Easter 2016

Our Easter Celebration always begins with our traditional Seder the Sunday or before Easter. I love the Seder because it is a very special way to remember our Savior as we begin Holy Week.  Plus, I think of all our family traditions, the kids adore the Seder most of all, which makes my heart very happy. This year we were all sick but we forged on anyway, albeit in pajamas and with wild hair. For detailed instructions about how to host an Easter Seder visit our Seders past, HERE or HERE!

We only made time for one Spring/Easter craft (this whole working thing has really cramped my style), but I think it is adorable.

The Saturday night before Easter around 9;30, just after everyone had showered and gotten ready for bed, Harley reminded us we desperately needed to color eggs and since she is in charge, that's what we did!

Sunday morning the Easter Bunny came and I tortured the children by making them take pictures in their Easter finery, before partaking of our Easter feast, which for some reason, always consists of a  supermarket cake.  This year's was particularly precious!

 

Fifteen-Minute Farmers

A couple of weeks ago I had a genius idea. We were going to raise chickens.  We were going to buy some baby chicks for Easter. The kids were going to be small-time farmers and we were never going to buy another egg again.  Granted we live in the suburbs of a big city, in a neighborhood with an HOA, and in a community that doesn't allow farm animals within its city limits. But, since when did a few little laws stop us from doing what we wanted. No wonder the kids scoff at my rules. I am such a fine example of obedience.  I ordered the chicks online from a local farm, because these days even chicken farmers accept Paypal.  Today they were ready for us to pick them up. Scott was not thrilled about the prospect of chicken farming, but he didn't say much to stop us from following through with our plans. Maybe he could foresee just how short our experiment would be. We had a great day at the farm.  The weather was warm, the allergies were controllable, and we were on the cusp of making big on our dreams of an Egg Empire.  

After playing for a couple of hours. We were ready to take posession of our chicks.  Names were quickly given to our four fluffy friends-Flick (as in Chick Flick), Nugget (as in Chicken Nugget), Hot (as in Hot Chick), and Joe Flacco because Nash has a one-track mind.  Little did we know how prophetic the names Hot and Nugget would prove to be in just a few short hours.  The woman at the farm kept stressing how much the chicks needed a heat lamp, even if we were keeping them indoors.  I kept thinking, "I got it! I got it!"  But, maybe I should have asked a few more questions.  I put our shoebox of baby chickens on the front seat with the seat warmer on high. We made a quick stop at the farm supply store for a heat lamp and some chicken wire before we headed home.  The kids were so excited to get to know Flick, Hot, Nugget and Joe.  I let them play with them for a couple of minutes when we arrived home.  It was love at first hold.

We gently dumped them in a bucket with the heat lamp plugged in above their fuzzy little chicken heads. I gave Nash and Harley explicit instructions to keep them safe from what I assumed would be their greatest threat, the cat.  Atley and I headed outside to nail some chicken wire to the kid's playhouse which was going to serve as our brand new chicken coop. We had been outside for about 5 minutes when Nash peeked his head out and said, "The chicks aren't moving too much anymore."  My reply, "They are probably just tired and stressed out from their journey. Go protect them!"  Two more minutes pass and Nash was back outside. "Mom, I think something is wrong with our chickens."  My reply, "Well, maybe unplug the heat lamp.  They might be getting too warm."  Two minutes later, I hear Scott's truck pull into the garage.  I was a little anxious to see/hear his reaction when he saw the baby chicks but nothing could have prepared me for what he said.  I could see him approaching the Bucket of Chicken through the kitchen window and I saw him back away from them fairly quickly.  He came out the back door and said, "Why do we have a bucket of dead chicks on our kitchen table?"  My reply, "Oh, my gosh! Enough. They are not dead.  They are just exhausted."  Nash's reply, "No, mom. I think they really are dead.  They even kind of smell cooked."  My reply, (yes, I am great at denial)  "Whatever! Bring me the bucket. Their house is almost ready anyway."  Nash brought me a bucket of dead chicken and not the Kentucky Fried kind of bucket of dead chicken. The cooked-with-all-their-feathers-under-a-heat-lamp bucket of dead chicken.  Actually, that might be the same thing.  Anyway, our Egg Empire is history and the kids were only farmers for 15 minutes.  They learned a lot about life and death and I learned that heat lamps have various watts for varying conditions.  

If you happen by our house and wonder what the little white cross in our back yard represents, it is the burial site of four beloved chickens, who lived hard and died young.  Harley has been drawing pictures of them for the past few hours.  Assuring us she has to do it now, before she completely forgets what they looked like.  It is all rather heartbreaking.

Circus Freaks

I hate posting pictures that I have taken with my iPhone, but my camera is broken and even though it is killing me, life goes on and life must be recorded even if it is recorded with grainy, unfocused pictures. First world problems, right?  It's a good thing my birthday is right around the corner. Isn't it Mom and Husband? 

Anyway, last weekend we woke up with one of only a handful of Saturdays where there was nothing scheduled, nothing planned and nothing to do.  PANIC!  I suggested we head to the mall for the annual Easter Egg Hunt.  The children, Nash especially, reluctantly grabbed their Easter Baskets with grumbles and came along.

A section of the mall had been cordoned off and the floor was covered with what looked like close to a thousand plastic Easter Eggs and there were kids everywhere, just waiting for the ropes to drop and the drama to begin.  The Butler children put on their game faces and quickly came up with an egg retrieving strategy.  I am proud to say they did an incredible job filling their baskets, their shirts, their pants, and their mouths. After they had all the eggs they could carry we found a place in the always crowded mall to examine the spoils.  Hidden in the eggs, almost miraculously to the children we discovered exactly 5 tickets to the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus.  What luck!  I knew the circus was coming to town and decided to check my phone on the exact dates.  Well, it was already in town and happening in 2 hours.  We rushed downtown to the Verizon Center and secured our seats and even got to enjoy the pre-show where Harley was made part of the clown's act and we got up-close and personal with the elephants.

It was a surprising turn of events in what we were afraid would be another cold and possibly boring Saturday!

Easter Seder

The first time I participated in an Easter Seder was several years ago when a lovely and talented lady I know, planned one for the women at my church.  She explains it in great and eloquent detail HERE or HERE on her blog.  The following is my attempt to recreate that lovely evening for my family.

Before we began I gathered my family in the living room. I had them remove their shoes and I explained to them that a Seder is the name used for the ceremonial feast eaten by Jews to celebrate Passover.  We discussed that in this feast Jewish people eat food that symbolizes the time in their history when the Hebrews were the slaves of the Egyptians and how the Lord delivered them.  Each food eaten during the Seder is eaten in a special order with a special meaning.  I further explained that we do not eat the Passover Feast because we are Christians. I told them we were going to eat a similar feast but our food would be depicting the last week of the Savior's life and  it would be called an Easter Seder. Everyone was instructed to move to the dining room but not to touch anything on the table until they received special instruction.

Above are the items that were served at our Seder and the items needed to complete the feast.  Below are the steps to complete the Easter Seder. I wrote out and laminated each step so that we could reuse them each year.  

1. Palm Sunday
Discussion of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a Donkey where he was met like royalty.  The people threw palm leaves on the ground in his path.  Everyone throws their palm leaf on the ground and eats their heart of palm.
2. Monday
Jesus curses the fig tree for not bringing forth good fruit. This is to remind us to do good works and repent or we too will wither and die.  Everyone eats the fig. (FIG NEWTON)
3. Monday
Jesus cleanses the temple by throwing out the money changers. (Mark 11:17)  Everyone throws a coin over their shoulder.
4. Tuesday
Jesus teaches a sermon on the Mount of Olives. He teaches the 1st and 2nd great commandments. (Mark 12:30-31)  Everyone eats their olives.
5. Tuesday
 A woman anoints Jesus with an expensive ointment or oil.  She is mocked by Jesus's disciples who believe she should have sold the oil to give money to the poor, but Jesus explains that she has done a good work by preparing his body for burial.  Everyone dips a piece of unleavened/pita bread in oil and eats it.
6. Thursday
Jesus eats the Passover in Jerusalem.  As part of the Passover Seder Jesus would have eaten Haroset with Bitter Herbs and Unleavened Bread.  The haroset was a representation of the brick and mortar that the Hebrews had to build for the Egyptians.  Everyone eats the Haroset with Bitter Herbs (Horseradish) spread on their Unleavened Bread (Matzoh Cracker). Bitter Herbs and Unleavened Bread were the two items the Lord asked the Hebrews to eat when the destroying angel was killing all the first born in Egypt.
7. Thursday
 Jesus blessed and broke the bread. He told His disciples to eat in remembrance of His body. Everyone eats a piece of pita bread.
8. Thursday
Jesus blesses the wine and gives it to His disciples to drink in remembrance of his blood which is shed for all.  Everyone drinks the grape juice.
9. Thursday 
After dinner Jesus washes the feet of His apostles.  He taught that he also cleansed them of their sins.  (John 13:14-15) Everyone takes turns washing one another's feet.

10. Thursday Late

  Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  (Luke 22:4)  He drank of the bitter cup as he suffered for the sins and pain of all mankind. Everyone drinks the bitter cup of cranberry juice.
11.  Friday Morning 
Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken prisoner.  His disciple Peter betrays Him three times before the Cock Crows Friday morning, just as Jesus had prophesied.  When Peter heard the Cock Crow that morning he realized what he had done and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75)  Everyone dips a piece of chicken in salt water and eats it.
12. Friday
Jesus is turned over to Pontius Pilate.  Pilate found him to be an innocent man but the Jews insisted He be crucified.  Pilate washes his hands before the multitudes saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person. (Matthew 27:24, 26)  Everyone washes their hands.
13.Friday Afternoon
 Jesus is beaten and given a crown of thorns.  They take Him to Golgotha and crucify him between two thieves.  Jesus cries to His Father in Heaven, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 13:24)  One of the guards gives Jesus a sponge dipped in Vinegar to quench His thirst.  After he drank the vinegar He bowed His head and allowed Himself to die. (John 19:30)  Everyone dips a piece of bread in vinegar and eats it.
14. Friday Evening 
When Jesus died the veil of the temple was rent in twain.  Everyone tears a piece of cloth in half from top to bottom.
15. Saturday
 Jesus was removed from the cross and His body was laid in a the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea.  Everyone keeps silent for one minute.
16. Sunday Morning
Mary Magdelene visits the tomb. She brought with her sweet spices that she might anoint His body. (Mark 16:1)  Angels told Mary that the Lord was Risen. (Luke 24: 5-6)  Everyone eats a piece of risen bread with sweet spices. We used a cinnamon roll.

It might require some preparation but this was such a special experience for our family. The kids were reverent and patient and I think that they not only felt the Spirit but learned more about their Savior.

Happy Easter Day!

 This is as good as it got with the Easter Pictures this year!  I guess it captures their personalities.  I read somewhere that pictures of the family getting ready for church was a must.  I valiantly attempted to take pictures of the boys straightening their ties and their dad combing their hair.  But, I was mostly unsuccessful.  First, they found out Harley was wearing a hat to church so all three of them immediately donned fedora's or misshapen Pharrell Cowboy Hats just to tease me.  Anyway, it was a lovely Easter and I feel a deeper gratitude to my Savior for his Atoning sacrifice for me and each member of my family. Because of him I can repent and be forgiven and I have the opportunity to live again after death. By the way, if anyone needs me tomorrow I will be in a sugar detox facility at an undisclosed location.  Curse you Reese's Eggs and Peanut Butter M&M's!

We Thought We Were Going to Dye...

but I forgot to buy the necessary supplies so we decided to use crayons to decorate our Easter Eggs this year. It was actually really cool. We used hot eggs-right out of the boiling water and the crayon wax melted onto the eggs quite beautifully. Plus the kids got to be much more creative than just holding their egg in different colored water.  We got a Star Wars Jawa Egg and a Chick Hatching/Princess Leia Angry Bird Egg. 

1, 2, 3, 4, I Declare a PEEP War

'Tis the season where Peep's abound everywhere.  Harley is obsessed with Peep's.  In fact, she loves them so much that on our most recent trip to NYC she chose to get a package of Peep's at the Time's Square Toys R Us above anything else in the store. We have a tradition when we buy Peep's.  First, each member of the family picks a Peep to be his warrior and then arms the Peep with a toothpick.

 Next we pop our Peep's into the Microwave for about 15 seconds.  The Peep's immediately go to battle, puffing up and clashing swords. The first Peep to fall over loses.

 (Pardon the fuzzy pictures and the mold growing on Nash's ear and hair, he seldom baths)

Of course the next step is to eat the melting, messy, gooey decadence!

Happy Easter 2013

Easter Crafts

While, it doesn't really feel like Spring around here, considering just last week we had school closures due to a SNOWQUESTER, Easter is just 3 weeks away. It was actually more of SLUSHQUESTER but the kids were excited and I had some time to work on a few Easter Crafts.  All of which are pretty self-explanatory.

 

Dressed for Easter