Preparing Our Minds and Hearts for Easter

I took the boys this morning to get Easter photos taken to send out in our Easter greetings that we send to family and friends. The boys were both very well behaved and we got several great shots, but this one turned out to be my favorite from the bunch to send in the cards:



This afternoon we came home to have a lovely afternoon of outdoor activity. Ian loves to play outside, but boy does he find a way to get filthy and fast! He played with his bubble bucket, bounced in his bounce house, played with his Tonka truck and any number of other things. Here is my boy with a dirty face only a mother could love, playing with his bubbles:


This evening Ian and I watched Pinocchio together. It was the first time that he has sat through an entire movie with me. I can tell that he is getting a longer attention span. That is part of the reason why I decided to get the Resurrection Eggs for this year. I got them out and went through the first 3 so that we can get done by Easter. Ian listened intently and could repeat back why the little surprise inside the eggs was special. I have always hated how commercial Easter is and have tried to make sure that we read stories about Jesus during this time instead of things about bunnies. I do think bunnies are fine and the Easter bunny does come to our house, but I really want Ian to understand the real reason behind Easter. These eggs seem to be the perfect combination of the "fun egg" and the real meaning behind Easter. I did have to go through and ask questions about the stories on a preschool level, but Ian seemed to understand the lessons. Here he is holding his carton of Resurrection Eggs and showing off the silver coins from the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.