Making It: Easter 2017

Easter is a very special time for me and my family. Obviously, our belief in our Savior plays a big role in it being a special time of year, but our family's traditions and fun memories have only made it more so. I love holidays, but Easter is especially dear to me because my mom's side of the family always has a big reunion down south where I was born...and even though I haven't been since I was a young teenager - it's where I always wish I could be! We haven't always been able to go since we moved pretty far away when I was young, but we went back from time to time and made so many good memories there, and my mom has always tried to make it a very fun and special day - with Easter hunts and pretty new dresses - that I try to do the same for my girls!

I have always dreamt of taking my girls to visit my Grandmommy and have them share in my special memories of her and her home...Waking up to the smell of bacon or sausages and the sound of voices and laughter from the family in the kitchen and my Grandmommy peering in through the door and singing her special wake up song to us! Going for walks through the woods behind her house and sitting and listening to old family stories and trying to beat her at Rummikub. This year was particularly hard because my Grandmommy is finally moving out of her home at the young age of 90. I had a hard time accepting that there wasn't any way I could manage to get out there for the reunion, and be there to help her pack, and have the chance to have her meet Lily and Sierra in person. I would have been there in a heartbeat if I could, but there were just too many factors against it. I know it has been a hard decision for her to make, but that it's the right one too. I wished I could be there to help make it easier for her, but I am so grateful for my wonderful aunt who has worked so hard to take care of everything for her, and that she will now be nearer to her. I'm still hoping that circumstances will permit me to bring her great granddaughters out to meet her sometime in the not too distant future when things are settled down a little more for her.

In the meantime... I hope you enjoy these pictures from our Easter celebrations this year, Grandmommy! I love you very much!

We have been having a pretty cold and rainy spring with just a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures to cheer us up and give us hope that summer will really come! (I think I may have mentioned it, but we had the longest winter ever this year!) So to have one of those sunny days fall on Easter - I feel, was no coincidence, but a gift from God, and an appropriate one for Easter! He gave His son and beautiful sunshine! He is the source of light! We definitely appreciated the gift, and tried to make the most of it!

We went to church and then headed over to Mike's parents house to celebrate with them. First we took family photos - because it's pretty much the only time in the year that I can really get everyone to cooperate to take a photo together. And if the girls still have the egg hunt hanging before them they are more willing to do as they are asked instead of running around like crazies and sticking their tongues out or doing rabbit ears the whole time! :)

After family photos the girls hunted some eggs filled with money their Grandpa hid (so they could know when to stop & leave the rest for the other so they'd both have the same amount). Then we hid the eggs we brought and let the girls loose! They were like little blurs most of the time - zooming around! It is hard to get them to cooperate for a picture in the middle of the hunt. My girls are definitely competitive! They were both worried their sister would get all the eggs so there was no posing for a picture until all were found. We counted all the eggs to make sure we didn't miss any (2 were missing, but Mike happily hunted those and luckily got some candy he liked instead of fruity tootsie rolls or animal erasers). Sierra somehow got the most eggs (probably because Lily was holding back & helping her little sister), but she readily shared some with Lily to appease her. Then they opened them all up and started making comparisons and negotiations over their loot. I had to laugh at the faces they were making over their Easter baskets.

Then we had a lovely ham dinner and Mike's brother joined us and brought a sweet little gift (a special egg with a stamper on the bottom filled to the top with quarters) for each of the girls. It was good to see him and we wish we got to more! After visiting with him we stayed and blew bubbles in the backyard and played a few games and had dessert.

It was just a nice, busy but enjoyable, sunshiny day! I wore a new dress and made the girls dresses and did our hair special and felt pretty (Mike kept saying so) - so that added to the joy of the day too! The girls looked so beautiful in their dresses and had so much fun it made me feel happy just to see them. I am so grateful for this beautiful earth, for my family, sunshine, and fun traditions that bring us closer together and help us enjoy this life we've been given and focus on the good sweet things of the world. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and his sacrifice so that we can all have hope and comfort, and become clean, and share in all that our Father has to offer!

Well, get ready for an overload of pictures!!

Making Easter nest rice krispie nests and dyeing eggs the day before Easter:

Easter morning:

Yay for chocolate bunnies and happy faces!

All dressed up:

...I had this yellow bunny print fabric my mom saved from my childhood and Lily really wanted me to make her a dress out of it. Since it is so difficult to find any dresses with sleeves in the stores and Lily seems to wear some of the dresses I've made her the most I thought: 'Well, I don't really like shopping anyway, maybe this will actually be easier!' ...I don't think I've ever made Sierra a dress and she wanted me to make her one too so we picked out pink to coordinate with the pink bunnies in Lily's. I was kind of worried once I made it Lily would be too embarrassed to wear it, or that someone would make fun of her because it is really a baby print, and she is a big 8 year old....but she really, really wanted it and just loves the bunnies on it, and it turned out really pretty once we added the trimming and she put it on. --I hope she will get more than one day's wear out of it! ;) (She let me curl her hair for the occasion too!)

My sweet and silly Sierra in her dress. I found the pattern at the thrift store for .25 cents. Sierra's dress was a little harder to do for me than Lily's because I had to adjust the pattern to fit her and it only came in one size. I've never done that before (and agonized over it for a day or so before just going for it), but luckily it worked out! I did the lace just like one of the pictures on the front of the pattern because Sierra liked how the example drawing looked with the lace and puffed sleeves and wanted it just like that, but I made the skirts fuller (for twirl factor) and added the petticoat hanging out at the bottom.