Easter Weekend

 

Easter weekend has come and gone.

 

 

 

The eggs have been hunted.

The chocolate has been eaten.

The bunny cakes have been delivered.

The frocks have been worn.

The chicks have hatched and the bunnies have done what bunnies do best.

The resurrection story has been told.

The festivities have been finished.

 

But, the tomb is still empty.

 

The grave could not hold my King!

 

For that reason, even a week later, we are still celebrating Easter.

 

Easter weekend began on Thursday, when Baker had his school's Easter Egg Hunt.

 

What a wonderful celebration!

Almost overnight, two families turned his entire preschool into an Easter Eggstravaganza!

They threw an incredible party and hid hundreds of eggs for the children.

It is spectacular the way others pour love and generosity into our school family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday, Brian was off work, so he let Baker play hooky from school and they had a boys' day.

They did some major damage to a few dozen chicken minis, worked on Baker's big boy room, and left their mark on Target.

 

I love the way these two have turned into best buds.

 

 

 

 

We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying family.

Easter Sunday was the most special day.

We eagerly dressed for church and loved celebrating our Risen Savior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I sat in the service, with my husband beside me, a precious little boy just a few feet down the hall, and another kicking rhythmically to the praise songs, I became acutely aware of the magnitude of the day.

 

My heart threatened to burst right out of my chest.

As I sang along with the worship team, I was reminded that Easter isn't about egg dyeing or matching outfits.

It's not about the perfect meal or chicks and bunnies.

It's about the cross, the sacrifice.

It's about a love so fierce not even a stone could secure it.

It's about grace.

It's about a living Jesus.

It's a single day worth celebrating all year long.

 

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

and life is worth the living just because He lives."

 

And just for fun,

 

Baker's First Easter

 

 

Baker's Second Easter

 

Baker's Third Easter

 

 

Next year will be Baker's Fourth Easter and James Barrett's First Easter.

I am positively giddy at the thought of celebrating with two little Bell boys!

 

 

 

 

13 Thoughts for Thursday

Thursday Thoughts

1. Mommy of an almost two year old brain is way worse than pregnancy brain. I frequently walk to the bedroom in quest of something, and as soon as my feet rub the coarseness of the familiar carpet, that thing I was so desperately searching escapes me. Unable to be retrieved. A foreign thought.

2. Some verses inspire. Some encourage. Some convict. And some challenge the heck out of me. Thessalonians 5:16-8 cover them all. I am wrapping the words around the walls of my heart. Painting them on my hands. Scribbling them on sticky notes. Praying them over my day. Arguing with them. Pleading for them to encompass my entire being.

3. Our Advocare order arrived today. I am equal parts thrilled and terrified. Brian and I are in full on meal planning, exercise scheduling, Spark slurping mode. Bring on April 21 and the start to our 24 Day Challenge.

4. The thought of embarking on a new anything with my husband at my side makes me giddy excited. He's my person. Whether it's walking down the aisle, having a baby, buying a home, or just setting fitness goals together, he's the one I want holding me accountable and encouraging my every step.

5. We had Baker's IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan) yesterday. We got to eliminate three goals he's mastered. Whoop, Whoop Baker Boy! We also added a few developmentally appropriate goals. I refrained from bear hugging everyone on my way out the door. I was so filled with encouragement and admiration and appreciation for the people who work so diligently to help him reach his full potential. They work so tirelessly, and love our boy, and educate our family, and equip us with strategies and tools and confidence and hope for the future.

6. I have started planning Baker's second birthday party. How in the world my baby boy is almost two is beyond me.

7. My favorite picture from his first birthday.

8. All winter I prayed, pleaded for summer. Begging for longer days. Wishing for warmth and sunshine. Craving lemonade off front lawns. Drinking sweet tea out of mason jars. Slicing juicy watermelon and sinking my teeth into its delectable goodness. Sand and seashells and sandals. Barbeques and picnics. Hammocks and slides. Lightning bugs and hummingbirds. Sucking honeysuckles from the vine, popping blueberries and muscadines. Until today. Our air conditioning went kaput. Down for the count. Belly up. Bumma. Big time bumma.

9. I have one container of peanut butter in my pantry, one in my office, one in my car. I have a problem. And one I don't plan on addressing any time soon.

10. The Scandal finale comes on tonight. There are no words.

11. My sister is currently in Queensland, Brisbane. Yup, Australia. I'm using my best Aussie accent right here in Alabama and pretending to be down under with her. I love her adventurous spirit.

12. Easter candy is the best candy. Starting Advocare the day after Easter was not by coincidence.

13. I love Easter. I love the bunnies, the candy, the chicks, the pastels, the dying eggs, the coordinating outfits. I love the hype surrounding Easter. It gives me the warm fuzzies. It gives me the warm fuzzies until I look past the glitz and glamour and clutter clouding the seasonal aisles at the grocery store, and see the man on the cross. That part of Easter is not about glam, or festivities, or a specially planned outfit. It's about the ultimate sacrifice. It's about a beautiful love story. It's about the crucifixion and the resurrection. It's about an empty tomb. It's about grace. It's about the Savior.

Popsicles and Pajamas

It's raining, and even my sweet Baker Boy's disposition reflects the weather.

He's a little sick today.

And while that means changing plans,

and trading Easter frocks and Sunday lunch for pajamas and popsicles,

we are celebrating today.

Because this is a day of rejoicing.

 

After a fun Easter Egg Hunt yesterday, Baker started running a fever. And since it started, it's been nonstop. Fever, throwing up, rash, sleeping and then not sleeping.

I'm thinking it's strep again. This is just the way it started last time.

I had big plans for the weekend.

Dress up in our finest to worship our risen Lord on Easter morning, 

Sunday lunch with Brian's parents and grandparents, then a visit from mine. 

Fun, and frocks, and food, and family.

Instead, we've been home with a sick little.

But, what I learned was that Jesus can still be present in a home on Easter morning.

With a sick boy, and his exhausted mommy and daddy.

It doesn't take lights, and music, and a beautiful building to exalt the Most High.

We worshiped. And praised. And thanked the Lord for his perfect sacrifice.

Brian and I started the morning with cinnabunnies.

And then opening very small Easter baskets.

Do you see that Dropper Stopper? 

Glory!

We have a mad game of "Drop the Cup" going on 'round here

and I'm the sucker that falls for it.

Every. Single. Time.

Red Bull and chocolates for Brian, if that's any indication of the nights we've had lately.

When Baker's fever spiked again, he donned new pajamas and tried out some yummy popsicles.

His sick little eyes are just pitiful.

But that curly hair slays me.

Slays, I tell ya.

 

 

Both sets of grandparents sent Easter baskets.

I love how much our parents love our little.

And during the short time he felt better this afternoon, well, we played dress up. 

I was determined to see him in his Easter outfit. 

Doggonit!

I think this is all part of it. 

The sick littles.

And changes in plans.

The trading Easter clothes and Sunday lunch for pajamas and popsicles.

It's part of it.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

 

Thank you, Lord for sending your precious son to die for me.

Thank you even more for not letting the story end there.

 

As I watched the season finale of the Bible series tonight,

I couldn't help but think about Mary.

How, oh how, did that mother watch her son die?

For her sins.

For my sins.

For our sins.

 

I've been sitting here literally aching, feeling physical pain at the hurt Baker is experiencing today. Every time he coughs, I wince. Every time he throws up, I whimper alongside him. But this, this strep, or cold, or sinus infection, or whatever it may be, pales in comparison.

 

So many times tonight, as I was watching this representation of the Bible, I started to turn away. It would have been so easy to change the channel and instead watch The Lucky One, which I had DVR'ed only a few hours earlier. But I didn't. I wanted to watch every lash, every whip, every nail driven into my Savior, every step as he shouldered the cross and in turn, carried the burden of my sin.

 

I am in awe of His perfect sacrifice and amazing grace.

Thank you, Jesus.

For living and dying.

For showering me daily with love and grace.

For a little boy who makes me better understand this.

Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

Easter.

Thank you, Jesus.

 

Sunday's a Comin'

All week long, the devil has been throwing distractions at me

imploring me to focus my attention elsewhere.

These distractions, they've been in all shapes and forms.

Anything to distract me from the glory of my sweet Jesus and the perfect sacrifice He gave on that Friday.

And he's won.

 

If I was keeping score, it would quite likely be something similar to

Satan - 37

Jennifer - 0.

And that's being far too lenient on my behalf.

 

Finally, yesterday.
I shouted it.

After I had enough.

After I started my hateful grumblings once again.

 

"In the name of Jesus, get away from me Satan!"

 

And I felt this peace, this all encompassing peace.

All of the burdens that I was carrying, the pain I was experiencing,

the hateful grumblings I was muttering, they disappeared.

And they were replaced.

With feelings of humility, and awe inspiring gratitude.

For the amazing gift of grace I have received.

 

I have a Savior, He knows my name.

And on that Friday, He was tortured, and beaten, and mocked, and scorned.

And then, he was cruficied.

And with his hands and his feet, my sins were nailed to the cross.

It was me he died for.

He was slain and died so I could live,

live today in hope of living eternally with my sweet Jesus.

 

But it doesn't end there.

It was Friday, but Sunday was a comin'.

 

If you haven't seen this yet, I encourage you to watch.

It's pretty incredible.

 

 

Three days later, my Jesus conquered the grave.

Sin and death had been defeated.

The tomb could not hold my King!

 

What an amazing gift of grace.

Nothing I have done in this whole life could have earned me this gift.

It's a pardon for my sin that has been freely given, I just had to accept it.

 

It was me he died for.

But it was also you.

He died for me and he died for you.

So that we could live.

 

I pray that on this Easter weekend,

if you haven't accepted this amazing gift of grace, that you will do so.