Easter Festivities

Things have been busy around the Wiersema house this last week!  We decided to host Easter Dinner, and so there was a lot of cleaning and cooking to be done!  And this year, Kaylie was big enough to walk around and pick up eggs.  Let's be honest, she wasn't going to "hunt" for them.  She would pick up about anything that was brightly colored and in plain view!  So, I was very excited for Easter this year!  I got to make Kaylie a fun Easter basket with toys and snacks, and I just couldn't wait!  Not to mention, that I also got to fill Easter eggs and lay them in the yard for her to pick up.  Who knew that I would get so excited about such things?!  So, not only was the week busy, but was also exciting!   Poor Kaylie started coming down with a cold on Thursday, and she was fussy and needy, but I can't complain about all of the cuddling.   Friday, Justin took the day off and ran some errands and helped around the house.  Then, we went to the Good Friday service at our church (Christ Community Church of Plainfield).  It was a beautiful service, and though I had to miss part of it due to Kaylie being loud, they provided televisions in the lobby area so that people could still watch and listen to the service. It was pretty amazing!  Saturday, I spent the day cleaning and preparing food for Easter Sunday.  I have to say that I am proud of myself for planning ahead of time instead of trying to do it all the day of Easter.  It made everything go so much smoother.  With that kind of planning, I think I must be growing up or something!   Justin and I then dyed Easter eggs (Kaylie was not up to it),  filled Easter eggs and loaded up Kaylie's Easter Basket!  I can't even explain my excitement for Easter Sunday!

Sunday morning arrived, and it was time to get ready for church, but poor Kaylie was just not feeling up to it.  So, Justin and Kaylie stayed home and Kaylie took a nice nap before all of the festivities began!  I attended the Easter service at church and it was so amazing!  It has been a long time since I felt as though I was truly celebrating the meaning of Easter and what it was all about.  I left church that morning singing and becoming more and more excited to spend the day with family!   My mom lives 3 hours away and Justin's parents live 2 hours away, so these kinds of gatherings don't happen all that often.  We are certainly appreciative that everyone made the trip!  I cooked my first ham which was exciting, and also kind of gross since I think ham is disgusting.  But, apparently it turned out well since most of it was gone!  Kaylie was a bit fussy due to not feeling well, but then we went outside to "hunt" or pick up Easter eggs and to play with her new Bubble Typhoon Toy, and she perked right up!  The funny thing is Kaylie is scared of the grass, so it was hard to get to her pick up eggs since they were in the grass and not on the patio.  It took a lot of holding her hand and coaxing her to get her in the grass, but she picked up a few eggs before darting for the cement.   I can hear my Dad now, and he would say, "She's a city girl."  No worries Dad, I will make sure that she gets dirty at the farm and learns how to fish! 

It was a fun day of visiting, watching the Wiersema guys (including Mark) compete in a game of "Who Can Throw the Bouncy Ball the Hardest," as well as them play a weird game of catch with a football and softball at the same time which ended with Joel bleeding.  Either way, it was a wonderful day of celebrating Easter and visiting with family.

 Kaylie's Easter Basket complete with a Cabbage Patch Cutie Mignon (don't ask me what this is, but I thought it was the perfect size for her, and I somehow thought it was cute), magnetic letters, a doodle pro, candy and eggs with money. 

 Kaylie's Basket with a little Cricut personalization. ;)

 And, I had to add the Easter Bunny...it was just too cute.  Best thing about is that I got the basket for 2.50, and just decorated it with Cricut stuff and left over vinyl.  Fun project for mommy and cute basket for Kaylie! 

 Justin and I decorated eggs for the first time together!  I think they are so cute! 

 Kaylie was fascinated by the Bubble Typhoon! 

 It took us a while, but we finally got her off the concrete!  This is Mark and I coaxing her to play in the grass. She loved looking in the basket at the eggs she had already collected!

 She found one! 

 I believe she was yelling at the bubbles here because she was so excited! 

For a little girl with a cold, she was quite the trooper!  And, I think she had a great Easter!! 

 I am so glad that everyone made the trip (including Joel, Adrienne and Jamison), and that we were all able to celebrate together!   I think that Kaylie had a wonderful Easter and certainly was spoiled!  Thanks to my mom and the Wiersema's for the Easter Baskets for Kaylie!  She is certainly lucky to have such loving and generous grandparents! And I can say from the bottom of my heart that I feel truly blessed this Easter, and I'm so thankful that we were able to spend it together!  Love you all and Happy Easter!