Because Easter was going to look so different with just our family, we wanted to make it one that was remembered because of what we are celebrating and not because we had to stay home. A week before Easter, we talked about what we could prepare as a family--Geoff came up with the idea of making a stop-motion video and the girls jumped on that opportunity. I asked them to each think about what aspect of Jesus's life they wanted to portray and how they wanted to do it. On Monday we talked about everyone's ideas and I was so touched by the thought each child put into it and what direction they wanted to take it.
I loved working with each child as they put their movie together. I helped guide a few things, but all the topics, ideas, and scripts were their own. Now before I give the impression that we have it all together and everything is sunshine and roses--there was a time when I was working on the movie and kept getting interrupted and lost my patience. After I yelled at the kids to let me have 2 minutes of uninterrupted time, I went back to working on the video about the "Love of God"... Needless to say, I realized my actions reflected NOTHING about the Love of God and made much needed amends with the girls. We are far from perfect, but we're trying to head in the right direction. (A link to the video is at the bottom of this post.)
During naptime and some playtime, I enjoyed sewing the girls' dresses and Kyron's tie. The best part was seeing how thrilled the girls were with their new outfits...Kyron wasn't super excited about his tie--but he humored me and wore it for the photo shoot Easter morning.
Our neighbor, who happens to be a professional sport's photographer saw us trying to get a few pictures and came out with his camera and snapped a few stunning photos.
Easter afternoon, we had the opportunity to video chat with Grandma Furin which was part of the Easter traditions in Serbia. During Easter week, they invite a woman in the family to share her testimony of the Savior. It was a beautiful experience. Grandma DID dye an egg red with the onion skins before she met with us. She shared some stories of her mother and their life as a family growing up and how her humble circumstances didn't bring a lot of traditions, but she was introduced to Jesus Christ because of the priorities her parents kept. It was when she was a young girl that she came to know the Savior and feel of His love and because of those experiences, recognized the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ when the missionaries began teaching her.
Sunday night, I went to bed feeling so much of the love of our Savior. I know He Lives, I know He loves us, and I know that we all can experience joy in this life and the next because of Him.
I'm grateful for the blessing of time I had Easter week to prepare for this celebration and pray we all will remember the spirit and love that was felt as we reflected on the Son of God.
