Long live long weekends!

Ah, the long weekend. Reed had Friday off so we got an extra day to enjoy together. We decided to go to a Maundy Thursday service with my parents because we didn't think we'd get to sit through the Easter Sunday service at our church due to serving. It was a great service where they walk through God's plan for us through Jesus' life in song (not like an opera or anything, but basic narration and carefully selected songs). As they sing, they light candles in the front of the stage including a tall one in the middle. It concludes with the last supper and Jesus' death on the cross. They blow out all of the candles but the tall one, and the lights are very dim. They ask you to exit solemnly contemplating the meaning and significance of it all. The pastor leads the exit with the one tall candle in hand, the one that is never extinguished. It's very moving.
Friday, we went to IHOP for breakfast and Evy loved it. I like their French crepes even though they put too much orange marmalade on them. I just scrape it off and then dip. We read the Easter story to her out of her toddler Bible and opened all of the Resurrection Eggs and talked about the objects we found inside. Reed did the lawn and we went to the grocery store and video store. We made beef nachos and ate them in the family room while we watched Dora (Evyn's choice). Then after we put her to bed we watched Casino Royale. Pretty good. More like what I think a Bond movie should be. (I always thought Pierce Brosnan would be the ultimate Bond, but was quite disappointed.) Anyway, on Saturday we made a trek out to the HEB in First Colony and then stopped for Double Dave's. It was rainy and very cold so the perfect day to stay indoors. We watched our taped episode of Lost and put together MaryEvyn's Easter basket and eggs and hid them inside.
Easter was wonderful and we even got to enjoy one of the services together. The egg hunt was very fun and I could just picture the grin on Hugh's face as he dropped all of those eggs! We then had an early dinner at Mom and Dad's with my brother, Kevin, and his family (all 3 cousins) and Jim and Harriet. Much fun...Evy loves to play with Bailey, my youngest neice. And she really enjoyed the gift I gave her.
So we spent the whole weekend with just our little family and then the rest of the family. I loved it. I was never bored. We topped it off last night by watching the video we had taken of Evy on Easter morning and then decided to watch some old ones of her when she was little (little-er...I should say). Wow, she hardly looks the same! It was wonderful, and I hope that yours was as well! He is risen, indeed!