Easter Morning

This year we sat down and tried to figure out what kind of Easter Traditions we wanted to start using with our family, being that this was the first time in 12 years Leon hasn't been playing Holy Week and Easter masses and the first time in our married life that we got to spend the holiday together. I gotta say, it was pretty great!

While we planned on hot cross buns for before mass, the preparations for our Easter dinner feast took over and we decided to pocket that one for next year. Instead, we crayoned and dyed our brown eggs with a few leftover dye that I found at a store last year. While they weren't the most stunning of colors, they did the trick. Too late in the process we found that you could actually by hard boiled white eggs at a few stores near us...add that one to next year's list. 

So after we colored our eggs on Holy Saturday we left them on the table for the Easter Bunny to hide for us. In the morning, the eggs were gone, he left a parental map for recapturing the eggs and we were off to hunt for our breakfast. 

This happened somewhere in between pajamas and church clothes for Stella. Note the "Buona Pasqua" box upside-down on the floor, marked with an Easter egg on the top. The tricky bunny only had so many hiding spots for the baskets, and it was essential that the eggs were found and eaten first.

Perfect model toe point

 They were so thrilled they did a fish dance.

Emma did her part in peeling the eggs. Stella...not so much.

"After that, can you peel me some grapes, too?"

 This job did require extreme focus. So much so as to cut out all facial expressions.

"Must...keep...peeling"

 Fortunately the supervisor was kindhearted and not very demanding.

"I'm still not sure I'm going to even eat those things" 

"No really, Stella! They're great!
With enough mustard, mayo and bread, you can eat anything!"

 But no, Stella did not eat those eggs. She was holding out (though she didn't even know it) for a much, much bigger egg. And in this case, bigger was certainly better.

No mustard required here.

 It was a chore, but the kids did manage to work through those massive chocolate eggs. Fortunately, not all before church.

Oh the drudgery!

 Just kidding. She just had to remember that her face worked.

Best. Breakfast. Ever.

 Leon only looks nervous because he's not wearing any pants and I have a camera.

"Act natural. Just acting natural."

 Dieter had a little basket as well, just without hair clips and without the cool strobe light flowers on a spring handle. Turns out he wanted he could have used one of those flowers.

"WHAT THE?!..."
 

 Or he could just steal both of his sisters' toys and call it good.

"Power! I feel the power!!

 Soon after that breakfast party ended we scurried off to mass at Santo Spirito in Sassia for some good ol' english language liturgy, made a mental note not to ever let the children eat so much sugar before mass, especially a mass I'd like to participate in, and then captured our likeness (add that to the tradition list) before changing and start cooking our ultimate Easter feast.

Happy Easter!

Then, I couldn't choose the best, so I'll just include all the out-takes of the peanut gallery here:

 "Give him a hug!"

"Perfect!"

"Now bring out his double chin! Good!"

I could do this all day. Can't get enough of these faces! So glad our family gets to see their cuteness too.

We had such a dinner party that afternoon that included three seminarians, a family of four, and a surprise visit from my old favorite CUA roommate (who's brother is a seminarian) plus some. Leon cooked the meal full force with 3 or 4 appetizers, almost completely normal American-style braised ham, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed asparagus, ginger and cinnamon carrots with currants,followed by delicious carrot cake and peanut butter truffles. I made my favorite parts of the meal: dessert and drinks, which included a cool green champagne punch. Yes, you should see the way I mix juices and liquor together. It takes skill.

This was definitely a very memorable and fun Easter day. At the end of the cleaning we fell exhausted to the nearest cushion. Only for a few moments of course, because we had yet to pack for our Easter vacation. At 10 pm I started packing, finished around midnight and we left the next morning at 6am to catch our early train to Florence.

But that's something for another blog post. :)




To Be Continued...