Andrew hadn't had a chance to see the EB yet, so one evening when we were with my mom we took them to a different mall so I could attempt to get a picture of both of them. Kerigan's face here makes me laugh. She seemed happy and excited to see him this time!
But she wouldn't go without tears again! So Andrew went first.
She cracks me up because she just acts so terrified, but then 3 seconds later she smiles.
This bunny was so much more fun than the other one we saw! They let us hang out for as long as we wanted (no one else was in line!) and take as many pictures as we wanted. I even took video of EB and Andrew dancing!
For the first time though, Andrew told me when we were in the car "Mom, the Easter Bunny is a real person, right?" I asked him what made him say that and he said that he saw his neck when they were dancing- ha! He never questioned how his Easter baskets get filled though, so I just went with it and told him that he must have been a "helper."
Side note: I realize that the EB is not what Easter is all about. And my kids know that too (well, Andrew does, and we are working on Kerigan, but she's only 2!) If you ask Andrew what Easter is about he will tell you Jesus. While I think there is a delicate balance to the holidays and why we celebrate them, I also believe that they are kids. They enjoy the fun, and the magic of the holidays, too. And let's face it, they are only this young for so long... Andrew is only 7 and he's already questioning the reality of the EB. These years have just flown by and I'm not ready for them to be over yet! I enjoy creating the magic for my kids! So yes, we do read the Easter story, we know about the empty tomb, and we praise Jesus... but we also do the Easter Bunny. Because it's just fun!
The Easter Bunny fills one basket for the kids. We leave them out before we go to Grandmas, and when we get home he has been there. Our EB doesn't bring candy. They get enough of that from grandma! He brings useful things, sometimes for the summer, and also a couple of toys the kids have asked him for. We have to buy them swim suits and towels anyway... so why not throw them in the baskets?!
Before heading to grandma's on Saturday, we stopped at church for a pancake breakfast and egg hunt! Andrew was so excited his good friend from school, Eli, was there too!
After pancakes, we went to the sanctuary to wait for a puppet show! Whoever came up with the idea of putting buckets on their heads? Ha!
The puppet show was put on by the youth groups and they did a great job!
Kerigan and her sweet little friend Avery.
They had so much fun searching for eggs!
Andrew was in a different area with the big kids but he caught up with us at the end! The kids got to trade their eggs in for a huge bag of candy!
When we got to grandma's, Evie and Jayden were already there, and Jayden was so excited to see Andrew that the boys grabbed our bag of toys and headed straight to the basement! So the nerf gun wars began!! Ha!
After a little playing, grandma got out some little cakes she had made for the kids to decorate. They had so much fun with this!
Kerigan wasn't too sure about the frosting! Ha!
Andrew was all proud of the big yellow blob of frosting on his!
Kerigan just went after hers as fast as she could! I think she was the only one who ate it all! She loves cake!
Having fun decorating with grandma!
After our decorating, we all went outside to enjoy the nice weather. Grandpa had some trees to plant so Uncle Jay, Aunt Rachel and daddy helped with that and I kept an eye on the kids!
This was so funny, Kerigan was over talking to Aunt Rachel and I heard her tell Kerigan to go give something to her mom... Kerigan comes running over to me with a worm! Ha!
Rachel is always teasing me and saying that Kerigan is going to be a tomboy! I refuse to let that happen! Ha!
Although she also had fun playing catch with Evie's glove! I always say Kerigan is a girly girl who also loves to play outside and doesn't mind getting dirty! But she'd do it all in a princess dress and heels if I'd let her! Ha!
The boys enjoyed the rock pile as they always do! They've played on this rock pile since they were practically babies!
Best buddies!
Kerigan climbed up for the first time!
She was so thrilled to get to ride on the mower with grandpa!
More fun outside! It was such a nice day! Just a little windy. But it was so nice to get outside for a while.
After we came in, grandma had the egg decorating all set up! The kids couldn't wait!
Andrew drew Skylanders on his- of course!
Posing with her egg
The next morning it was raining, which was a huge bummer because it started after the bunny had already hidden the eggs in the yard! The kids didn't mind! They headed out in their pajamas and rain gear and had their first ever egg hunt in the rain!
It worked perfectly!
First ever Easter egg hunt with an umbrella in tow! The kids loved it!
They loved coming in and opening their eggs to check out their stash!
Then we got ready for church. I love this picture of Andrew and Grandpa!
Making herself comfy at church- ha! I wait as long as I can before bringing out the iPads, but she was getting antsy! At our church, the kids have Sunday School during our service so they aren't as used to sitting through it. But they both did really well!
Sweet girl folding her hands to pray. This is what Easter is all about. Grandpa and Grandma made the weekend so much fun and had lots of things planned for the kids to do! But this is the most important thing we did.
And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised Him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to His name.
Romans 1: 4-5
