Happy Easter 2014

Happy Easter 2014
Shorel & Sandra
Senna (1), Selah (3), Sianna (4), Schäfer (7)

Yesterday, I put in a grave effort for an easy and relaxing Easter morning.

Yesterday, I…
laid out clothing for 6 people
stuffed 120 plastic eggs
prepared gifts for 4 children
deviled 12 eggs
made German potato salad
gathered the craft supplies for Sunday school
printed out the coloring pages
had Schäfer and Sianna sort the mosaic tiles for the craft
sharpened all the coloring pencils
grabbed the crayons
packed The Easter Story book
baked muffins for breakfast.

I literally did everything I could think of so that this morning, all we had to do was enjoy breakfast, dress, and spend some time in family devotion.

But this morning was CRAZY.

Hubs and the kids scarfed down the banana crumb muffins while proclaiming that they were a great muffin. Then, Hubs had to go to the market to get fruit for the watermelon fruit bowl but before he left he dressed Selah in her favorite white dress with pink flowers.

Then, I got Senna dressed. Selah and Senna played together in the crib while I got dressed. Next was Schäfer who was excited about wearing his new belt. Finally, Sianna needed her hair washed because it was in braids and she wanted to wear her hair down.

Thankfully, Selah and Sianna were pleased with their dresses (all hand-me-downs) so there was no fighting over who was going to wear what.

Our Sunday morning ride normally picks us up at 9:45am, but today he needed to come at 9:15 so we threw the fruit in a sack, grabbed all the Sunday School supplies, pot luck supplies, diaper bag, and my purse (just in case) and headed out the door.

No family devotion.

No Easter treats were passed out to the kids.

But that was OK. Everyone was dressed and ready.

Our time in fellowship this morning was rich and I think the kids enjoyed the Sunday School time. One thing is for sure, those kids know the reason we have Easter!

Our potluck was delicious. We had cured ham, broccoli salad, asparagus, rolls, German potato salad, deviled eggs, and watermelon fruit bowl. The real show stopper was the bucket of ice snagged from a nearby restaurant. Ice is a rare commodity in China.

After our meal, we headed down to a local park where we enjoyed chocolate cake and the egg hunt. Since our kids ages are varied, we decided to have one hunt, but each kid could only collect 15 eggs. (120 / 8 kids) The hunt was a great success. There was much trading of candy and stickers afterwards.

We returned home around 3pm and Senna was a mess. She had only slept for 30 minutes in the early afternoon and it had caught up with her. We managed to keep her awake long enough to give the kids a small Easter gift. The kids played with their new toys while Senna napped. I quietly made my way around the house trying to pick things up from The Invisible Tornado that swept through this morning.

Tonight, the kids begged me to watch a Buck Denver DVD. Schäfer really wanted to watch The Book of Acts so we let him. After such a busy day, everyone needed a little chill time – especially Mommy.

Today was especially sweet as we enjoyed our very first Easter as SK6.

Last year, Senna was still in my tummy and I kept pondering that scene in Steel Magnolias where Annelle goes into labor during the Easter Egg hunt and her husband, who is wearing a bunny suit, whisks her to the hospital on a motorcycle. Senna was born just 5 days after Easter last year. It is such a joy to have her here to celebrate with us now.