Easter Sunday

Jesus is Risen!

I love the season of Easter for many reasons, but my very favorite part is attending the joyful Easter service on Sunday morning. Yes, our Savior Jesus did endure a painful death on Good Friday, but that wasn't the end of the story. He defeated death and conquered the grave by miraculously rising again... all for us! So we could be redeemed, saved, marked as His children. This miracle gives us a hope and a purpose and fills us with joy. Hallelujah! He is risen indeed!

Jaden, Adley, and Cody wore their new Easter outfits from Grammy and Papa that morning. Don't they look so sharp?

Jason didn't have children's ministry responsibilities at church that morning, so we were able to sit together as a family for almost the whole service. Yay!

Cousin Abby danced during the service, so Grammy and Papa as well as Matt and Kim's family joined us that morning at our church. It was so nice to all worship together!

The original Walquist 5...

After church, we all parted ways for lunch and rest time at our own homes. Then, we met up again at Grammy and Papa's house for dinner. Matt and Kim organized some fun Easter activities for the kiddos that evening. First, Uncle Matt led the kids in a Easter egg memory/concentration game.

At the same time, Aunt Kim played a guessing game with another small group of cousins. These kids had to figure out what was inside each egg only by listening as they shook each egg.

While these games were going on upstairs, some of the other aunts and uncles were busy outside hiding colored eggs all over the yard. Each child was given a specific color (and only that color!) of egg to find.

Adley's eggs were silver (covered with foil), and she really seemed to grasp the concept this time! I had to direct her away from a few of Noah's eggs, but she otherwise found almost all of the silver ones on her own and eagerly handed them to me. Go, Adley! :)

After finding all of their eggs, the kids found an adult to work with and opened up each egg.

Inside each egg was a note that gave the kids a special task to do. Jaden and Cody were very proud that they could read through the tasks almost entirely on their own.

Some of the tasks included doing a special dance...

...kicking like a donkey,

...hugging 4 adults,

...and doing jumping jacks.

Once all 10 tasks were completed, the kids received a bag of Easter candy from ER (Easter Rabbit aka Elaine & Randy). Each family also got a large tub of Jelly Bellies and some Easter themed Reeses cereal (which was VERY exciting for Cody and Jaden!). What a treat!

Aunt Kim and Uncle Matt's final activity was teaching the kids how to make egg catapults using popsicle sticks and plastic spoons.

The kids first built their creations and then decorated them.

And finally, launch time!! What a fun idea! Thanks so much, Kim and Matt, for all of your creative ideas and time spent planning an engaging and memorable evening.

Grammy and Papa went all out to decorate their home in a special way for Easter.

They served us a DELICIOUS dinner of ham and potatoes with many special touches, like this colorful ribbon jello (a very nostalgic dinner treat for us Walquist kids!).

For dessert, we could choose from this "Charlie" lamb cake,

or these jelly bean cupcakes. Can you say YUM?!

What a blessing to celebrate our Savior's Easter victory and to spend the day with family, too.