Easter

I like to do two Easter celebrations; the first one being about the baskets, eggs, and the Easter bunny, and the second one being about Christ and his atonement and resurrection. 

For the first celebration, I changed two things. First, I made the kids find their Easter baskets by doing a scavenger hunt. Each kid had different clues, which led them to their brand-new bikes. I don't usually like to get the kids something big for Easter. In the past, I've given them candy, new socks, and new underwear. But the kids have outgrown their bikes, like REALLY outgrown. Kendall probably could have waited until her birthday, but the boys couldn't. There was no way I was going to start teaching the boys how to ride a bike without training wheels in the middle of the summer. That's how you get a heat stroke. And that doesn't sound like any fun to me. So this year, I made an exception to my rule and got them all bikes. Next year, I hope they won't expect something big, because they'll be disappointed with new socks and underwear :-)

We also dyed eggs and made rice krispy treats with Peeps.

And finally, we had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard, and that's where I made the other change. So second, I did have some treats in the eggs, but I also had coupons in there. For example, one said that they could skip the chores for the day and still get paid (their whole 25 cents). Another one said they could stay up 30 minutes later than the kids. I liked that idea, and I will be repeating that each year. Taylor has already used 2 out of his 5 coupons. Logan and Kendall have only used 1.

On Easter day, Sunday, we read stories about Christ's atonement and resurrection, and what it means for us. We also watched some LDS YouTube videos about it. It was a good Easter, and I do enjoy having kids that are old enough now to understand the meaning of such a "holiday". Easter is not about the Easter bunny and candy. It's about Christ. It's about how his resurrection makes it possible for us to repent and return to live with Him someday. I am so grateful for the gospel and what it teaches me. I am grateful for Christ's atonement for my sins and his suffering everything that I will ever experience in this life. I understand it must have been hard for Him, and yet He did it for me, for all of us. He is the perfect example of selflessness and courage. He is my hero.