Saturday was full of preparations for the big day. We started by baking our lamb cake. My Great-Grandma Louisa always baked a lamb cake from her cast iron mold on Easter. For the past several years Mom and I have carried on the tradition and made and decorated our lamb cake for dessert on Easter Sunday. This year Nolan got to help! We tried out a new lemon poppy seed recipe and spread on some delicious lemon cream cheese frosting before coating it with coconut to look like the lamb's fleece.
Later that day, after being such a good boy for our errands, we let Nolan play at Pioneer Park for a bit. It was amazing to see the difference in confidence and coordination in him since last fall. I think his Little Movers class has really helped him feel more brave. He ran up and down the jungle gyms and raced down the slides. He even did some climbing/hanging on some of the monkey bars. But I think his favorite was still the big blue swing. He was absolutely giddy, belly-laughing as Grandpa Jim gave him underdogs. He has such a great, contagious laugh.
After we got home from the park, it was time to dye our Easter eggs. Nolan was a good helper this year and enjoyed seeing the different colors and writing everyone's names on the different eggs. The rest of the evening was spent finishing the preparations for Easter brunch so the next morning would run smoothly.
This year was pretty exciting because all of Nolan's grandparents agreed to go in with us on a special Easter present for him - his very own, brand-new Lion Guard bike. We were so excited to see his face! After looking around for his basket and finding some great treats from the Easter bunny, we took him into the nursery where we had the bike hidden. At first, he thought it was a bike for Livi, since it was in her nursery. But once we explained that it was for him, he was eager to take a ride. I can't wait until he can ride along with us when we walk down to Hodag Park this summer! Warm weather hurry, please!
After breakfast, we headed to church. I played piano for Trinity that morning, and it's sure a workout on those big holidays. So much music! It was a very nice service and from what I could hear (over by the piano) the kids seemed to behave pretty well. Olivia got to wear my green sweater and booties that were given to me from Grandma Edie when I was a baby.
After church, we headed back to our house for one of my favorite meals of the year: Easter brunch. We started things off with Mimosas and Bloody Caesars, followed by so much delicious food. We had Mom's famous Caesar salad, roasted lamb with Eric's signature rosemary pesto, Patti's tasty cheesy hashbrowns, ham, fruit salad with orange-vanilla dressing, my favorite asparagus dish, and of course, eggs in a basket. For some reason, the first year we hosted Easter, Eric declared that eggs in a basket are an essential Easter tradition. All they are is an egg baked inside a hashbrown nest made in a muffin tin. They are never that tasty, but still Eric insists that eggs in a basket are for Easter. Not negotiable. I even tried to lure him away with a peanut butter and chocolate nest for candy eggs, and he remained steadfast on his Easter tradition. So, I guess eggs in a basket are going to be with us for a while longer...
Eric and I are so blessed that our parents get along and enjoy each other's company so much. (They even vacation together!) We had a nice time visiting and Grandma Ruby even stopped by to visit for a little bit. I love the simplicity of this gathering and how relaxing it is. It makes it easy to reflect on the unfailing love of our Risen Lord and our call to love one another as he loved us. Christ the Lord is Risen. Alleluia.
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