One of my favorite traditions as a kid is dyeing Easter eggs. I don't know what it is...it's not like they are chocolate eggs that are super yummy to eat after making them, but they are fun. This year Parker was really into Easter eggs, so on Wednesday before Easter, we had our dyeing party...followed by eggs and pancakes for dinner (this will now be an Easter tradition at our house).
Our next Easter tradition is going to Easter at the Farm the Saturday prior to Easter Sunday. "The Farm" is where my mom and step-dad live and they have goats, chickens, dogs, and 80 acres to run around on. With grandma Robbie, grandpa Mahlon, great grandma Elaine, Aunt April, Aunt Kasey, Uncle Lance, and most importantly Cooper and Cameron...Parker and Andrew had a fun time at the farm! We hunted for Easter eggs, looked for Easter bunny footprints, ate delicious food (I made cheesey potatoes for the first time and they were delicious...the recipe is at the end of this post), blew bubbles, romped around the farm, and celebrated Easter by spending time with family.
The best part about holidays at the farm is that "the boys" are all together. My poor mom has four grandsons....and after being a mom to two daughters, this is definitely a change for her, but one that I know she loves! When all of these cousins get together, you can count on a wild and crazy time, but you can also count on many, many fun memories! I love how much these boys love eachother and I am so thankful that we are close to them in so many ways.
Easter morning is almost as much fun as Christmas in my mind. This year it was especially fun because I had all of my boys with me. And, one of the best parts was that Parker had completely forgotten that the Easter bunny would be coming to our house! When he woke up, I had to remind him about it! We went down to find the Easter baskets and I think the Easter bunny did a great job this year!;)
My favorite part of Easter is our reason for celebration. On Easter Sunday, it has always been our tradition to go to DeSoto and attend the Easter Sunday church service at the DeSoto Baptist Church. Brandon and I are not regular attendees at church, but we do have a church in Ottawa that we go to occasionally. There is something about the DeSoto church that makes us feel home- maybe it's because Brandon attended church there his entire life or maybe it's because that is where we were married...whatever the reason, we enjoy going to DeSoto Baptist church on Easter Sunday.
After church, we USUALLY rush back to DeSoto to eat fast and head to our next Easter celebration, but not this year! We took our time, spending the entire afternoon and evening with our Riffel family. Parker got to play with Morgan and Avery, there was time for an egg hunt, and Andrew got passed around and snuggled with every second of the day. It was an Easter Sunday that made me feel blessed.
This last weekend we had our final Easter celebration! Yes, my kids are going to grow up thinking that holidays last for two weeks....and, I am just fine with that...because it means they have double the fun, double the traditions, and a lot of wonderful family to spend the holidays with! And....the best part...we won't be rushed and stressed everytime it's time to celebrate! Our final Easter celebration was spent in Topeka.
Traditionally, we would go to Topeka on Easter Sunday to visit my grandparents with all of my dad's side of the family- brother, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all of their kids. But, unfortunately, my grandparents are getting older and this is becomming something they can't do anymore. It's just too much for them. So, we went to my dad's house and started a new tradition of hunting for Easter eggs (lucky Parker, it's only him and Andrew, so he is the only one hunting...with lots of help from aunts and uncles, and grandpa and grandma), eating lunch together, and just hanging out! And, don't worry, Andrew got plenty of attention too!
We definitely had fun celebrating Easter this year! Although I was skeptical of missing our family on the actual day of the holiday, I think this is going to work out great for us- a slower version of each holiday! With two boys, life is going to be crazy enough without all of the hustle and bustle of each holiday. We want to take time to enjoy every second of them and make wonderful memories along the way!
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