Life is Fun...: Easter Weekend

I am a slacker. Every one of these pictures were taken by someone, other than myself. Honestly, I wish that I could have a little photographer person just follow me around everywhere I go and whenever I wanted a picture taken I could say, "Okay! Take one now!!"

I have odd wishes. I really do wish that.

Anyway.

After having kids, and having these kids get bigger and start asking questions, I have really wanted to be honest and real with them. I didn't want Easter to be about the 'Bunny' and the candy. However, I am not opposed to those things. But I wanted the focus to be on the real purpose. Our Savior and His Resurrection.

On Easter weekend we went to farm to watch general conference and celebrate the holiday. We still did the traditional dying Easter eggs.

Saturday night was our big Jerusalem Dinner that I had been planning for weeks. One of my friends did this with her family for a Christmas Eve dinner, but I thought that Easter worked just as well. I researched the kind of food that people ate during the time of Christ and their typical dinner traditions. We had our meal just as I researched. The people typically ate sitting on the floor surrounding a table that rose just above the ground. I asked Dad if he could build me one. His table was awesome.

We ate with our fingers. The kids loved that. They were picking off of everyone's plates. We ate fish, hard bread with honey, grapes, honeydew, cantaloupe, olives, cucumbers, cheese, and I'm sure other things I can't remember right now. It was so neat.

After our dinner we rubbed everyone's feet with lotion and talked about that purpose and when Christ did it for his apostles. It was such an amazing experience.

That night when the guys went to watch the priesthood session of conference, the ladies made resurrection rolls with the kiddos. I found this super easy recipe, that was really yummy by the way, to help explain the Resurrection. I found it on happyhomefairy.com.

What you will need to make Resurrection Rolls:

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 large marshmallows
Melted butter
A mixture of cinnamon and sugar

Directions:

Hold up a white marshmallow and tell your Happy Buddies that it represents Jesus – pure white, perfect, without sin. Dip the marshmallows in melted butter and explain that it represents the water, or anointing oils, that was used to clean Jesus’ body.

*Note – Many recipes for Resurrection Rolls say that the butter symbolizes embalming oils, but I did a little research and I learned that Jews did not embalm the bodies of their dead. Rather, they allowed the bodies to “return to the earth.” They did, however, clean the body with water or anoint with oil before continuing with the rest of the steps you’ll read below.*Next, dip the marshmallows in the mixture of cinnamon and sugar. This represents the herbs and spices used to anoint Jesus’ body.

*Note – In the Bible days, given the climate of the Holy Land, bodily decay would begin quite rapidly, so the aromatic herbs and spices would help cover the smells associated with decay. But little did they know that Jesus wasn’t going to be there long enough to need all those spices!!! :-)*

So far, these Resurrection Rolls are delicious!

Take the marshmallow and wrap the crescent dough around it. Make sure you pinch all of the edges closed. This represents the strips of linen used to wrap Jesus’ body.Brush the Resurrection Rolls with a little more butter, if desired. Place Resurrection Rolls in the tomb (oven) and bake according to package directions.

Let the rolls cool for a few minutes when they come out of the oven. Sit and ponder what you might discover inside! Carefully open the Resurrection Roll.What to my wondering eyes should appear?????It’s empty inside! Jesus is not there! He has risen!!!!!!!

When baked, the marshmallow melts away leaving only the puffed crescent roll. This represents how Jesus rose from the dead and all that was left in his tomb were the linen wrappings.

Eat your Resurrection Rolls and marvel at the greatness of our God and this glorious Easter reminder!

Happy Resurrection Roll-ing!

Really good.

While we were waiting for the rolls the cook, this happened:

My children thought it would be funny to do this to Lexi! I think Lexi enjoyed it just as my as they did.

Sunday morning was our traditional omelet breakfast. Thankfully, Shane and Dad took over while I worked on the crockpot dinner. Breakfast was de-lish-us!

Sunday morning conference found the kiddos beginning here. With snacks. Right after breakfast. In their jams.

Because Kory and Charisse had technical difficulties on Saturday ( ;) ), we postponed our egg hunt until Sunday afternoon. I think all of the kiddos enjoyed it! Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!