Easter Sunday!

The Easter Bunny came Sunday morning delivering baskets with a giant chocolate egg with a surprise inside, marshmallows, juice boxes, candy chickens, and of course gummy candies and little chocolate eggs. Word of the baskets on the table immediately cleared away the cranky wake-up that started to happen. :)

Breakfast of Champions

 Stella, I don't think really knew what it was at first. Only that it was shiny.

"Can I get one of these weekly?"

 We allowed the kids to go to town eating marshmallows and anything they could open to have for their breakfast while we got ready for mass. Leon was at the vigil at the NAC the night before while I stayed home. We then had a very quiet latin mass in the downstairs chapel with 5 other people. Our little family inspired the whole homily. In sum, it was thanking us for being a real family and living inside a seminary where the seminarians have no other connection to real life. Oh and thanks for being so cute. (You had to read between the lines for that one.)

But we are pretty cute, don'tcha think?

Easter 2014

 Especially the floppy-headed guy in the front. Way to take in life and live it to the fullest little guy!

After mass, we came home and did our Easter Photo Shoot to capture the kids in the height of the liturgical year.

Emma.
Boss Supreme.

Sisters.
Very Sneaky.

Smiles: The ultimate parental weapon.

Saying Cheese!

Hugs.

Professional models use that look all the time.

 Then we went in and started cooking our feast. And the kids started the massive chocolate challenge. They each picked up their egg. For a minute, Emma just looked at and didn't know where to begin. Stella, with no hesitation, shoved as much as she could into her mouth and started gnawing on it.

That's my girl!

 She was the first to break through. I had to eventually help with the chocolate consumption and the egg proved to be far superior that what we expected. It was milk chocolate lined with white chocolate on the inside. So good!

Success!

 What Emma may have lacked in speed compared to her sister, she made up in enthusiasm.

MY egg!

 Keep it up little chocolate monster!

Must...reach...toy!

This sort of event takes a lot of concentration, as you can see here.
Or is that a sugar coma? I can't quite tell...

I don't know my name, but I know I like chocolate :)

 We realized after the fact we didn't photo any of our feast, but we had over one seminarian, one girl Leon knew from CUA who happened to be at the NAC, and a couple from Seattle whom we met here in Rome.

Our meal? Greek stuffed chicken breasts, pigs in a blanket with Italian sausage, roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions, steamed broccoli, a green salad, fruit salad, and for dessert a home-made carrot cake and an Italian cake in the shape of a chick.

Both, clearly,  professionally decorated.
*Ahem*

We had a fantastic time and the guests didn't go home until after 10pm. Buona Pasqua a tutti!