He is not there.

"Leighton go check the tomb, it's Easter!" is what I told her this morning when she woke up. I asked her "what do you think happened?" and before she made it to the Resurrection Garden on the kitchen table she yelled "He is alive". Oh child like faith. We made a Resurrection Garden I saw online a week ago and on Good Friday we put "jesus" in the tomb. Today I wanted to excite her with the truth that He is Risen and the truth that no one else will fulfill every promise they ever make like Jesus.  This idea was triggered by a friend asking me last weekend why do we go all out decorating for Christmas and do nothing for Easter? Easter is huge. It is what we base our entire faith on. If we don't celebrate Jesus dying and being risen from the dead then we aren't celebrating Grace. The entire bible from Abraham to Noah to Isaiah leads to the crucifixion and resurrection. The climax. The sacrifice. Easter is not about sharing a brunch, family traditions, hunting eggs or giving our kids cute baskets. Sure hunting eggs is fun and chocolate bunnies taste good, but Easter…I want them to associate that with the Lord. It was also helpful to Wes and I to have a reminder in the house to cause us to spend more time reflecting, praying, and having conversations with the kids.

I enjoyed making the Easter/Resurrection Garden with them. They found the sticks to use for the cross and rocks to decorate garden. They enjoyed watering it and watching the grass grow this week.  Im sure there are many more ideas out there. I am still learning how to navigate this parenting thing… how to disciple them… but I think we may try this one again. Here is the LINK we used in case you want to do it too.

Also check out how much grass grew in one week on the Easter garden!

Enjoying God's newness in Spring….pictures from yesterday afternoon at a friends birthday party. 

We are at the age where I can't even bribe them to stand still long enough for a picture. So here they are before church today, matching in dresses that still fit them from Michael and Katie's rehearsal dinner! I love when that happens. Reuse. Repeat. Save money.

 

I did catch this sweet picture. I was serving at the child check in station and I peeked into this empty class room and saw them resting together underneath the beautiful windows. Snaped it so I could memorize it.