Easter Festivities and Pictures

The sign on our front door.

Yes, I'm back.  And yes, I am going to be sharing some of the Easter festivities going on at my house right now, as well as a few pictures. And by a few, I mean a lot. :)

-Yesterday evening, my mom took us to a park that she discovered recently that is really close to our house. It was a beautiful evening and I took a lot of pictures, as you will soon see.

Yo, peace, man!

Aha! I caught you, bird!

:D

They forget that the camera has really good zoom and that I can be as silent as a mouse and as quick as a deer and have been known to hide behind trees and bushes, camera poised and ready, waiting for the perfect shot. And...I got them. *evil chuckle*

frolicking through the lush meadow...

"Fine! If you smile for the camera and cooperate, then I'll take a silly picture."

-I watched The Passion with my parents, brother, and grandparents last night. And wow. It made me really think about why Jesus did what He did and how much He loves me in a way I had never thought about before. Seeing how the people treated Him; mocking Him, spitting on Him, and digging a crown of thorns into His scalp was so painful and hard to watch.
And then when Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do", I cried because He was asking God to please, please forgive those who were crucifying Him when we so often do not want to forgive the ones who hurt us.
It was an extremely hard movie to watch, but it sort of wakes you up, makes you think about what really happened that day. We are so used to the children's story book version of the crucifixion of Christ that we sometimes forget how awful and yet wonderful at the same time it was. I recommend The Passion for all Christians to see; it is very thought provoking.

 -In the middle of the night last night, some teenagers apparently thought it would be fun to egg our house. Needless to say, we were not thrilled, especially my mom. *sigh* And my question is: why? Why is that fun?


-This morning, we went to the office of the apartments where our grandparents live because there was an Easter egg hunt there. They served coffee, doughnuts, juice, candy, and cupcakes. Liam, Dresden, and Megan had a lot of fun running around frantically, looking for Easter eggs. It was fun to watch them. I, being too old for the hunt, mostly just observed and ate. :)
I didn't bring the camera, so there are no pictures of that part of our weekend.

 -Earlier today the annual Coloring of the Eggs took place. :)

What is with the peace thing all of a sudden, Liam?!

-We have a white, cardboard cross that we have put in our yard in the days leading up to Easter for two years now.

Before Easter, the cross looks like this:

On Easter morning, which would be tomorrow, we turn the cross around so that it faces the street, and it reads:

How true!
 It is so great to be able to say these happy words: He is Risen!
Happy Easter!