Easter

There is something magical about Easter. To me, Easter is practically as exciting as Christmas. As the children have grown, we realize that we created small traditions without consiously doing so. While I wouldn't recommended this to my children (boys- careful planning with your spouse can only enhance a holiday for your family, and cut stress for your marriage) the early years of parenthood were so busy that we were forced to prioritize and only did what was most important to us, rather than allow a lot of holiday fluff to get in the way. Perhaps I don't mean that we created traditions, as much as we unconsciously did NOT buy into many of the mainstream American Easter traditions. We never did the "Easter Bunny" thing. Sure, the kids see tons of bunnies this time of year- be it in chocolate or stuffed form, but they do not understand the concept of the "Easter Bunny" entering our home and hiding baskets. Do they have baskets? Of course! However, it was never something that Kurt and I did for them, but rather something their Grandma Joyce enjoyed putting together (not going to lie- she outdoes herself every single year, and Kurt and I have just as much fun going through the piles of candy and toys that she lovingly nestles inside the fun baskets). The mall's Easter Bunny was never something our kids had to see because we didn't line up at the court and wait for pictures (Santa only gets pictures every other year) and we didn't color eggs. We didn't put on egg hunts, although many of the events we attended had them. To us- it is not about eggs and bunnies, it is about The Savior.

Because we were always short on time, we didn't really get to go crazy on Easter activities. Now that I am home with the boys, however, we find ourselves being invited to brunches, parties, egg hunts, and festivals. While this can be a good thing, we have found ourselves in a predicament. What should we do with our time? What is the best way to educate our kids about Easter?

With so many wonderful and creative options, it can be difficult to filter the things which would best benefit our family. For us, Easter has always included new clothes (a tradition carried down from my family), cute self-portraits of our family, baskets (which the kids know are from Grandma Joyce), and above all, Church. Now that I am home, and the boys are older, we will be adding a traditional Easter dinner- Kurt is thrilled, he loves ham.

To add to our holiday, I decided that our breakfasts will now include these on Easter morning. What a wonderful way to discuss The Savior! Take marshmallows, roll them in melted butter. Coat them with sugar and cinnamon. And fold them into crescent roll dough. Bake. What a great idea! The marshmallow represents Jesus. When he died, he was anointed with oil (butter) and spices (cinnamon and sugar), and laid to rest in a tomb (crescent roll dough). But Jesus overcame death, and was risen. So, when the crescent rolls are finished baking, and the children open them- they will see that Christ (the marshmallow representation) is gone! What a simple and sweet way to explain and demonstrate the miracle of The Resurrection. Yes, we will add that tradition =) Our family will make them together Easter morning. (Harrison and I will make, but not eat)

As our traditions evolve throughout our years, I am thankful that our priorities have stayed the same. Faith in God, our family, and our friendships are what matters most to us.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday and can remember the real reason we have to celebrate- Jesus lives!