Easter

I think yesterday's class was my favorite of all time with my cute little 4-year-olds at church.

Because it was Easter Sunday I was teaching them about the real meaning of Easter with the help of a sock puppet, a glove and some plastic eggs.

We had about 10 minutes left when I came to the part where I taught them about the resurrection of Jesus. Super C raised his hand and said, "Wait one minute. Go back. Say that big woyd again. Wes-a-what?"

"Resurrection?" I asked.

"Yeah, wes-a-wec-tion. Now, what does that woyd mean again?"

"It means Jesus died and then he lived again."

I showed the class a picture of Jesus after he was resurrected. "Here he is after he was resurrected. We know he was already crucified because you can see the scars on his hands from the nails. See?" I asked, pointing. They all took a closer look.

"He died and then he lived?" Super C asked. "And we aw gonna do that, too?"

"Exactly."

"And he died fo us? So we could live fo-ev-o? Even if we make mistakes?"

"That's right, Super C. That's why we celebrate Easter. "

"So East-o is to wemem-bo Jesus died fo us? It's not just fo East-o baskets and candy?" he asked, incredulous.

"Yup. There's a lot more to it than Easter baskets and candy," I answered.

"Oh my heck!" he exclaimed, standing. "How come I nev-o knew any of this stuff be-fo-ah?"

And then, turning to the rest of the class he loudly stated, "East-o is all about Jesus, guys! Can you be-weave it?!"


These are the days that make being a teacher completely worth it.

Our Own Easter Miracles!

First and foremost, two small miracles happened this week with our little Towhead.

1. He is fully potty-trained!
2. He attended his church Primary class on Sunday without a family member in tow!

These may sound like no big deal, but they are monumental around here. Just those two things would have been enough to make my weekend wonderful, but...wait! There's more.

On Saturday we spent the afternoon with Allen's side of the family, enjoying what is becoming an annual tradition: a picnic lunch and Easter egg hunt at a local park. There was a good crowd in attendance and plastic, candy-filled eggs a-plenty. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera for this. But don't despair! I remembered my camera for the dinner on Easter Sunday with my side of the family, at Chip and Becky's. One of my favorite things about family get-togethers is this:Cousin time! I only really knew one of my cousins growing up - that includes both sides of the family - so I love when my kids get to spend quality time with their cousins. Another thing I love is that I don't have to make the dinner - that is my brother Chip's department. (He is really good at cutting things.)
I usually get to bring some small addition to the dinner, like my almost-famous homemade rolls. This time I brought my sugar cookies for dessert, which, at the risk of sounding vain, I think rival the local bakeries'.

You can ignore the jellybeans and robin's eggs (fancy name for colored Whoppers). I used them for decoration to get them out of my house. Hey, kids like 'em! (as do adults with no taste for finer Easter treats like mini Snickers and Dove chocolate eggs.) One of my absolute favorite things about getting together with family is that Allen helps with clean up while I sit and chat. When we were married we became one, so it's kind of like I'm doing dishes, too.

Right?