a beautiful day...

this is my favorite day of the year. hands down. not necessarily because of what goes on around me {although i do love a get together} but more because of what goes on inside of me. i just really love this day and what it means. and as the day draws to close i can feel myself wanting to savor the sweetness of it all just a little longer.

each year since we've been in birmingham i've wanted to host the easter lunch. we do christmas lunch at my brother's, thanksgiving with either parents, but easter is mine. and everyone is welcome. so each year i have set a place for jesus at the head of our table. he is risen you know. risen indeed and i want him smack dab at the head of our feast!


and even though the food has been packed away. dishes are cleaned. company is gone and babies put to bed, i have left his place setting there. i don't want to put it up yet. just a little longer sweet jesus. just a little longer.


on to more pictures from the day...



here's georgia and her cousin, winn. who has his very 1st birthday in 18 days!

we also had a couple of impostor bunnies running around. and pretty cute ones at that!

and for the last 2 years i hid plastic eggs for the kids to hunt. however it was more about teaching than a hunt. i hid them all in the neighbors yard and then turned them loose in our yard. it took about 3 minutes for them to realize that something was up. so they asked where all the eggs where. so then i turned to luke and read them the story of the empty tomb. the women that went to get jesus couldn't find him either. and why??? BECAUSE HE IS RISEN!!!

anyway, this year i didn't do it. they've heard the story and i figured i would do something else and maggie asked halfway through lunch if we were going to find the eggs. um. well. i hadn't planned for it i told her. well, not to worry she said because she had a bag full of plastic eggs that we {uncle harold} could hide. so he did. and even though there was no candy in them they still had a blast looking for them.

i found some random hersey bars left over from something that were the 'prizes'. but really it could have been anything. are kids not the greatest teachers. joy comes from the experience. do you see anything but joy in that picture above? that's goodness i tell you.

this was the scene at one point in georgia's room. babies babies everywhere. {and that wasn't them all}

and here are my parents {Cissy & Chief } with all 5 of their grandkids. do you think they are proud???

and just because it makes my heart melt...here's a picture of walker kissing georgia's feet goodbye. what a lucky girl she is to have such sweet cousins.

and if you're still reading i have something fun to share...

since jesus christ through his death and resurrection has given us the free gift of eternal life, i thought it would be fun to give something away too. so you see those cute little tags above???

post your favorite easter tradition in the comment section and i'll use a random generator thing to choose someone to receive 2 dozen handmade gift tags by yours truly. you see a chick above but you'll receive an assortment of different designs. but all very very cute. so all you readers that never comment, let me hear from you...i'll announce the winner on wednesday.

i hope your day has been beautiful as well. here's to a very joyful week...

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2