Hippity Hoppity

I love Easter. I love the pastel colors, the spring weather, but most of all, I love celebrating our Savior's life and Resurrection.

After last year, I promised I wouldn't let the bunny stuff crowd out the real meaning of Easter. But with little kids, it is hard.

Earlier in the week, I had to run an errand at the mall. Here are Luke, Sammie and Buster with the bunny (Ryan was clinging to my legs, scared out of his mind):



Saturday, Sam and I took the kids to the Draper Easter Egg Hunt. Never again. 20 minutes of waiting around like this:



Then 30 seconds of mass hysteria while every egg was grabbed and then 15 minutes of combing the park trying to locate the kids and then back to the car to sit in the parking lot for 20 minutes. We finally got out of the car and let the kids look at the fire engines and play on the playground:



Then we headed back to the car and got out of there. We headed to Kneaders for lunch. It was delicious and a cute lady working there gave us some darling Easter decorations.

Later that afternoon, Sam's parents came over and brought Buster some birthday presents (b-day post later) and some cute Easter cakes for the kids:



Sam's mom with Buster:



Later that night, I filled the kids' Easter buckets. Every year I buy too much but I rationalize that it is all stuff I would have bought them anyway (like flip flops and shorts and books, etc.) They were all thrilled with their loot. (I don't put candy in their buckets because I just feel like Easter is such a candy overload anyway and my kids don't miss it.)



Here are the obligatory Easter pre-church shots. Of course Sammie had a meltdown about something and is crying in all the pictures. Awesome (I'm too lazy to crop these):



Miraculously, Sam agreed to wear the green gingham shirt that matches my boys:



No one said anything this year. He has taken massive abuse in past years for the matching sweater vests. Here is a picture from the good ol' days:



Sammie and I after she got her shiz together (remind me not to squat in any more pictures!)



Sunday evening, we went up to my mom's house for her Easter egg hunt. It is amazing. My dad hid 17 eggs for each kid--they each get their own color. There were also little gifts hidden for the kids.







My mom put on a delicious dinner (I know I have been photographing a lot of food lately--I'm hungry!) You have to remember that my mom did all of this after babysitting my kids for five days while I was in D.C.!



We watched a really great movie about Christ at my mom's house and I think we will do that every year.

I will end with this picture of Sammie. She put on those ears, gathered all of her stuffed animals and demanded that I take the picture. She will be looking for it on my blog!