Easter

I love holidays and traditions.  I just cannot "get into" so many of the "things" associated with Easter.  Like, the bunny.  What in the world does the bunny have to do with anything?  Or eggs?  When I was growing up, my parents (see: mom) would humor us with coloring hard boiled eggs.  As a parent, I have done this once with my kids.  They liked it ok...but then no one ate the eggs.  Not to mention, my house smelled like vinegar and sulfur for at least 3 days.  That stench is potent.  I love getting the girls a new dress to wear to church for Easter Sunday.  We always got a new dress growing up...usually matching ones with my sisters.  (The matching part I didn't like.)  I'm pretty sure my Grandma made us Easter baskets, and my mom would always fill it with that plastic grass and treats.  Usually there was a little egg hunt later on Sunday.   My parents would put silver dollars in some and candy in others.  I'm thinking I've done an official egg hunt maybe...twice.  Like I said, I just don't see the point, and I hate having bits and pieces of candy all over.  I'd rather give them an entire bag of their favorite candy instead of putting a piece or two in 20 different plastic eggs.  I was laughing last night with my Dad about Easter memories.  One of my earliest memories was when we were living in our trailer.  I remember waking up to see my beautiful Easter basket on the table.  I said excitedly, "Did the Easter Bunny leave this for me?"  My Dad in a cranky voice goes, "The Easter Bunny is stupid!  There is no Easter Bunny!"  HAHA!!  I was disappointed, and my mom promptly scolded my Dad for being such a turd to his gullible little 3 year old girl.  I know he wasn't meaning to hurt my feelings.  He was only trying to place emphasis on what the real meaning of Easter was.  So a few years ago, I started this egg hunt for our FHE on Sunday evening.  It satisfies the girls desire for a hunt and satisfies my desire for the focus to be where it should.  I have 12 eggs with scriptures and I'll usually fill some others with just candy.  They can open and snack on the candy while we read the scriptures.  I was actually going to skip it this year (thinking my girls had outgrown this tradition), but they asked for it and remembered the little pieces in the eggs.  I wanted to share this so, maybe one day my grandchildren can enjoy this tradition...no bunny needed or mentioned.  "The Easter Bunny's stupid!"       

 This is a chart I made representing the last week of the Savior's life.  I love how the construction paper strips are faded and the pictures are glued on crooked.  Why make a new one every year, right? We usually do this FHE before Easter.  

 Here are my 12 eggs.  There are a ton of renditions of this activity on pinterest.  I've just taken bits and pieces from some and added my own touch.  There are certain scriptures that just really speak to me with the different accounts.  These are my favorites.  This weekend as we were watching General Conference, Elder Nelson was talking about all the resources available to parents to help them teach their children.  I have thought to myself many times, "How were people parents before pinterest, Mormon channel, and lds.org??"  I am so thankful for help!  I am not clever or smart enough to come up with these ideas on my own!  Ha!  Egg 1: Sacrament, piece of saltine cracker

 Egg 2: Jesus washes the Apostle's feet.  We need to serve others.

 Egg 3: Jesus is the Lamb of God.  We talked about what that title meant.  I just raided my girls barbie/toy collection.

 Egg 4: Plastic ear (I x-acto knifed off one of their 67 Barbies).  The Savior was always showing love and working miracles.

 Egg 5: 3 dimes representing 30 pieces of silver that Judas betrayed Jesus for.  

 Egg 6: Small cup representing the "bitter cup".

 Egg 7: Piece of twine that I tried to make into a whip.  

 Egg 8: purple robe and crown of thorns.  These scriptures and events are difficult to talk about...even comprehend for MY adult mind.  I know it cuts my girls to the center too.  I am always left speechless by the intense, senseless, brutal acts of torture our Savior had to endure.  The public mockery...I just can't imagine how one human being could treat another human being in that manner.  We talked about how the Savior...not the soldiers...was in charge.  He allowed this to happen.  He had the power to stop it at any time.  He is the one that allowed His life to be taken.  We also talked about how hard it must have been for Heavenly Father too.  As a parent, we would take our children's suffering away in an instant if we had the power to do so.  Heavenly Father HAS that power.  He loved US so much, HE allowed it to happen as well. (John 3:16)

 Egg 9: Cross, nail, skull representing Golgotha 

 Egg 10: Linen cloth and spices

 Egg 11: Flat stone representing the sepulchre 

Egg 12: empty These are some of my favorite scripture verses.  I love how tenderly the Savior says, "Mary".  What a tender moment between the two of them.  I love making my Dad read these verses too.  

What I hope my girls away come away with after this lesson is the feeling and knowledge they are loved.  That's what the Easter season is all about.