Easter Sunday

The Easter bunny was very good to Lee and Buzz this year. Lee insisted that Wade have a basket too, but we told him that the EB only fills the basket when you're here. So Mommy and Daddy put a couple of prizes in Wade's so it wouldn't be empty. It was enough to satisfy Lee.

The EB must have picked up on Lee's new love of all things Star Wars, because he got an assortment of SW goods, including underwear, band-aids and swim trunks.

The swim trunks were his favorite, because he insists that he is going to teach Wade to swim this summer. Luckily the EB chose some educational and practical gifts too. Lee loves getting books, and when given the chance to choose a few of his new things to take with him this week, he chose mostly books and workbooks.

This is after church in his Easter attire. Who said shopping for boys is no fun? I had a blast picking out his clothes, and I'm already anticipating what both boys will wear next year.

We had family pictures made over the weekend, and Lee became quite the little poser. So today, it was almost effortless to get him to take pictures for me. If only it would last....

Here is our last family picture with(ab)out Wade!

While I love, love, love all things Easter, including the Bunny, egg hunts, new clothes, family pictures and Easter baskets, I love the meaning even more. It is my very favorite holiday for SO many reasons, but what I love most that it is the most important day in the lives of Christians. I realize that this is the only Sunday out of the year that some people attend church, and it is no accident that this story of love is the ONE they will hear. This year has been especially wonderful for me. First of all, when we learned that Wade's birthday would be the day after Easter, I thought it was so special and symbolic of God's goodness and blessings on us. Next, Lee has been showing a remarkable interest in the Bible and its teachings lately. At school and Sunday School, when they began talking about the season of Lent, Lee was immediately intrigued. We followed up with our devotions at home focused on Easter. I can't begin to describe what a blessing it has been watching him learn the story of the death and resurrection. He has been full of questions and is showing an understanding that is beyond what we could have imagined for him at this age. The other night, he told me that he didn't want to go to Heaven, because it was dark, smelly, and the people were always sad there. After asking him a few questions, I realized he thought Heaven was like a funeral home. We talked about how Heaven is the exact opposite of that, and I explained in the best way I knew how to a 4 year old how wonderful Heaven is. By the end of our conversation, he was excited and wanted to know more. It was well past his bedtime at this point, so I assured him we would talk about it again. The next day, he wanted me to find and read to him from the Bible all about Heaven. So, going to church and hearing the Resurrection story with my family this morning has never had more meaning to me. It was as if I was hearing it for the first time. The music was especially meaningful, and the message was loud and clear. My heart was about to about to explode by the end of the service. Then, for the icing on my cake, some friends' daughter all but ran down the aisle and made her profession of faith. She is 8, and she had been waiting all week to make her decision public. What a day! What a Savior! And of all days, I went to church without a tissue anywhere in sight. I was so thankful (as well as the girl next to me) that the song director did not instruct us to hold hands as we sang at the end of the service. I was a complete mess.