Easter

Last weekend, I planted some corn in the garden. And a couple rows of carrots. I was prepped and ready to plant more this weekend, but instead we got about a half-foot of snow the day after spring. Everyone (including myself) kept saying, "Oh, it won't last. It'll be gone in a day or so." 

Here we are, Easter day, and we still have snow on the ground. It's been in the 30s all week and overcast. Thankfully, the snow on the gardens has pretty much melted and the sweet little crocuses in the front are out in force.

For the record, they were here last week too--they arrived ON TIME. Spring just decided to ditch them. Lucky for us, they don't care much what Spring thinks.

Mike and I figured we'd at least take advantage of the snow since, really, we haven't had any this winter. Mike has been able to get out to ski three or four times this winter--all in the morning--but I hadn't gotten any. I usually only manage to get in one ski a year anyway, but with the bad snow this year, I kind of figured I wouldn't get any. It was nice to get out, and the full moon looked phenomenal as usual on the fresh snow and the lake water.

Here's a shot Mike took for @_Campfour_ from his early-morning ski after the spring snowfall.

To keep Easter Sunday more sacred, we do our egg hunt on Saturday. Here are the kids waiting in our bedroom until I tell them to come out. The youngest wasn't having it, so we called her stand-in.

Madeleine and Finn jumped to it, obviously. Petya was excited and laughing but really had no idea what was going on. I handed her a basket and showed her an egg behind the piano. She shook it, which was fun, so she shook it some more, and a little more. Finally she put it in her basket and I said, "There's more, P! Look over here!" I pointed into a shoe. Oh, that was fun too! Hiding things in shoes is one of her favorite activities! She took that one out and shook it too.

Saturday morning we had chocolate milk, fruit, and cheese tarts for breakfast. It's a pretty quick meal to get together, really, but nothing is quick when you've got a toddler growing on your front half. Mike took care of her mostly so I could get breakfast going, but he was also trying to get the house to look at least like we try not to live in a slum. Every time he tried setting her down she fussed. So he did what I always do when I'm in that situation: he set her next to Mr. Nuzzle Muzzle. 

The only other being in the house P regularly turns to in even the most critical moments.

We also spent Saturday dying eggs and hanging a paper-flower garland the kids made. Madeleine and I didn't have play rehearsal, so she was able to join Dad and Finn for swim. I even got a good session of writing done at the library. That night I went to the church for a potluck with the Relief Society before Women's Conference (more on that later, hopefully). I came home early though to get a little more work done before the Sabbath. 

Our original Easter plans were to attend sacrament meeting (the first and foremost of three periods of church for Latter-day Saints) and then head to my grandmother's for a family gathering. On Friday I found out my sister and Gram were both sick and my aunt and cousin wouldn't be coming. So we postponed until next weekend, which works perfectly, and we started talking Easter dinner at home. Mike called the missionaries and found out the Elders had nowhere to go, so he arranged to have them come here.

Mike requested pork tacos--a surprising request I thought, since Mike is something of a traditionalist. I asked him today, as he chopped cilantro and I rolled tortillas, why he chose this particular meal. 

"Well," he said, in a way that made me think the next words would be something like, I know you don't love ham, but I'm not wild about lamb, so I was thinking pork, and that took me to tacos--or something like that--but he continued with, *chop, chop, chop* "I think about eating tacos every week anyway, so I just thought we could have them today." 

Truth.

Dinner went well, despite the wonkiness of the carrot cake--it tasted great--but I was lazy last night and didn't flour the pans, so...

Madeleine had the treat tonight (for Family Home Evening), so she helped to make the frosting and decorate it. We didn't have enough frosting to do flowers like she wanted, but she did like the idea of Jackson Pollocking it with food coloring. We topped it with dyed blown eggs and stuck candles in it so we could sing Happy Birthday to Elder Schwartz, who turns 20 tomorrow!

I hope your Easter was fun, like ours was. Mostly though, I hope you and I both remember the significance of the day. Christ the Lord is risen. And because of that, I can be raised from sadness--despair, even. Because of that, I have hope to overcome my sins and find freedom and peace in the Lord forever.

Hallelujah.