~Our weekend where we celebrated our Risen Savior~

~Picture heavy post~

Do you ever have something turn out totally different than what you had planned? Yeah, me too. This weekend was one such time. The entire weekend took a totally different turn than I had planned but it turned out better than I think I could have anticipated.

We celebrated this weekend very differently than we have in the past. One, we had some big decisions on our minds…things that needed our contemplation without too much extra noise. I know that’s kind of vague, I will elaborate more on that when I am able. And two, we rarely get time to do things together as a family. Our older children are at the ages where they need to be here and there. Time together – just the seven of us – is rare and precious. That may sound weird coming from a homeschool family who is together all day but it’s true. All that said, we ran some errands, went to Easter morning church services, David got called in to work some on Saturday, and we stayed home & spent the rest of our time together.

On Sunday afternoon, we took a trip to a local art gallery that is known for its gardens. We were hoping that the azaleas were in full bloom for some of our pictures but there were only a few here and there. We still captured a few good pictures though. Some people were in a bit of a bad mood as you may see in some of the pictures.

(Don’t worry about them on this bridge. David was close by. ;0)

We came home from our photo shoot and had a very unconventional Easter dinner of grilled brats on a bun, chips, and peach cobbler with ice cream. Everyone wanted to eat outside so we moved our school table out of doors. After we ate, the kids hunted eggs in the backyard.

The rest of Sunday was spent outside in the sun. Dave and the kids put together our birthday present to all of them – a new swing set! They had been wanting one for a quite some time. I spent time getting the rest of the garden in (yay!) and trying to finish cleaning up leaves that had fallen after our fall raking. When we came in last night after a day of work outside, the kids had a good laugh. I had dirt from my head to my toes! They thought it was funny that my shirt that had started out white was now tan!

Our weekend was quite different than what we are used to on Easter weekend. However, it was refreshing for our spirits. We made some decisions that needed to be made. We even spent time together and had fun. It may seem like we didn’t do much in the way of celebrating our Savior. I will tell you that I rarely feel closer to God than I do when I am in nature. I look around at the azaleas & the grass beginning to green and I see God. I see seeds becoming plants that will bring forth food and I see God. I am so aware of God when I am in the nature that He created that I can’t help but think of His love for me. That love was made full in His Son, Jesus Christ. As I spent this weekend tending a garden, laughing with my children, coloring eggs (& trying to keep the baby from cracking them all), I saw God’s blessings in my life and I am forever thankful for His provision – both of my earthly needs and of my spiritual needs. Thank you God for Your Son and Your love.