♥ Vanessa's Blog ♣: Easter weekend!

I love Easter weekend. We survived, and it was wonderful!

Eggs + glitter + dye + vinegar + lil' love = pretty eggs :)

Easter weekend when you have children is a smaller version of Christmas. There are so many fun things to do, and (sigh) so many things to do to get ready for it. The true meaning of the weekend of course is celebrating Christ and the Resurrection. We did that at Grace church this morning with an AWESOME sermon by Dave Rodriguez. Our church is nothing short of amazing. We all genuinely (except Ian, who we are working on) like going. Dave is our favorite pastor so I always get excited when I see his name in the program. Today was so intense; so amazing it just took your breath away. Audrey and I both cried, and we are not really the crying type. Dave preached to the skeptics today, and the saved, and there was something for everyone. When he said, "Let's raise the ROOF off of this place with our praise!" we genuinely did. It gave me goose bumps and Christ was very much alive there today.

I loved everything about this weekend. It was EXHAUSTING - do not get me wrong: up til 3 am Friday night, and 2 am Saturday night. I am an extreme perfectionist and everything has to be perfect for the children. I want the experience of Easter - all of it, and I am prepared to nearly kill myself to achieve it. But when we are all together and everyone is having fun and in sync, I push through the tiredness and am in the moment with my little family. In these moments, I feel happy and warm and content inside, all rainbowy and very full of love.

Saturday, Ian coached his first soccer game for Olivia's team (he was filling in for her step dad; Ian nor I have ANY CLUE about soccer.) We SO have no idea about anything to do with this sport; it was hilarious. We are intense about our sports, just not THIS sport. We did not know 1.) how many players were to be on the field? 2.) if the kids played both offense and defense? or 3.) anything else really at all. Ian read the manual 10 minutes before we left. Thank goodness they are 8, and no one really cares, and we are all just glad that they are getting fresh air and exercise.

After soccer, we Easter-egg-hunted! This was Lauren's first Easter egg hunt. I don't really remember doing this as a kid, but I'm sure that we did. (Suddenly when you have kids, every Tom Dick and Harry is asking you if the kids have hunted Easter eggs. You catch on VERY FAST that this is Something The Children Must Experience.) So...we hunted. Literally about 500 kids lined up at a starting line and then set off and the whole thing takes about 5 minutes. My competitive spirit kicked in instantly and I'm furiously pointing to little Punky every egg I can see for a mile. She was very excited, but only occasionally felt the need to pick up an actual egg. That is OK. She was happy, and at age 2, I am OK if she is still more interested in smelling the flowers than getting the most eggs. (I am curious to know what she was thinking about this weekend; it's all centered around bunnies and eggs and candy. And God, but she cannot conceptualize Him at this point. Bizarre.)

Get that egg child!!

Saturday night I obsessed over the children's Easter egg displays until the wee hours. Give a girly, Type A mother several colors of eggs, grass and basket stuffers and you have got a situation on your hands. (There was also an awkward point at which I had Lauren's bunny ears and Ian suggested that I, uh hum, wear these ears, and he was not thinking Easter bunny - more Playboy bunny. I pondered this for about .5 seconds. Why are you even thinking that I would do this? Obviously I would not!) I have to drink wine during the basket stuffing process. I become OBSESSED that it must be a beautiful, breathtaking display of Easter goodness!! The children will run down and be overcome with Easter joy!! Tears of joy will run down their faces!

For Audrey - at age 12 you are allowed to make suggestions to the Easter bunny - Delia's and Twix

Olivia's Loot - a Justin Bieber Love Fest

Punky's spread - I ♥ that Barbie family!! And...those ears...awkward, I know. SO did not happen, stop thinking about it!!

Of course, this never actually happens but I still obsess, and I love the whole process. Easter was a little more lean a couple of years ago, so I undoubtedly spoiled the children this year and I don't really care. I ♥ Easter, bunnies, lip gloss, peeps and all of the paraphernalia that this weekend brings!! Ian is more into Klaus, and I really get into Easter. I think it's the pastels?

Anywhoo, I love my girls. I love spoiling them. I love staying up late, cuddling in bed in the middle of the day, watching the Sound of Music, and watching them all play together. I love Easter dinner with Ian's family. I love Ian, and this weekend was our 3 year anniversary. There are moments when I am so chock full of love that I think I might explode into little pieces of glittery, happy, chocolaty pieces.