Easter Weekend, continued.

We spent the weekend at my Dad's farm and so Sunday although our favorite church is in downtown Louisville we decided to go with him to church out in the country. Due to a shortage of Priest in the area there is only one service at his church which causes this little country church to be so crowded on holidays that they hold Mass in the old school's gymnasium. It's a little disappointing to not celebrate Easter Mass in beautifully decorated church, but it was nice to get to be able to go to church with Dad. And despite the lack of a holy presence in the building itself, Easter Mass is an emotional Mass for me. After I got of the hospital from my medical ordeal (I'm still not sure what to call it) someone from our parish called me to talk. I told her that I was strong enough now and would be able to attend Easter at the Cathedral. She was so excited and exclaimed it was a personal Resurrection for me to be able to attending Easter as my first after since leaving the hospital. She was right. I will never forget when I walked up to our priest at communion the gigantic smile that crossed his face as he said "Angela, the body of Christ". It was emotional then and is still emotional for me now. I know that Easter isn't about me, it's about Christ, but every year during Easter Mass I think back to three years ago. I recall everything that happened, all the darkness, sadness and pain and then I think of the triumph of my overcoming and the peace that I finally felt in Mass that day. Although it wasn't the end of my journey to recovery it was definitely a defining moment solidified the end and rebirth much in the same way we celebrate the rebirth Christ. I feel a special connection at Easter and it's something I cherish every year.
Moving on, we managed to get one Easter family picture this year.

I was lazy and recycled Landon's Easter outfit from last year. Last year it was a little big and I knew he wouldn't last long in dress clothes so I figured I might as well just let him wear it one last time. It was good for our family picture.
After Church family came over and we had an Easter dinner. Dad cooked a lamb leg on the grill and despite not normally caring for lamb, it was actually pretty good. My Dad on the other hand, LOVES lamb. That's the Croatian in him. He's got a glimmer in eye just preparing it.

After dinner Landon had another Easter Egg hunt which he loved just as much as the one the day before.

 At the end of the hunt was his Easter basket and an obligatory picture despite the sun in his eyes.

Instead of a bunch of candy we focused on getting him fun little toys mostly geared to playing outside. Since Christmas and his birthday come back to back in the middle of winter this was a good time to get him a few things he wouldn't have been able to play with then. Target $1 bins are gold mines and there I found a paper airplane kit, sidewalk chalk, game of catch with a suction ball and two paddles, ninja turtle socks and a water gun. I also got him some army men, a tank, bubble bath, a hat, sunglasses and a few little treats. Little man's been needing a hat, but since he wasn't with me when I got it of course it was too small. Also, his sunglasses which were cute to look at, look horrible on him.

He looks bug eyed and I can't stand it. We will have to find something else. On the other hand, almost everything else was a big hit. The two biggest hits were the army men and the water gun. When I say the army men were a hit, I don't just mean with Landon either. Papa took them over right away and taught Landon all about the art of war.

And after Landon fought the battle against Papa's men, won, and grew tired of the army men Daddy and Papa "played" with them on their own debating logistics, accuracy and outcomes. Boys will always be boys.

The water gun, the other wildly popular Easter gift was a small little $0.99 gun perfect for a three year old.

But once again Papa decided to get in on the action and bring out the big guns which broke out in an all out water gun war. There's a lack of pictures due to me being involved as well.

Somehow Landon ended the fight with the biggest gun of all.

Growing up there were many epic water gun fights at our house. I can't remember how many times my Dad and brother and sometimes friends would run around the house, even inside the house, spraying each other and having a blast. It was really fun being able to do the same with my own Son. The water guns my Dad still has are a little old now and even water gun technology has greatly increased in the last 15-20 years. Looking at Target the other day I think I'm going to invest in a mack daddy so next time I can have the upper hand.
Despite all the fun we decided to return home Sunday night so we could celebrate Adam's birthday on Monday in Nashville.

I've realized one upside from living away from family is that the time you do have together is even more cherished than it ever was before. It's by no means better than living nearby, but every time we visit it's a constant weekend of fun, family and love. Easter this year was a great combination of all three. I wouldn't change it for the world.

Oh and since Landon has been around for four Easters now I thought it would be neat to compare each year. The first year unfortunately we have no pictures, but heres an Easter picture of him at 1 and 2 years old. My how they grow!