Christ is Risen!!

Truly He is risen! Alleluia!

HAPPY EASTER!

The Thorn

Today, thanks to my mother in law, my children and I (along with other family members) attened a wonderful performance telling the story of our Lord's passion and His resurrection. (The Thorn, put on by North Heights Lutheran Church) We went with a group of others through Gary Block Tours. If you ever have the opportunity to take one of their tours, I highly recommend it. There were games on the bus, a very tasty lunch, and we all enjoyed ourselves very much today. Thanks Mom!!

Holy Thursday!

We celebrated the Passover with some friends this evening. We adapted the prayers of the Passover Seder meal, and we lit candles, ate unleavened bread, drank wine (ok, raspberry juice), and consumed the lamb.

After dinner we processed through the woods with Christ (the kids carried a large picture of Jesus) and candles to the "Garden of Gethsemane" to pray. Jennifer read the scripture account of Christ in His agony in the garden,

we prayed through the 1st mystery of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, and then Jesus was arrested and carried away.

We had a very pleasant evening!

The Passover

"Everyone of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb..." Exodus 12: 3-4

Ok, so my family would have no problem devouring this lamb on our own; however, we do intend to share it tonight with another household and although it is not roasted, nor is it without blemish (I am just not that skilled of a cake decorator) it will be enjoyed as we remember the Passover and our Lord's Last Supper.

May our Lord draw you into His passion as you await the joys of His resurrection.

Prayers for a blessed Holy Week!

A very busy week.

Last week we were once again blessed with an opportunity to go to Breezy Point! All I can say is a very big "thank you" to those friends who so generously shared their time-share. The kids and I had a wonderful four days swimming, walking, relaxing and visiting with friends. This trip to Breezy Point coincided with the vacation of two other families we know from "mom's group" and it was a blessing to share our vacation with such good friends.

We headed to Breezy Point on Saturday, stayed until Wednesday morning. The boys had some appointments on Thursday and Friday we packed up again and headed out of town to my mother's. Due to a change in position for her job, she now has to work Easter Sunday. So, we had our Easter dinner yesterday, hid some candy filled eggs for the kids, and spent some time visiting.

Now we are trying to stay focused for a few days, get everything unpacked, get some school work finished, and clean up around the house.

Lent is almost over, Holy Week is already upon us and Easter will soon arrive. Another busy week ahead!

Easter

I hope you all had a blessed Easter with your families and friends. Ours was wonderful. As we headed out to church Saturday evening it seemed a little more like Christmas, with beautiful thick snow flakes falling to the ground; but, once we entered the church and participated in the Easter Vigil Mass there was no mistaking that Lent is once again behind us and we rejoice in the risen Christ.

Each year on Good Friday we try to do a "cross" craft. This year we decorated wood crosses with broken glass pieces. The kids really enjoyed it and the crosses turned out wonderful.








We spent Easter weekend with my family. Here are some pictures as we were getting ready to head to the Easter Vigil Saturday night.
(Unfortunately, Lloyd opted out of the photo shoot.)









Sunday was spent at my sister's house enjoying a wonderful dinner. The kids hunted for Easter eggs, played, and ate candy while the adults visited. All and all, it was a very pleasant day. On our way home Sunday evening, we spotted at least 32 deer. Here is one group I was able to catch a photo of. The second group run off before I was able to snap the picture.






And, as you can see here, we were blessed with a beautiful sunset.



It's Monday and the kids are still hiding plastic Easter eggs and sharing candy. The sun is shining brightly and the snow is melting. God is so very good to us!