Happy Easter!

Or should I say Happy White Easter b/c yesterday it decided to snow at our house! I was driving home from work yesterday morning and it was really cold and gloomy and rainy and as I drove up the hill to the house the rain turned to snow! It was kinda wild. It snowed all morning and then turned back to rain in the afternoon but when I left for work we had snow at home still but there was nothing in Keene at all. Weird...

Every year I swear to myself that I am not going to go overboard on Easter Baskets for the kids b/c Easter isn't really about the Easter Bunny - you know like Christmas isn't really about presents under the tree- it's about celebrating the life of Christ, the joy of his sacrifice for mankind and the miracle of his resurrection. Heck we've spent the last 40 days of Lent preparing for this moment and yet somehow I always go overboard on the baskets. Easter has really snuck up on me this year. I don't feel like I have truly and properly used this Lenten season as it is meant to be used, i.e self-denial. And somehow I managed to have to work Thur-Sun of Holy Week so this Holy Week has been a bit strange for our family. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are 2 of my favorite masses of the year. I did make it to Ash Wednesday this year but somehow I feel like I have been cheated out of some of the joy of the Easter Season by my being unable to attend a single mass of Holy Week- well we did go to Palm Sunday mass (another favorite) but somehow that one never really seems to be part of Holy Week in my mind. Frank took the boys to Good Friday Mass and told me all about it. Normally during weekly mass we have developed this tradition after communion of taking a small side trip into the chapel to "visit with Jesus". Our church has a chapel off the altar with a statue of Jesus lying after he has been taken down from the Cross following his Crucifixion. Since he was old enough to walk Xander likes to go into this chapel and stand on the knee rail and "visit" Jesus. So we go and visit after communion on Sundays. So during the Good Friday mass and veneration of the cross, Frank asked Xander if he wanted to kiss Jesus and he did! Frank showed him how he did it and Xander went ahead and kissed the cross and I missed it! I was so sad that I missed it but I'm happy that Xander is showing such an interest. I keep hoping if he is more interest in the ritual of the mass he will sit slightly more still during mass!


Anyway back to where I began- going overboard on Easter Baskets- somehow I think that this year it happened b/c I was feeling sad and guilty about not being able to take part in Holy Week with Frank and the boys. So I played Easter bunny instead! We'll open their baskets when I get home from work and in their baskets this year they have several books about Easter from their Grandma and Grandpa and Godparents so we'll be able to read those and I got them some new Bible coloring books to hopefully keep them occupied during mass but they are also getting plenty of new toys and even a little candy. Every Easter Basket needs a chocolate bunny after all! Frank's basket is strictly cansy so I guess I will need to keep myself away from that or else I won't be happy with my weigh-in this week. I had some other things too that I figured I will save for Xander's birthday...now I just have to save myself from going overboard on that! I guess I need to pray for self-control...