Easter 2011

Let's see if I can do something with this blog.  What better place to pick up than Easter.  

Easter this year was different in many ways.  We as a family prepared differently.  I anticipated it like never before.  It was deeply personal, and Justin was just as excited as we were.

We did the Resurrection Eggs 12 days leading up to Easter Sunday.  Justin loved telling his friends when they came over the entire story leading up to whatever egg we were on.  He always wanted to peak to the next egg, but we would have him wait in anticipation for what was next.

Good Friday was three days after my laproscopy.  I thought I would be jumping around like a little kid.  I was very wrong.  But thankfully Derek was off Friday in order to help out with Jaylen being at our home.  We decided to do an Easter egg hunt.  Jaylen had never done this before, and at one point thought a plastic golf ball was an egg itself.

It was fun watching the boys race around, especially since Jaylen had never done this before.  He was equally surprised that there were treats inside as well.  And he got to take them home - extra bonus!

One of their goodies were cars that changed colors according to the temperature of water they were in.

Justin is always so patient in showing Jaylen how to do certain things that are new to him.

We went inside and talked the real meaning of Easter.  Derek then shot hoops with the boys while granny took a seat on the couch to catch my breath.  Then we let Jaylen paint.

He painted a picture of me - sweet thing!  Jaylen loves me loving all over him - it's good for both of us.  Me bending over in this photo was the temporary position I held for the next 3 days. 

Derek and Justin went to Galveston after taking Jaylen home and I stayed back an extra night by myself.  I went to rent The Passion but instead had to buy it because it was all checked out.  I watched The Passion for the first time in years.  It was horrific - it was moving - it was true.   I cried, I worshiped, I thanked the Lord for His sacrifice.  


The next day I rode up with Shane to Galveston with the rest of the Morby clan.  Valerie is always so great with Justin.  They were just chillin' and looking at the water.

Some of the rest of the bunch sat back and watched the water balloon rally going on in the corner of the yard.

All the cousins in town for the weekend.

Water balloon sling shot.  It happens all the time.  This time the guys were shooting at the same boat as it went in and out of the canal.  On the final lap back, they hit the driver's wife's shoulder, who collapsed to the floor of the boat.  The driver gave a big thumbs down as all the fellas ran for cover with embarrassment.  Let's just say no more water balloons were shot that day.

Easter Sunday - Amy & Justin looked for Easter eggs.  We don't do the bunny at our house (heck, we don't even do Santa), so Derek went to hide the eggs for the big race.

Justin was gracious as an encourager as he would help Amy find eggs versus run and get all of them himself.  He sees the value in having a buddy over doing it solo.  Though this photo might show otherwise.

I love this photo for many reasons.  We are all in purple, casual for the service we were about to attend, and I could barely stand up to take this photo.  We go to a Presbyterian church down the road at Pirates Beach.  I knew a 1/3 of the church attenders from Houston for some reason or another.  They had a new pastor, new music director, and a sense of the Holy Spirit running through the revamped choir.  Justin liked sitting up close and hearing the choir really sing.

Me and Aim.

Michaelis meal.  So we made some tomato noodles and breaded pork tenderloin and had Shane over for dinner.  Then we pulled out the cascarones.

Never can get enough of these things.

One of the ways we prepared as family for Easter was this from Ann Voskamp's blog.  It was short, to the point, and made you stop and linger on the Word.  I loved it, and we used it as a family devotional every night.

I read about Reliving the Passion  on Sit for a Spell.  This book changed me.  It took the book of Mark and used the the first person as if you were there during the last week of Jesus' life.  There were 40 days, all for the length of Lent, and hands down I will read this every year in preparing my heart for Easter.  For His Sacrifice, for His Resurrection.





This Easter this year was different for me.  I want to be purposeful like this in the future.  It's not about giving up chocolate for a brief time in your life.  It's about being forever changed and forever grateful for the life I could have lived in exchange for the one I have now.