Like, did everyone always take family pictures on Easter and post them on Facebook?
Maybe they did, or maybe my noticing all the photos of kids in pretty clothes and monogrammed Easter baskets says something about my subconscious I can't put a finger on yet...
Anyway, I loved it. Fresh, current photos of all my favorite people, smiling, happy... or at least almost everyone -- some kids just aren't into that family photo and it cracks me up.
This was our first Easter in Albania and we didn't really know what kind of traditions to start. We knew we'd be overnighting in the village and making a hike in the morning for the Easter re-enactment that would end with a cookout in a pasture so our "Sunday best outfits" didn't seem quite right.
We had been preparing the kids for the previous ten days opening resurrection eggs each night as part of bed-time devos. The first night Reni memorized (from the photo on the box) which objects were in each colored egg and was proud of not being surprised, which apparently more fun to him than being surprised?
Ellie has been pre-occupied with Good Friday and Easter for the past couple of years. This year we had a lot of questions about why we call it "Good" Friday. In the end she repeated to herself that Jesus died once and He will never have to die again. And a new concept to her was that he didn't have to die, but he CHOSE obedience to his Father out of his great love for the Father and for us. Ellie has such a sweet and tender heart. What a privilege to nurture and cultivate it.
Plastic eggs, peeps, cadbury eggs, egg-dying kits, jelly beans... well, they're not here yet, much less Easter baskets, but thankfully friends and family set us up well with love from the States to carry over some of the sweetness the kids remember from past years. It wasn't nearly the same as doing an egg hunt in Ohio or Illinois with one of the sets of grandparents, but it was something familiar. Of course it's not what we emphasize about Easter but a little bit of fun which I think we enjoy as much as the kids!
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| Reni is at that stage where he thinks it's hilarious to cross his eyes... |
I didn't think to get a family photo of us because, you know, we're 6-7 hours ahead of the States and all those photos hadn't yet flooded my newsfeed. Maybe next year!
To see the more meaningful part of our Easter day, click here to read Sunday evening's post.
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