Easter 2013

 Easter Sunday started out too early, with the kids up at the crack of dawn to find out what the Easter Bunny brought.  Later in the day, I made a comment about being tired from getting up so early and Avery replied, "That's because we were up early to find our Easter baskets.  We were very eager to find out what was in them."

I guess so.

As Chet put his shoes on to go start the van on this blustery, cold morning, Milo threw a royal fit because Daddy putting his shoes on equals Daddy is going outside and therefore never returning because that has happened never.  My camera was not cooperating and I didn't bother taking a non-blurry one because I had planned on getting pictures of all of the kids after church, all dressed up in their duds.  Little did I know this would be the only one I got of Milo before his outfit was destroyed.

As we were singing the opening song, I had my head turned towards Chet's songbook and he kept nudging me.  I looked towards the kids and didn't see anything unusual so I turned back and kept singing.  He nudged me again.  Had I counted the kids the first time, I would have noticed one was missing.  Milo had made a stealth maneuver and had escaped underneath the bench and since we were sitting in the back, he was now free, making his way towards the entryway.  I got up and chased after him and he turned around and stopped, looking at me, like, "Watcha gonna do about it, Mom?"  He turned back around and kept walking away, pleased as ever.

I caught him and brought him back into church.  The opening prayer started and as he attempted to maneuver off of the bench back to the floor, he slipped on the newsletter that was laying on the bench.  I caught him halfway through his fall but he started bawling.  I scooped him up and handed him off to Chet to take out until he stopped crying.

Church went on and Chet never returned. I had thought of checking to see if he had texted me but never got around to it and figured that if something was wrong, he would have sent someone in to get me.

Well, apparently, the fall had caused some major bleeding and Chet was in the back trying to get it to stop.  As church came to a close, I finally decided to check my phone and saw in horror a picture of a bleeding, crying Milo.  I packed up the kids as fast as I could and found Chet and Milo in the van, waiting for us.  Note to self:  check your phone if your husband is gone for a long time during church.  Note to husband:  if you can't get a hold of your wife during church, send someone into get her for you.

This was after he was cleaned up a little bit.  But his outfit was ruined.

I changed him into an ugly sweater and brought the kids outside for pictures.  It had warmed up some but Milo was less than impressed.  I would be too, having to wear such an ugly outfit.

Piper proudly posed in her outfit she received from Auntie Megan and Uncle Norm at Christmas.   This is the only one I got with her eyes open.  She is a believer in the theory that in order to smile pretty, one must squinch their eyes shut.

 Avery, Avery, Avery.  She had whined not too long ago that she did not, in fact, want a used dress from a used clothing store for Easter and that, in fact, she wanted a new one.  After her mother ignored her pleas, Great Auntie Selma came to the rescue and sent a brand new dress for Little Miss Avery to wear for Easter.  What a great Auntie she is!  When the package came in the mail, Avery gasped and shrieked and asked when we were going to go visit Great Auntie Selma as she sent the most beeeaaauuutttiiiful dress!  Thank you, Selma!  You are too kind.

Now, poor Tucker was left in a bawling heap on Easter morning as he didn't have an Easter outfit.  He did, but it just wasn't brand new and beautiful.  It was something he had worn before.  That's what happens when you are sandwiched between girls, I guess; those kinds of things start to matter.  After we convinced him that his outfit was, in fact, an Easter outfit, he was fine with it but refused to go outside for individual pictures because it was too cold.

Later in the day, he changed into a monkey t-shirt, telling Avery proudly that it was his Easter shirt as well, as it was a shirt and he was wearing it on Easter.  She started to argue with him but I zipped her lips, not wanting another bawling heap of a four year old.