Easter

This was my first holiday where I had extensive responsibilities. Mom was always the one to make a big deal out of the holidays. It was a little out of the ordinary beyond Mom not being there.

On Friday night, the email server at Crown stopped working. Nathan went in and worked until 11:30. On Saturday morning, we all headed to Cottage Grove. Nathan dropped us off and then he drove back to Crown and worked until 11:30. Meanwhile, Dad, Brian, the kids and I made do. Dad had picked up the groceries we needed so I did a little prep work so Sunday morning would go smoothly. Ethan and I colored Easter eggs in the afternoon. He participated for a little while until he got bored.

After the kids were bathed and in bed, I put together Easter baskets! Mom would have prepared some baskets of her own. She always did something to make these sorts of days special. The baskets were ready to go so I prepared Monkey Bread for the morning. Dad had no idea what I was making so he picked up cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I explained to him that they wouldn't be necessary so I think he may save them for when the kids are back over there later this week. It wasn't a very restful night because Audrey woke up about 3 times needing her pacifier or just adjusting to a different place. When she woke up at 5:00, I took her to bed with me to get another hour of sleep.

Sunday morning included an easter egg hunt. Dad had put together some little plastic eggs with candy in them. I was very proud of Dad. He picked out treats for everyone. I remember Dad being in charge of a holiday once before and I wasn't impressed! This time, it really was touching. He actually thought to do that on his own. That's a big deal!

After getting everyone fed and dressed, I loaded the kids into the car and we drove to Hastings to pick up my Grandma. We all went to church together. Nathan was still at home and was back at work by 6:30 on Sunday morning. He worked until heading to church in Waconia to run the lyrics. Once the service was over, he drove to C.G. to join us for lunch. He arrived just in time to help with the final lunch preparations.

We ate lunch, laid the kids down for a late nap and I let everyone else clean up. The lack of sleep was catching up with me. Once the kids woke up, we gathered up all our stuff and headed home. We had supper, tucked the kids in and Nathan went back to work until midnight.

I'm just starting to fully realize all the things mom did to make life easier for all of us. And she enjoyed all of it and it was her way of showing how much she loved us. I wonder what the Easter celebration is like in Heaven.

So, it was a crazy weekend. We're tired! Only 3 days until we fly to Georgia!