Easter Sunday

I always remember Easter to be a gorgeous, sunny day. All of my childhood memories of Easter are just like that. I'm not sure if all the 30+ Easters were like that, but I guess that's what I chose to remember. There was this one time I remember in particular. I'm sitting on a bench by my apartment building in Russia. It's early in the morning, but the sun is shining so brightly. I'm wearing a white dress, and happily dangling my feet in the air, waiting for my family. People, wearing beautiful dresses, are hurrying by with their families to catch a bus to wherever they were going. I've come down early because I was too excited to stand in the hallway of our apartment waiting for everybody. And all we were doing that day, was going to the cemetery. That was the Easter tradition in Russia (perhaps still is:)). I'm not quite sure what that means, but I remember enjoying myself.

Just as I expected, Easter this year fell on one of those gorgeous days, without a cloud in the sky. Leo was sick all weekend so I stayed home with him, while Greg and Annika went to church with Oma and Opa. Then everybody came home, we had a delicious lunch with yummy ham and let Annika hunt for eggs in the backyard. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting out of that, but the little candy-obsessed lady would pick up an egg and before you could even blink, open it up and stuff its contents into her mouth. 

Now that I think of it, that is exactly what I expected.

All week I was trying to talk to Annika about Jesus and the meaning of Easter. Once she asked me, "Where is Jesus?". After I said "everywhere", she goes, "Wow, that is a lot of where!"

Yes it is, dear, and it is GOOD! 

We are so thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Thankful for the Resurrection and the promise of eternal life. 

Easter 2014, Winn style

It’s been a few days since Easter, but I won't be me if I were posting this on time :)

Easter for us was low-key, but fun nonetheless. Little lady’s cousin Mae was in town Friday before Easter and the 2 girls had a wonderful time egg-hunting in Oma and Opa’s backyard. Saturday morning our park had an Easter egg hunt and we all took Annika to gather some more chocolate. She didn’t get too many, because other parents got in her way. (I’m serious. So many parents were gathering eggs themselves instead of letting their kids do the job. It was a little unsettling to see.) However, Annika had a lot of fun and managed to intimidate the heck out of the Easter bunny.

After the egg hunt we came home and painted eggs. Annika loved it so much, that every single day, at least once, she asks to paint eggs. How do you explain to a two-year-old that we only celebrate Jesus’ resurrection in this very particular way only once a year? (And while we are at it, how would you explain that to me?)

On Sunday we went to Oma and Opa’s church and then had a quiet family lunch all together. And you can call me cheesy, but Annika and I were matchy-matchy. I LOVE matching our outfits, but I try not to do that too much for fear of being weird :)

 

On a serious note, what a blessed occasion! I’m so beyond thankful for Jesus and his sacrifice for us. And I hope to remember it every day and teach my children the same thing. 

Blessings and love,

Lena