Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter!!! May your day be filled with joy as we celebrate our Lord's gift of Life!

We attempted to make Resurrection cookies last night. Read the Easter story and made the batter together, which the boys enjoyed. Unfortunately I don't think I had the beater on high enough, so the eggs didn't meringue. The cookies were flat this morning instead of puffy and hollow. We'll try again next year...

The boys have dug into their "Easter buckets" already this morning. Now they're watching the Veggie Tales Easter Carol. Instead of baskets I got them new sand pails from the dollar store, stuffed with new bathing trunks and swim goggles. I found chocolate crosses at the dollar store, too! And my neighbor gave me the following poem to explain the meaning of all the colors of jelly beans -- so I tucked in a copy with a bag of beans and read it to the boys as they looked through their bucket.

"Red is for the blood He gave.
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for His sun so bright.
Orange is for the edge of night.
Black is for the sins we made.
White is for the Grace He gave.
Purple is for His hours of sorrow.
Pink is for a new tomorrow.

A bag of jelly beans,
So colorful and sweet,
Is a prayer, is a promise,
And an Easter treat."

Church starts a little later today, so we'll have plenty of time for breakfast with my parents. Then we'll go to their house this afternoon for an egg hunt and barbecue with the extended family.

UberDad goes back to work tomorrow after a week of vacation. It's been so nice having him home. We took the boys to see "Ice Age: the Meltdown," and they loved it. We still have lots to do to prepare the house for the new baby, but the backyard looks a lot better. I have to get some more photos up on flickr after today's celebration.

Wishing you have a beautiful and blessed Easter!!