We started off Easter weekend with a Seder dinner at church on Thursday. Eric got nominated to chant a few lines of Hebrew for this. He did a great job - he even got a round of applause. The kids really enjoyed the whole meal presentation as well. It was explained well, interesting and well attended. We had attended a similar meal a few years back, but neither of us could honestly recall much of it (as we probably spent most of our time chasing and/or attending to our young(er) children). It is nice to be able to give something our full attention these days.
Friday we exchanged 'Easter gifts' rather than do baskets of candy. Since we got a couple of board games, we tried those out. It was a relatively nice, quiet evening together. Star Wars Clone Wars Monopoly can take a long time, but Eric was up for the challenge and won the first game. All of his General Grievous action figures were by his side as he did.
Saturday morning we headed out east, by car, which is not our usual (with the dogs). The trip went better than expected. The Dog House just opened up so we got to make our first (probably of many) trip there for delightful ice cream treats. We had a lovely turkey dinner at Jon's Aunt & Uncle's house nearby. This gave us a chance to catch up with some cousins we do not get to see very often. Jon & Andrew got to jam awhile on their guitars too.
Sunday moring began bright and early with the Sunrise Service at the Lutheran church Jon grew up attending. After this, we colored some eggs. The egg hunt was a worthwhile challenge for the boys as well as they were rewarded with some favorite snack cakes for their efforts. We spent some time up at the park walking the dogs, running and/or playing hide-and-seek, depending on who you are talking about. Later, we all gathered for a wonderful meal with all the fixings and plenty of treats. It was nice to have Jon's grandparents gathered together. They even got somewhat of a concert with boy boys demonstrating some of their musical talents for them. Jesse made a couple of trips over to Grandma Jane and Grandpa Tom's to play their piano. Once he got to playing, he was on a roll and kept going and going.
One of our dogs got a little too anxious for our return trip, but other than that event, we had a smooth ride home. The boys then decided on Max & Erma's for an early dinner. Much to our dismay, they were out of chicken tortilla soup. They tried to make it up to us...through warm, baked cookies. So, I think they were forgiven...this time. Most of us returned to routine today, with the exception of Jesse who had an extra day off...so he was Daddy's helper at the Science Center. They met up with some 'old' friends who we haven't seen in nearly three years now. The rest of us should get to see them tomorrow evening too as they close out the Lenten afterschool program. Eric has been helping out with teaching, Jesse has been participating (as this is his last year to do so, given he is becoming one of the 'older' kids) and then we show up to share a meal and get our kids back. So, that is basically what has been 'hoppening' with us!
