happy happy easter

"put on your easter bonnet with all the ribbons on it,

it's time to get ready for the easter parade!"

wait, parade? bonnet? ribbons? for some reason, every easter i get that tune stuck in my head. when i was a wee little girl someone (i think my gramma) gave me a chick that played that song. it's quite catchy. if only i knew the rest of it.

happy easter! what a fun day to celebrate Him! i like to think of all the novelties that go along with easter as the party favors/games. and if you know me, i don't cut corners in the party planning department. it is hard to believe but this was coen's 3rd easter...geesh. let's take a look back.

easter #1 (2009)

easter #2 (2010)

this was our first holiday on the island. it was great to wear a dress and not be freezing. but it was also pretty sad to not have family to share it with. we missed everyone like crazy, especially bella and gianna...no matching outfits this year.

coen had a very handsome easter outfit this year. but i didn't get ONE picture of him in it. luckily we had professional pics taken on the beach the day before and he wore the same outfit. so don't fret, you will see him all dressed up and spiffy soon enough.

on easter eve we dyed a few eggs. less is more at this age. 3 colors, 9 eggs (we had 10, but coen had to eat one while we were waiting). he was totally into it, and satisfied with the simplicity. one of my favorite things he does right now is, his thinking face. when he is really concentrating on something he sticks out his tongue. egg dying is serious business.

that night before he went to bed he left his basket out on the front porch. wes woke up bright and early worrying about how to make the bunny prints. so we got up and got to work. then we got ready for church, and waited for the little bit to wake up.

he had totally forgotten about the basket when he woke up. but it only took a gentle reminder and he was running to the front door yelling, "let's see it! let's see it!"

wes and i had so much fun just watching him navigate through his basket. he carried it into the living room and pulled everything out one by one. i'll tell you, watching the wheels spin in his head is pure joy for me. it was so much fun.

we tried out a new church that morning. i ended up in the nursery with coen, but wes enjoyed himself. someday, this kid will run to his classroom and i will have to remind him to tell me goodbye. however, that's not going to happen any time soon...mama's boy.

after church we went out to lunch, and came home for a nice nap. that evening we had a couple people over (our neighbors, and a co-worker from wes' office). coen had a blast playing with the older kids. i think the only time i actually saw him that night was while we were eating dinner, and he wouldn't even let me sit by him. big kids rock.

what a fun and busy day to celebrate Jesus! i love the simplicity of the easter story when put into the context of a children's book. for weeks we have been reading an easter book to coen, and every time i am reminded at how simple it really is;

"He is risen, He is alive today!"