An Eggcellent Easter

Another successful and great holiday! It started off, of course, going to see the Easter Bunny earlier in the week as I mentioned before. And I just realized that a lot of the pictures we took are on Wendy's camera--I really need another memory card for back up! Easter Sunday was a busy one with not a moment to waste. We had so much to do and so little time to do it in! We attended the first hour & 30 minutes of our ward and decided we would surprise my mom and visit her ward, which was the ward I grew up in. That was a lot of fun, we were able to see people we hadn't in a long time. It's amazing how much the kids had grown! Yikes, I'm starting to feel old! We only attended sacrament and had we stayed longer the kids would have ventured into a major melt down. They actually fell asleep during the 20 minute drive back home so we just left them in the car! My philosophy is that if it isn't broke, don't fix it! They were in the garage with the car windows down and we left the door open so we could hear them. Anyway, so once everyone was awake we quickly saw what the "Easter Bunny" had brought them and clicked a few pictures. Then we headed over to Wendy's house where the Easter activities were to be held. We kicked the party off with an egg hunt which contained 100+ eggs! While there was still some sunshine left we took pictures then moving on to dinner, followed by an Easter Basket from Nanny & Papaw, then the lesson, and finally we ended it with decorating eggs! It was an eventful day to say the least! The kids were wiped out by the end of it and unfortunately lost some interest in the decorating of eggs. It was a little too complicated for them too but the adults sure did have fun doing them! I have to get the rest of the pictures off of my sister's camera, so I'll add those hopefully tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures!

Hooray--the Easter Bunny came!

Opening to see what it inside: A little bit of candy, chocolate covered pretzels, a couple of sugar cookies, a couple of juice boxes, her favorite pop tarts (organic strawberry), 2 carebear activity books, a new toothbrush, a princess jump rope, 2 Easter magnetic decorting kits, Dora charades game, & a Dora Dominoes Game. She made off like a bandit!

Technically, it wasn't Kayden's first Easter; he was 1 1/2 months for his "first" Easter. Anyway, I consider this his first since he was able to participate. SO! For their first Easter, the kids get something special of their very own. Some of you may remember that Keilana got a little power wheels 4-wheeler. Well, Tyler has this very pooh jeep and is extremely attatched to it so we told the Easter Bunny that Kayden just might enjoy having a pooh jeep himself! So far he really likes to walk behind it and push it around the house as well as riding it when Keilana pushes him. His little legs aren't quite long enough for his feet to touch the floor just yet. LOTS of growing room though. Tyler is 3 and still going strong riding around on pooh jeep.

Easter Egg Hunt! Saturday we had worked out in the yard all day and right when we were about to go inside, Keilana, bless her heart, trips and falls on the driveway really scraping up her nose. So she's has a nice beautiful nose on Easter!

Papaw helping Kayden look for some Easter Eggs!

Tyler and Keilana looking for some Easter Eggs.

How cute is this?

He found one!



Reaping the rewards of their search.

The 12 Easter Eggs Lesson on the Atonement

I didn't have time to post the details of the lesson that I taught on Easter Sunday yesterday. However, being the center of Easter, I wanted to still add it and share it. Many of you may know the very popular Easter Object Lesson on the atonement. Well, I was first exposed to this lesson during my first year at college by my roommate and have been hooked ever since. I couldn't wait to start this tradition with my own family and I felt Keilana was totally ready for it this year! In fact, she loved it! She and Tyler couldn't wait to see what was in the next egg, and expressed sadness when we talked about Christ being hurt and upon the cross. Keilana said, "he needs a band-aid" at the part teaching about a crown of thorns. I almost started to cry but didn't want to look like a baby and so I held it back! Anyway, this is some one else's picture that I "borrowed" from a random blog since I failed to take one of my own. I have found a few variants to this lesson but this particular version is my favorite. And if you have the pictures to go along with it, that certainly helps a lot by giving a visual.

THE EASTER STORY

Tell this story in your own words for younger children. For older children, type and cut into small strips of paper, adding them to the egg. Relate the events in a way that the children will understand. Add what detail you can for the age group to whom you are telling this story. Have a child open the appropriate egg as you tell the story. Have him or her explain the contents of the egg if possible.

Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Feast of the Passover together. The Passover is a very special Jewish holiday which celebrates the passing over of the destroying angel when they were delivered from the Egyptians and the promise that a Messiah would come and save them. Jesus taught his disciples about service by washing their feet saying, "The greated among you is the servant of all." He also taught them about the sacrament.

EGG #1: SACRAMENT (Read Luke 22:42 and 44)
Jesus then went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Here he took upon Himself the sins of the world. His suffering was so great that he bled from every pore.

EGG #2: 3 DIMES (Read Mark 14:10-11 and 44-45)
One of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot, led men who were angry with Jesus to Him while He was praying. He did this because the wicked men told him that they would give him 30 pieces of silver for doing so. They wanted to take Jesus away and kill Him. Judas showed them who Jesus was by giving Him a kiss on the cheek. As the men took Jesus, one of Jesus' disciples cut off one of the ears of one of the soldiers. Jesus then healed the guard's ear and was led away. Judas later felt so bad about betraying the Savior that he took his own life.

EGG #3: SOAP (Read Matthew 27:24)
Jesus was brought to stand trial in front of Pontius Pilate. Pilate was a powerful man and because it was the time of Passover, he allowed the peope to release one prisoner. The people chose a murderer and thief named Barabbas rather than Jesus, who was an innocent man. Pilate, to show that he held no responsibility for Jesus' coming execution, symbolically washed his hands. Though he found no fault with Jesus, he still mocked and scourged Jesus and delivered Him to be crucified.

EGG #4: ROPES and/or Nail (Read Matthew 27:29)
Jesus was bound by ropes, spit upon, severely beaten, whipped and mocked. One of Jesus' disciples, Peter, was so frightened by how they treated Jesus that he denied even knowing Him three times.


EGG #5: THORNS (Read Matthew 27:28)
Jesus was mocked and dressed in a scarlet robe (some accounts say purple). The wicked men made a crown of thorns and placed it upon Jesus' head. He was beaten and whipped again.

EGG #6: CROSS (Read Luke 23:33)
The wicked men decided to crucify Jesus. They made Him carry a heavy cross to a hill called Calvary where He was to be put to death. He fell while carrying the cross due to the severe beatings and bad treatment He had received. A man named Simon stepped in and helped Him carry the cross the rest of the way.

While He was on the cross, Jesus asked John, one of His disciples to take care of His mother.

Before He died, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" When the soldiers heard this, they mocked Him once again by offering Him a cup of vinegar. Jesus did not drink it but instead spoke the words, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" thus giving us the ultimate example of forgiveness.

EGG #7: DICE (Read Mark 15:24)
While Jesus was dying on the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothing.

EGG #8: ROCKS (Read Matthew 27:51 & 54)
Jesus, after six hours of being on the cross finally said, "Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit," and then He died. As soon as this happened, darkness and storms arose showing the tremendous grief Heavenly Father felt when He witnessed these things being done to His Son. The wicked people then realized this must indeed be the Son of God.

EGG #9: LINEN (Read John 19:40)
EGG #10: SPICES (Read John 19:40)
Joseph of Arimathaea, a disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate if he could care for the body of Jesus after He died. Pilate agreed to let him do this. The body of Jesus was wrapped in linen with appropriate spices. Spices were used to preserve bodies. Mary and Mary Magdalene wrapped Christ's body in the linen with spices the day Jesus died (Friday) and then waited until the first day of the week (Sunday) before they returned to do this again-- because Saturday was the Sabbath.

EGG #11: LARGE ROCK/STONE (Read Matthew 28:2)
A large stone was rolled across the door to the tomb in which Christ's body lay because the Pharisees went to Pilate and told him that Jesus had said that He would rise on the third day. They were afraid that the disciples might come and take the body to make it look like He had risen. They even set a watch to make sure nobody took the body. An angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone and the men on the watch started to shake and became "as dead men." When these men told the Pharisees what had happened, the Pharisees paid them to tell others that the stone had been rolled away while they were asleep.
EGG #12: EMPTY (Read Matthew 28:6; John 20:15-16)
When Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the sepulchre, there was an angel sitting there who told them to go and tell the disciples that Christ had risen. Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene while she was in the garden mourning His death. She actually looked at Him and did not know who He was. He said to her, "Woman, why weepest thou?" She thought He was a gardener and asked Him what He had done with the body of Jesus. Then He said to her, "Mary." She turned and recognized Him, saying "Rabboni" or "Master."

End the story by sharing with the children that Jesus did rise on the third day and that He gave us the gift of Eternal Life. Because of His example in life, the atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane and His giving His life, He made it possible for us to live with our Heavenly Father. That is what Easter is all about.