Easter morning started out more hectic than usual at our house. We were blessed to have Kyle home, but of course, that meant an extra body fighting for shower time before church. Since Kyle and Sam both play on the praise team, they had to be at church at 7:00 for practice. Most of you know that Kyle plays the keyboard and Sam plays a mean bass guitar. The boys had gone to the car races the night before, so they were really tired from a late night. Our church added an extra service for the Easter crowd and it started at 7:45. Steve and I decided to attend this early service so I could rush home and cook. After much bickering and rushing to get out of the house and to church on time, I was thinking to myself, "This is SO not the kind of day I want for Easter. Is all of this stress and tension really worth it?"
As we arrived at church and started greeting old friends and new, I felt the tension begin to lift and the joy of the day start replacing it. The music started and I am always so very proud to see both of my boys sharing their gifts and committing their time to our church. Our drama team put on the most powerful performance I have ever seen. There were many people wiping their eyes, including yours truly. The message was great and the morning was beyond fabulous.
Next it was back home to cook for a family gathering at my parent's house. I spent the next 3 hours cooking and then had to pack it all up and tote it to my mom and dad's. Again, I found myself asking the question, "Is all of this work really worth it?"
At my parent's house we feasted on turkey with all the trimmings, ham, salads, veggies, rolls, and lots of desserts. It was a beautiful sight! Of course, there was plenty of Easter candy too!
The weather was perfect for enjoying my mom and dad's big yard and the kids decided it was warm enough to play in the sprinkler. They had such a great time. It is impossible to watch kids play and giggle and not feel joy. Then we did the big Easter egg hunt for the kiddos and they spent the rest of the time hiding the eggs for each other. It reminded me of how my brothers and I did the same thing as kids and so did my boys. It was a pleasant memory.
Owww, Rylan gets water in the face!
Kyle reveals the egg he was hiding under his hat!
After all the celebrating, we came home and I challenged my family to an energetic game of Monopoly. Since I threatened to kick some serious Monopoly butt, of course I was the first one eliminated from the game!! It ended up being Kyle that did the butt kicking! (I am not saying he cheated or anything, but he was the banker, so you do the math!)
Later when I reflected on the day, I thought, "Oh,yes, it was definitely worth it. I wouldn't have changed a thing."
