Easter Week

Easter this year was late but it still sneaked up on us. This is also the first year, we didn't take any pictures with the Easter bunny. The sad part is my kids didn't even ask about it. And due to the rainy weather, most Easter egg hunts were cancelled too. So to ensure that in between our busy schedule we focused on the season a bit, we started our Holy Week off by coloring Easter Eggs.

Those sticker faces were a big hit and such a simple way to decorate the colored eggs.

On Palm Sunday, Amelia and I went to our local church to watch the Easter musical "One Voice". It was performed by volunteers from church and such a great show. It looked like a Broadway musical from the set design to the acting and singing. Such great talent!! I was glad we were able to see it as it followed the dramatic and scriptural story that leads to the heart of the Easter events, delivering a powerful message of  the necessity of not remaining a secret follower in today's dark world. Here are some pictures and a video:

When Jesus walked thru the audience carrying the cross, it was a very powerful but also emotional scene and I had to hold Amelia. However, I loved how they still portrayed the crucifixion on the screen without it being to brutal for the audience. 

 HE IS RISEN!!!

On Wednesday, Amelia's class had their Easter egg hunt at school. The moms "hid" 400 eggs in the courtyard and then every student had to find 20 eggs with their number on it.

Due to some food poisoning and the rainy weather, the remaining days leading up to Easter Sunday 

we took it easy. Luckily, on Easter Sunday the weather was glorious and we were able to spend a lot of time outside. The children found their Easter baskets on the table and were delighted with the goodies:

Eggs for breakfast:

And then off to church:

 Church with friends is even better:

The Easter egg hunt that got cancelled happened after the church service and the children were delighted to hunt for some eggs after all:

For lunch, I prepared a ham dinner and then the rest of the day we spent in our backyard, enjoying the sunshine and perfect Spring weather.

Hoping everyone had an enjoyable Easter celebration!

Spring Concerts

Spring is in full bloom and so are our activities. Between dance practice, football training and the occasional game (most of them are rained out), work, field trips and concerts we have been quite busy. Amelia had her second grade field trip to the Nashville Children's Theater last Thursday to see the "The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show". Due to space limitations, parents were not allowed to join them at the theater but were able to meet the kids at the park afterwards for a picnic. 

 Of course, if there is an animal nearby, this child will find it and take it on:

Last week, both of our the children had their Spring Concerts at their respective schools. First up were the 2nd graders in the "Missing Tarts", a nursery rhyme collection.  Amelia played the Xylophone and sang in the choir. The dress code was "nursery rhyme" inspired and the Hungarian dress my mom brought from her trip there was the perfect match. 

Ready to go:

Even the teachers participated, although they didn't memorize their lines like the children did. But the children loved when Mrs. Ingham attempted to do "the Floss".

She was so proud to be a Glockenspiel player:

It was a very cute performance and all the children did a great job.Very proud of our little girl!

Next up was Elliot's concert at his Christian preschool. This included not only the preschoolers but also their elementary school children. He was in the choir and they performed 4 songs. 

 We all enjoyed watching our little boy perform and he truly had a grand time doing so:

But we also took some time to play outdoors and soak up some sunshine. Preferably with a book in our hands...daughter like mother:

Enjoying the sunshine with our furry friends:

Since both of our families live quite far from us, I had to step in on Grandparents Day at Amelia's School. It wasn't the same as having them here to join her for a special treat and to explore the book fair, but it was the second best thing (especially as she and her brother ended up with a new book each). Those are the days we miss having Oma & Opa and Grandma & Pops nearby the most.  

Meaning of Life Tour

Last Friday night, hubby and I had concert tickets to Kelly Clarkson's Meaning of Life tour. We didn't really know what to expect from the concert but it was awesome. She brought with her two opening acts: Brynn Cartelli (winner of The Voice) and Kelsea Ballerini. All three ladies have incredible voices and were a joy to watch and sing along to (you don't know how many Kelly Clarkson songs you know until you hear them). 

First act- Brynn:

Second Act- Kelsey:

Main Show- Kelly: 

Pausing to talk and have a sip of wine - my kind of girl:

And then Kelly's surprise guest and Mother-In-Law stopped by: Country star Reba McEntire:

A little snapshot of the great concert:

Kelly presented a new song to a movie coming out in theaters soon called Ugly Dolls. Love the theme song and have been listening to it ever since the concert. 

And then all three singers performed together to "Miss Independent":

My friend, Emily, told me that she is going to the concert with some friends too and they ended up sitting in the row behind us. Date night plus seeing your friends and listening to great music= awesome night out.