Easter at the N Homestead

Before having children, The Hubs and I didn't really have any Easter traditions. Sometimes, we would eat dinner with Chris's grandparents, but more often than not Easter would be like any other Sunday to us. 

Since having children, however, we have developed some Easter traditions that we really enjoy. We strive to live Christ-like lives, remembering Jesus's sacrifice for us daily, and we speak with our children about those things often. From a "religious" stand-point, Easter is much like any other Lord's Day to us, as we meet with His church to worship and praise Him together. Because of this, most of our traditions center around spending time with friends and family while we hunt or decorate eggs. 

Chris's mom has an Easter dinner every year that we try to attend. Sometimes - because of scheduling - we aren't able to join them. This year, she decided to have the family dinner on a Saturday two weeks before Easter (March 12th) and that worked out perfectly for us. The kiddos were so excited to go to Meme and Papa's house and spend time with their cousins!

Brianna and Brenson before our family egg hunt

All the cousins on Chris's side of the family - Brianna, Brenson, Abby holding Brooke, Zeke, and Brecklyn

Meme stuffed enough eggs for all her grandchildren to have a bucket-full, then recruited Chris and his brother-in-law, Joe, to help hide them. They have beautiful land around their house, so it's really perfect for this kind of activity. The children couldn't wait to get out there and find those eggs!

Brenson

Brianna

Daddy showing Brecklyn how it's done.

In typical Brecklyn fashion, she was a bit timid at first. 

Brecklyn

It didn't take her long to decide this activity was fun, and off she went! Haha.

Brooke LOVES Abby, so she was glued to her side all day. Abby is so sweet and good with her (and all the kids).

Brooke enjoyed the egg hunt but was less intense about it than Brecklyn.

Brooke

Brooke

Zeke was a pro!

This grin kills me! And just look at that basket full of eggs!

I decided I wanted to try and get a few photos of the twins in the grass with their baskets, as I thought the setting was so pretty. I wasn't successful at getting them to look at me or smile, but I still love these photos. My sweet, sweet babies <3 .="" p="">

Brecklyn, Brooke

The look on Brooke's face in this photo is hilarious. She had worked and worked to get an egg open, and as you can see, she was finally successful. So proud!

And in this photo, Brecklyn's face says that she's pushing her boundaries by standing up to run away. Love it!

My niece, Abby, is getting so big. She's such a nice young lady, and it was great to spend some time with her. 

Me, Meme, Abby

ALL of my kiddos LOVE Abby!

I wasn't too thrilled with the pic of all the grandkids that I had gotten before the egg hunt, so I tried again. Obviously, this one isn't much better, haha.

Meme and Papa's house sits on the side of a hill, so just outside of their front door is a big slope downward into a valley. One of the kids' favorite things to do is to run full tilt down the hill, climb back up, and do it again. Sometimes, it's the simplest things that entertain.

Brianna, Brooke, and Abby

Of course, Chris joins in sometimes, too. Brecklyn loved running up and down the hill with Daddy!

The grass had greened a bit, but the trees were still bare. The land, however, is beautiful during all seasons!

Abby and Brooke

Brenson - if there is a stick to be found, this boy finds it!

I feel like I should add here that Chris's grandparents were with us this day, but Grandpa was having a pretty hard time. He was struggling to breathe and walk, so they weren't able to come outside and watch the kids hunt eggs and play. They really love to watch the kids, so it was sad that they couldn't. I wish I would've gotten some pics of the children with them, but I didn't think of it until we had left :-(.

Papa has recently built a swing set for the kids to play on when they visit. It's fun watching them all play together, and I imagine there will be many hours of enjoyment on this swing set (from the kiddos and the adults!) 

It was a really good day spent with family!