Preparing for Easter

The eggs are filled. New shirts are purchased for the boys. A dress is chosen for Chloe. And we’re almost ready.

I put candy in some of the eggs; and the others are filled with little toys. Elliot and Chloe have always especially loved the little toy-filled eggs — Chloe because she can’t eat the candy, and Elliot because he always liked playing with toys. You know, some kids are especially toy-players, and other kids just aren’t. Well, Elliot was always a toy-player. 🙂

It won’t surprise any of you, I’m guessing, that Zippy couldn’t care less about the toy-filled eggs and would gladly trade them all for more candy!

I haven’t filled the money eggs yet since I had no money. I meant to go to the bank today, but that didn’t get done. And I heard Paul gathering all the change to put in his pocket when he left this morning. Hmmmmm. Sabotaged.

We didn’t color eggs this year. I just couldn’t figure out where to put it in my week. No one has mentioned it yet. Hopefully they won’t mention it at all. Yes, hopefully Easter can come and go without mention or memory of coloring eggs. <crossing fingers!>

I had a talk with Chloe the other day about Easter. She’s known for a couple of weeks that Easter is coming, and we talk about it nearly everyday when she brings it up. But the other day, I typed out a conversation on the ipad, asking her a few questions. I asked her first of all if she wanted to look for eggs and put them in her basket, or would she rather just have her eggs waiting for her in her basket. It had occurred to me that maybe she didn’t enjoy walking around looking for eggs and dropping them one-by-one in her basket. She wants to find one egg and then play with it for a while before she gets the next one — and really she only looks for the next one because we are harping on her to get up and go find one. Well, since the Easter egg hunt is not for us, but for the kids, I decided to give her the choice. Not surprisingly, she chose not to walk around finding the eggs. So the plan will be to have her basket stocked with toy eggs for her to rummage through while the other kids hunt for their eggs. Fair enough, I think. I also asked her what she wants in her basket on Easter morning. Paul and I get little gifts to put in their baskets that are waiting for them when they wake up. She said she wants toys and stuffed animals. Again, no surprise.

Chloe saw a Party City commercial yesterday that had the cutest little Easter toys. She pointed them out to me and then mimicked picking them up and putting them over on the hearth, knowing that that is where I always put their Easter baskets on Easter morning. She was telling me that she wanted all of those cute Easter toys in her basket! Funny!

Elliot asked me the other morning on the way to school if he should do the egg hunt this year or not. I resisted the urge to make a great big huge deal about the fact that my baby boy is growing up, and instead I chose to respond quite calmly to his question. I pretended to ponder the question and finally said that I wasn’t sure. He asked if his older cousin would be hunting for eggs. I told him I didn’t think she hunted eggs anymore. He needed to know how long ago she stopped. I quickly recalled that she is 3 years older than Elliot and replied that she probably hasn’t hunted eggs in 2 or 3 years. He thought for a moment and then decided that if he hunted eggs this year that it would probably be his last. And my heart shattered. I had not even braced myself to prepare for the fact that my children wouldn’t always hunt for eggs. <sigh> He ended the conversation saying that he would let me know what he decides. I have a feeling I have watched him hunt for eggs for the last time. <sniff>

Chloe tried on her Easter dress this evening. She. loved. it. She hasn’t felt well all day today, but that didn’t stop her from twirling and shaking her hips to make the dress flow just right. She stood and danced in front the mirror in her room for a few minutes. I think she thought she was pretty cute.

Tonight when I was filling the eggs, Zippy came into my room and saw me. “Are those Easter eggs?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied, sorta hiding them from his view.

“What kind of candy did you get?” he needed to know.

I just shrugged my shoulders, not daring to give away the secret.

“Well, when are you going to put our baskets out??” he asked with growing intensity.

“On Easter Sunday.”

Together we figured out what day it was and quickly did the math that he would, in fact, have to wait 2 days to get his basket.

He sighed. He looked forlorn. And then with a strange pirate-ly voice, he said much too seriously, “Well, then, I guess I can probably wait two stinkin’ days!” and dashed from the room.

And, of course, a Good Friday blog post wouldn’t be complete without remembering what today really and truly means — like long before the Easter bunny and chocolate candies, jelly beans, and Peeps. This is the day that Jesus was crucified for me and for you. This is the day that Jesus took all the blame and all the shame and all the punishment that we deserve. He silently died because He loves me and He loves you. That’s what today is. (And thankfully the story doesn’t end there! Sunday brings a whole new and wonderful celebration of his resurrection!)

Photo credits: Wikipedia