The Chefs of Easter Dinner

Easter dinner prep started Saturday morning with lots of happy helpers!

The fun of cooking was just too overwhelming they needed a break.

Sunday afternoon we added the finishing touches and desserts.

My Three Sweet Chefs,

I had a blast preparing Easter dinner with you!

Thanks for all of your great help!

Love, Mommy

Coloring Easter Eggs

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Easter is the time I long to be "back home" more than any other time of year. As I think about all the special memories of Easter I guess more than wanting to go "home" I want to go home as an 8 years old and walk through another Easter day soaking it all in. Easter Sun-Rise service, breakfast at church, going to Grandma's and eating until you think you will pop, flying kites and playing Little House with enough cousins that we even had Jack the dog covered. It makes me smile to even think about it all.
I can't go back to being 8 years old hunting eggs on the farm or even go "home" this year for Easter so we do something almost as wonderful. We are making new memories for us and our girls. Last Saturday we hosted what has become our Easter tradition...

we fill the eggs,

get out the Easter decorations,

open the doors to our small group family, who cart in kids and food

fill the plates and table
relax and enjoy this new kind of Easter celebrations!!

With full bellies we head outside for the big Easter egg hunt.

(By big we're talking about 170+ eggs.)

The sweet time shared by this celebration and new tradition is enough to make me float for days, and that's just a hint of how long the girls talked about all the fun they had!!

We have been so blessed to have an amazing family "back home" and an amazing small group family here at home. We love you all and thank you for being what you are to us and our girls!!!

The Final Leg of the Journey Home!

An early morning started with a dash toward the car rental drop off spot. Next came the shuttle to the airport (the girls still rank the shuttles at the top of the great experience list.) Then the dreaded airport check in was somewhat bumpy and stirred up some frustrations but breakfast would fix everyone. (The girls and Mark were watching breakfast being prepared through the glass. Its funny what is so entertaining to them.) The hours on the plane were fairly smooth.

For some reason Mackenzie loved to be on the floor of the plane, but at least she wasn't crying right?!

One last shuttle to the parking lot at the Charlotte airport.

As we waited for Mark to get the car I happily surveyed and saw we indeed did make it back with all 3 suitcases, 5 backpacks, all 3 girls, and many many amazing memories!!!

And then, there was this...

... but its ok, the piles of laundry will eventually go away.

The memories will last forever!!!!

Just When We Thought The Fun Was Over...

As all vacations do, this one too was coming to an end. While Daddy loaded all that luggage into the rental car we took a few minutes to say goodbye to our week's "home away from home."

The morning was delayed a little as one of the fairy dolls was hiding under the bed trying to stay in this beautiful place that amazed us. BUT, Daddy was the hero of the morning. He found the hiding fairy and made a plan for the day that would turn out to be nothing short of fantastic!!

Knowing when Daddy is at the wheel there is always an adventure wherever we stop (and with a little encouragement) the girls stored up a little energy during the trip back to Denver.

When the car found its parking spot the girls were all too excited to see this huge building just waiting to be explored. Oh the experiences!!
What would water be like on the surface of Mars?

Who can get to the middle of the maze first?
Can I keep my blinking reflexes from reacting even if I try really hard? What would it be like to be a paleontologist?
How much do I love building with Daddy?

What would it be like to be the director of paleontology?

Which one am I posing like a stalagmite or stalactite?

How big were those dinosaurs?

Was that thing more wild then me?

We were thrilled to experience the planetarium. I'm not sure who loved it more, the kids or me!

The big girls and Daddy went to a great IMAX movie about the discovery of "Dolly the Sea Monster." Mackenzie and I hit the snack bar.

Even after all this and so much more (I know I posted a lot of pics, but seriously I took 99 pictures at the museum alone) we wrapped up the day by walking through a beautiful park.

We headed toward a recommended restaurant and found a sweet "old-timey" diner. (They had the authentic tin lunch boxes all over the restaurant. It was like a walk down memory lane. Terri they even had a Dukes of Hazard one. If I could have I would have gotten it just for you :)

Exhausted from an amazing day, we checked into our final destination close to the airport for our next morning's departure.