Easter 2021 sure looked significantly different than Easter 2020! We are so thankful that we are no longer in quarantine, that we could connect with family in person, and that we could attend community events this year. Most of all, we loved celebrating Jesus's resurrection with other believers together at church. It was a perfect holiday to count our blessings and reflect upon how God brought us through the past year. Here are some specific Easter-related things our family did this spring:
Resurrection Rolls
Our family made these for the first time last year but unanimously agreed it needed to become an annual tradition! Our process included dipping marshmallows in butter, rolling them in cinnamon sugar,
and then wrapping the marshmallows in crescent rolls.
After we baked the rolls, the result was a tasty, sugary treat that surprisingly had a hollow center. The process was a beautiful tie-in to Jesus's death, resurrection, and the empty tomb. We love making and eating these rolls!
You've Been Egged
Our church developed this fun event last year during quarantine and decided to repeat it. Instead of doing a large scale egg hunt at church, members from our congregation hid eggs in other members' or friends' yards. Our family signed up both to be "egged" and to "egg" other people's homes.
The kids were great at being stealthy and finding sneaky hiding spots in neighbors' yards.
Dyeing Eggs
We can't let an Easter go by without doing this traditional activity. We dyed just over a dozen eggs.
An Easter Shell-ebration
This event was held at a nearby Methodist church that regularly hosts community events. We've attended and enjoyed some of their other events in the past. It was a little rainy the morning we attended this "shell-ebration," but the kids still had a nice time. We enjoyed free snacks and treats, some carnival games, inflatable slides, and bounce houses.
The kids collected TONS of eggs at the age-specific egg hunts.
Before they ran out onto the field, Jaden and Cody strategized about how they could collect the most eggs. Cody's plan was to run far back into the field, away from the mob of kids. Jaden stopped sooner than his brother, but both boys quickly had overflowing buckets!
It felt good to be back at a public event like this again. What a fun time!
Easter Sunday
Thanks to my parents, Adley, Jaden, and Cody looked quite sharp in their Easter outfits this year. This was one of the first holidays when Adley put her dress on before church without a complete meltdown. In the past, she has often complained about the itchiness of fancy dresses. This year, she was actually quite happy about "my pretty dress." It was wonderful!
Prior to Easter, Grammy had sent home ingredients with us so the kids could enjoy bunny pancakes for an Easter brunch. We all thought the Easter bunnies were pretty cute!
Family Easter
My parents hosted an Easter dinner for the extended family. My sister, my mom, and I led a few activities for the kids before our delicious ham meal. We first did an egg relay where team members had to jump across the yard with an egg between their legs and then "lay" the egg in a basket.
Springboarding off an idea from my niece Abby, my sister hid golden eggs throughout Grammy and Papa's house. Each child was assigned a room in which to search. When the kids each found their one golden egg, they discovered dollar bills folded into crosses inside their egg. The kids then had to tell Grammy why the cross was an important symbol of Easter.
We also had a larger egg hunt outside. Each child had to hunt for a specific color of egg. That way, we could hide the eggs progressively harder for the older kids.
Ian's eggs were by far the most challenging to find!
Our last activity was playing an Easter version of Game of Things (seen in the background in the photo below) for the older kids and creating towers with playdough and plastic eggs for the younger kids. The egg towers didn't end up working all that well, but the kids still enjoyed playdough time!
What a wonderful Easter holiday! Jesus is risen--He is risen indeed!
