program. The primary kids were asked to sing 4 songs. The kids were so cute! Charles loves to sing so he really tries his hardest to remember all of the words. If he doesn't know all the words he just moves his jaw up and down. It's so fun to watch him!! I loved seeing Maryn and her friend "A" sing in their first program! During the second set of songs, Maryn had to take a break from the singing to pick her nose for a really long time. It was half embarassing and half hilarious, to see this lovely pretty girl with her finger in her nose! It's a good thing she was standing in the front row! That's my Maryn!

We left church early to head out to my aunt's house for dinner. Because of the chaos of the week-end, it wasn't the traditional Easter dinner, but lasagna which we all love anyway. So it will be a fun memory of the time we had lasagna for Easter. It kind of fits though, because the grandmother that passed was Italian.

That night my cousin Heather and her family came over to visit. The kids played and we cooked, and the men watched a movie and talked about jobs. I can't express the joy we had spending time with them! They live in New York and so time with them is so precious to us. It's wonderful to be with my cousin because she's one of the few people in my life that it doesn't matter how much time has elapsed between visits, we just pick up where we left off.

So all-in-all this week-end was a memory that we will treasure!