Easter Weekend 2017...and Levi's Last First

I think I've mentioned this before, but I was incredibly happy that we still had one last "first" to celebrate with Levi, even after his first birthday: Easter.

It was such a wonderful weekend! The weather was spectacularly beautiful, for one. I don't remember very many Easter weekends spent in shorts, or wearing a dress to church without having to layer on a sweater or jacket, but it was just gorgeous all weekend long!

I saw an image somewhere a year or so ago of a baby in bunny ears, sitting facing the rising or setting sun, and it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. So of course I've had it in my mind to try and recreate it with my own cute bunny. Well, not so much. I am having the hardest time with my settings lately, and there is so much blur. Drives me insane! But also, Levi is on the go and rarely sits still, so I know that has something to do with it as well.

Either way, here is my sweet little bunny baby.

Yeah, those ears lasted all of .4 seconds :)

There is so much I love about this particular image, I can't even.

Wisps, sunlit ear, rolls, his little man "hunch"- in love with every single detail.

Saturday night was almost as bad a night as we've ever had. Yes, I do feel like I say that a lot. But bad is bad, I guess. I think I got maybe two hours of sleep? And I had forgotten to take out all the basket stuff from my closet and there was NO way I was sneaking around in there in the dark in the morning. I was thinking up clever bunny excuses for why the baskets were all empty on the table at one point. But it all worked out, like it always does.

These were probably the leanest baskets I've ever had, but everything is so expensive lately, and if you've been reading for long, you know our money trees got whacked last month, ha ha.

Oops, two more...a little blurry but his face is so sweet.

 And this one captures his curious look- note the hand in mid Easter grass retrieval :)

FYI, there were nearly three China casualties and a few taper candle mishaps during the making of this little photo session. This boy is quick!

On Friday, I got everyone out of school early and we got some shakes and ice cream cones and played at the park. It was the most beautiful day!

Saturday morning was low-key and kind of slow, which was a nice change of pace. I even ended up home alone for an hour or so, and I won't lie, it was really (really!) nice. :)

I may have had to run into town for a half yard of fabric for Isabelle's dress, oops. Nothing like saving it till the last minute, but it did go together well.

Saturday afternoon was time for making messes. Ugh.Truth be told, coloring eggs is one of my least favorite things to do. But everyone wanted to, so what's a Mom to do?

My parents came over and I let them loose. This one got so unbearably fussy. I think he caught on to the fact that while I gave him a brush and some water, clearly he was missing out on the good stuff.

 Mid squawk - he gets so, so loud when he gets going. Sometimes I wonder what the neighbors think is going on!

They look pretty at least. And I remembered to put them in the fridge before morning, so there's that.

The colors did come out really well. Isabelle wanted to add stickers, and of course they get all lumpy and never stick right. I tried something new with foil and glitter this year, too, but it was a total fail. The whole thing! So we stuck with the basics.

One of the twig crosses that Ethan made me several years ago and some decorations from Levi's baby shower, which I knew would work well for future Easters. I still haven't shared the "After" pictures of all our painting- the color is so calming and pretty, and looks good with everything.

Easter lilies remind me of my grandmothers. My Dad delivered an Easter lily to their house every year growing up, and I'm not sure I realized how special that was until fairly recently.

And here they come. Happy Easter morning! He is risen!

 These two. All the heart eyes.

This year, Isabelle and I went on a special date to choose her fabric and pattern. Normally I just pick it all out myself. She is growing up so fast! I look at this picture and my heart swells because I feel like she was JUST my baby girl and now she is becoming a beautiful young lady.

Poor Bill was really sick on Easter Sunday and didn't come with us to church or to visit family afterwards, either. That was no fun. :(  When you feel yourself coming down with something but also aren't able to get quality sleep, well, it's all kind of miserable. It won't last forever, though.

I think this just might be my new favorite photo!

 Or this one!

Levi got restless, and because his nose is still a bit runny, I wasn't going to bring him to the nursery. Not like he'd let me leave him there anyway, but... Ethan held him and he nearly fell asleep he was so comfortable. Then he got a second wind and thoroughly entertained himself by feeding Ethan crackers...that had already been in his own mouth. YUCK! But Ethan let him do it. Such a good big brother. Levi would reach right up and shove a fistful into his mouth, ha ha.

One more of my two littlest loves. I don't know why, but Isabelle just looks way too grown up in all these pictures. I didn't notice so much during the day, but I see it now.

We had lunch with my parents and then we headed over to my in-laws to visit with them. Such a great day!

While baskets and pretty dresses and adorable bunny baby photos, and even nice weather, are all wonderful things, they are not what matters most at Easter time. Jesus matters most, and the sacrifice He made for ME and for YOU. I used to think that I had to be perfect, or at least strive to be perfect, in order for God to love me, but the truth is, all He ever wanted was for me to love Him. That's it. That's IT. He just wants us to love Him because He loves us so much. It's the simplest yet most profound thought I'll ever know.

I hope you had a beautiful and meaningful Easter weekend as well. :)