easter tree

3/30/2016

Settling down with some leftovers from our Easter feasting, enjoying a beautiful Missouri spring thunderstorm that is watering my (hopefully) growing seeds in the garden... I am finally able to look through a few of the Easter photos we took last week.

Easter was a lovely day (despite the windy cold & rain) beginning with a great church service and ending with good fellowship as we hosted Clay's family. We even got a sort of second Easter the next day, visiting with my parents.

Recently I posted about an activity that we have enjoyed doing during Lent. This year for Holy Week I did a better job of implementing the little "Easter tree" I've been slowly putting together over the years. I hung some large plastic eggs on a Manzanita branch and tied a ribbon around each one to label it with the appropriate day.

Each day during Holy Week we opened up one or two eggs and talked about what the little items inside represented. Here is what I used this year:

Day 1: Palm Sunday. Object -- Donkey!

Read Matthew 21: 1-11 (Triumphal Entry)

Day 2: Object -- Picture of the Temple.

Read Matthew 21: 12-17 (Jesus Clears Temple)

Day 3: Object -- Picture of an Oil Lamp.

Read Matthew 25: 1-13 (Parable)

Day 4: Object -- Lamb & Bowl

Read Matthew 26: 17-30 & John 13: 1-17 (Passover Meal & Jesus Washing His Disciples' Feet)

Day 5: Maundy Thursday. Object -- Picture of Olives

Read Matthew 26: 36-56 (Gethsemane & Jesus Arrested)

Day 6: Good Friday. Object -- Coins & Dice.

Read Matthew 26:57 - 27:56 *

(*As much or as little as you'd like.... we actually just went to our church's Good Friday Service which incorporates these passages in responsive reading throughout the service, and the kids enjoyed being involved in that.)

Day 7: Object -- Spices.

Read Matthew 27: 57-66 (Burial of Jesus & Guard at Tomb)

Day 8: Easter! Object -- Empty Egg.

Read Matthew 28

Obviously you could also read the accounts in the other gospels, but I just stuck with Matthew for this year. The kids took turns opening the eggs every day and they were always very excited to see what was inside. The eggs that had pictures rolled up inside are ones that I haven't yet found good items for, but the pictures suffice for now.
If I had been more organized we might have also acted out the stories (kids always love reenactments), but.....perhaps next year....

I also had good intentions of making Lentil Soup & Matzah bread to eat on a blanket on the floor for supper on Maundy Thursday..... but after a busy day at school for the kids, followed by a fun birthday party.... that also didn't happen this year. More ideas to try in the future!

Friday morning we dyed Easter eggs and the kids helped me fill the plastic ones in preparation for hosting their cousins.

Then, finally, it was Easter!

Waking up bright and early so the kids could rifle through their goodie baskets before getting to church early enough for me to play in the prelude. These baskets included new outfits and...... *L*E*G*O*S .... (Turns out you can buy legos by the pound on ebay. This = happy kids.) We also managed to scarf down some Resurrection Rolls and bacon for breakfast. (I mentioned these, and our Resurrection Garden in a previous post.)

Church. Listening to Handel's Messiah.

Trying to get a nice family photo after church. You know how that goes.....