Jesus vs. The Easter Bunny

I would love to be the mom who could proudly proclaim that my kids are so excited about Easter for all the RIGHT reasons. However, I'll hesitantly admit that that's really not the case. The Easter bunny, the egg hunts.... the parties and all the candy.... that's the cause of the frenzy around here. I keep talking to them about the crucifixion and the story of the resurrection and the pain Jesus endured for our salvation, hoping that at least they'll understand the significance of the holiday. Yet somehow it's not quite measuring up to all the candy and toys.... what do I expect? They're kids. Macy even said the other day..... "Mom, I understand what Jesus did for us, but I just don't understand what that has to do with Easter and the Easter bunny."

Uhhhhhh, duh. Me either. I had no idea how to respond.

I just pray that over time they will get it and until then I do try to make the occasion fun and family-oriented. I've loaded a hundred eggs with treats and hidden them well for the Sunday morning hunt, I've bought all the Easter egg decorating supplies and made a few batches of homemade sugar cookie dough with all the sprinkles and icing and sparkles I could find to make the best Easter cookies ever. And, of course, I've told and re-told the story of the resurrection during our bible devotional time. And in all that fun I hope we make some wonderful memories that will last them a lifetime.

Jacob had his Easter egg hunt at school a couple of days ago. It was so much fun to see the joy and excitement on his face as he found each egg and opened it up to find a prize inside. Here are a few pictures from the hunt....