Spring?

This winter was long and cold and spring just can't come soon enough.  So I am not so sure my iris buds were appreciative of the white stuff yesterday. 

Spring truly IS beautiful around here ... whenever it finally decides to come!  But Ava brought me some beautiful flowers from her yard yesterday.  I was very grateful for a bit of spring.  Not that I know what they are called, but they are lovely!

Praise the Lord, it's Easter!

Easter is a big deal around our house - Jesus is the center focus of our family and this day has been greatly anticipated.  We have been preparing our hearts, focusing on our unworthiness & Jesus' unselfish greatness of dying on the cross and rising from the dead, triumphing over eternal condemnation for us.  Our house has been decorated for Easter for 6 weeks & the Easter story read and re-read.  I was up late last night, making blueberry muffins for breakfast, stuffing eggs with candy, and pulling out all the treasures I have hidden around the kitchen in the past few weeks - all while watching the Ten Commandments, of course.  And this morning was a fun hustle of basket reveals, egg hunts, muffins & church clothes.

Popeye and Olive Oyle contributed to the overflowing baskets (er, buckets) of gifts.

And yes, even South Paw received an Easter gift.  She was elated!

And we had the pleasure of coloring boiled eggs yesterday with our dear little friends, Ava and Loralei.  There's just something about the pureness of children's happiness that is so contagious!