Our Week - The One with Live Stations of the Cross, a Golf Match, a Judah & the Lion Concert, Easter, and SO MUCH PRODUCTIVITY!

Hey, y’all, happy Thursday!  Well, I finally got this post up!  Haha.  

We had a wonderful Holy Week that also included a concert, so y’all know that made me a happy girl!  Let’s get to the recap!

Monday, April 14

Monday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I attended the Home & School Advisory Board Meeting.  Our meeting went a bit longer than usual as we were planning out some of the events for next school year, and then I stopped on the way out to chat with our resource officer for a couple of minutes, so I ended up being there way longer than anticipated.

I swung by UPS on the way home to get an item returned for Amazon, and then I got stuck in terrible traffic just around the corner from my house because they’re doing major road construction.  It has been a pain for yearssss, and we still have a few years ahead of us, but it has been particularly bad in recent months.

By the time I got home, it was so much later than I thought it would be, so I got my butt into gear to get as much done on my list as I could.  I finished my blog post for Tuesday, I started my blog post for Friday, and I did four loads of laundry.  I also got dinner in the slow cooker and then Brian and I had lunch together.

After lunch, I had just enough time to log about 50 people in the new alumni database, and then I headed to school to grab the kids.  I typically *try* to use that time in the car to do something relaxing, like chatting with a friend or reading a book, but with everything being so hectic at the end of the schoolyear, I used that time to finish my Reel that I’d been working on for days. 

As a blogger/influencer, I know I’m supposed to love Reels, but honestly, I HATE them.  I do not enjoy the process of making them because it is tedious, it takes forever, Instagram always glitches and never saves all of my progress, and doing tedious work like that from my phone also triggers my dizziness. 

Do I love having the Reels when they’re done?  YES.  But do I enjoy making them?  NO.  Haha.

When we got home from school, I did my Bible study while the kids did their homework, and then Olivia and I filled out her electronic form for electives next year for… middle school.  Whyyyy is my baby already starting middle school next year, y’all?!?!

After that was done, Brian and Jacob and I worked together to create his schedule for… HIS FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.  As if I wasn’t already emotional enough about Olivia.  Waaaahhhh.

I have to say, when Jacob started middle school, I was in disbelief, but I handled it well.  However, when you have a child starting high school and your last little baby is also starting middle school, it is not easy.  I am really struggling with this.  It has gone by way too fast, y’all.  And I am told by many that the high school years will be the fastest of all.  :o(

Anywayyyy, getting Jacob’s classes picked out was an adventure.  Things are so different now than when I went to school there.  When I was there, you went to a high school preview day where they would give you your schedule, and you had no say-so in the classes you took (other than AP classes senior year), but now the kids register for their classes like you register for classes in college.  They have soooo many options. 

Jacob has already started taking high school classes – he is taking high school math and a foreign language because of his placement testing – so he already has a leg up, which means he will likely have a pretty rigorous high school experience. 

He already has a vision for what he wants in high school – he wants to double up on math next year so he can take a total of five maths in high school (which is just crazy to me… the fewer maths, the better, in my book, hahahaha.), and he wants to take four years of his foreign language (American Sign Language).  He also wants to knock out as many Pre-AP, AP, and dual enrollment classes as he can.  Assuming he sticks with these goals (and thrives) he should graduate high school with enough college credits to start college as a sophomore… or very close to it, anyway.

We are all about balance in our family, though, and we let our kids take the lead on extracurricular activities as well as rigor for school classes, so we will be watching him closely to make sure he doesn’t burn out or put too much pressure on himself.  I still want him to have time to be a kid, relax, do other things he enjoys like piano and golf, play video games, and honestly, sometimes just be bored.  Boredom is healthy for kids as that’s when their creativity tends to come out the most.

While we are pretty busy as a family, we have always left plenty of time for the kids to just be kids, too.  Right now, even with all of the kids’ activities, we still have Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays completely free from extracurricular activities.  We like having the option to have a lazy evening or to go out for dinner or to hang with family.  I don’t know how that will look as the kids get older, but per usual, we’ll continue letting the kids take the lead and work at the level that works best for them.

After we submitted Jacob’s schedule, the kids headed outside to play frisbee because it was gorgeoussss outside, and I finished getting dinner on the table.  Thankfully, it wasn’t a lot of work because the slow cooker had done most of the work for me.  :o)

We had ranch chicken pasta, which is one of my faves, and then we cleaned up the kitchen.  After that, Brian helped Olivia study for a math test, and I went out for a walk and an arms workout. 

The kids got showers a bit later, and then I showered as well, and after that, we had some time to work on our puzzle together.  I put on the Gracie Abrams record while we worked, and it was a relaxing evening.  I am LOVING my record player so much.

While the kids were finishing up getting ready for bed, I put some laundry away, and then we got them in the bed.  Brian and I started the first episode of the new season of The Last of Us, and then we went to bed.  I was too tired to finish the whole thing. 

Tuesday, April 15

Tuesday morning, I got the kids to school and then I had a few minutes to kill before Target opened.  Olivia’s guitar teacher has been telling me to try a chai tea with one pump of vanilla from Starbucks for weeks, so I decided Tuesday was the day.  It did not disappoint!!  It was like Christmas in a cup, y’all.  So, so delicious.  It is definitely not the season for it, but I added it to my list of favorites because it will be perfect in the fall and winter.

After I was done there, I headed to Target.  While I had a few items for Olivia that I’d ordered from Etsy to put in her Easter basket, I had nothing for Jacob, and I still needed a couple of practical items for Olivia.  We also had several toiletry and snack items that we needed that I can’t find anywhere but Target, so I grabbed all of that, too.  They also still had the one tank top that I’d wanted from the Kate Spade for Target collection in stock in my size, so naturally, I tried it on, and I ended up getting it because it’s so cute.  It’s been sold out online since it debuted, so I was surprised that our Target still had it.  Target is definitely getting way less foot traffic these days because of all of the boycotts.

I squeezed out of there with just enough time to (barely) get to my appointment with my therapist on time, and then after that, I headed to my friend, Khristina’s bookshop to grab a few more Easter basket items.  I have been so much more intentional in recent months about shopping local and trying not to shop as often at the retail giants.  As a matter of fact, I hadn’t set foot in a Target since Christmastime until the other day.  

By the time I got home, it was nearly noon, and I didn’t have much time before I had to leave again to pick up the kids, so I ate lunch, I worked on a blog post for Friday, and I logged 40 people in the new alumni database.  I also organized all of the Easter basket stuff, filled eggs for Olivia’s school Easter egg hunt (her last one!), and then it was time to go.

Towards the end of my time at home, I received an Amazon reminder and it nearly broke my heart.  :o(  

And on top of that, I received a text message from Olivia's teacher saying she'd hit her head on the slide, but thankfully, she was fine.  She sent me this picture of her icing it in the office.

Right as I was heading downstairs, I realized that I had put a load of laundry in at 6:45 that morning and I’d never moved it to the dryer.  Sigh.  We don’t run the dryer when we’re not home, so I made a mental note to flip it as soon as we got home from school.  Spoiler alert, I forgot then, too.  Haha.

Jacob had Velocity after school, so I was prepared to hang around the area to pick him up after I got Olivia, but Brian told me he would grab him because he wanted to take him to the driving range.   I was soooo grateful for that, because on the days where Olivia and I have to hang around waiting for Velocity to get out, she gets home just in time to rush around getting ready for dance only to head right back out the door.  And she has no time to do homework as most of her homework is online and we have no internet access in the car.

Since B was picking up Jacob, Olivia and I headed straight home and she was able to complete everything leisurely, have a snack, and get ready for dance.  While she did homework, I purchased a couple more items online for Easter baskets, and then I quizzed Olivia for a test while I cleaned up the kitchen. 

The boys got home from Velocity right as Olivia and I were walking out the door, and by the time I got home, they’d already left to go to the driving range.

When I got home from dropping Olivia, I realized that I still hadn’t flipped the laundry from 6:45 that morning, so I finally got that in the dryer and then put the last load in the washer.  Sheesh.

Various things had popped up throughout the day, and I was feeling super scattered since I’d been away most of the day and hadn’t had a chance to get much done, so I sat down and got organized.  My head was spinning (figuratively, not literally, thank goodness – LOL). 

I ended up getting all of my lists organized, and that made me feel a bit better, so I took some time after that to do my Bible study and then lay out the laundry that had finally finished drying.

After that, I grabbed the mail, and found this in the mailbox... it's the letter that Olivia mailed to God and Maui in Heaven several weeks ago.  She had told me she wanted to send it, and I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't think you could mail letters to heaven, so we put a stamp on it and she put it in the mailbox back at the end of March, I think.  Well, after a three-week journey to who-knows-where, it finally came back as undeliverable.  

I put it in Olivia's keepsake box so she can see it when she's older because it's truly the sweetest thing I think she's ever written.  She had also made Maui a tiny rainbow loom bracelet to wear in Heaven.  Oh my goodness.

The boys got home while I was doing all of that, and Brian left to pick up Olivia from dance while I reheated the leftover ranch chicken pasta and broccoli for dinner.  We all ate together when Brian and Olivia got home, and I had a rare mid-week glass of wine since we had an open bottle.

The rest of the evening was spent cleaning the kitchen, getting in a short, half-hearted functional strength training workout, putting away some more laundry, getting the kids in the bed, and then finishing the episode of The Last of Us that we’d started the previous night.

Wednesday, April 16

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school, headed home to work on a blog post for an hour, and then I headed back to the school and church for Live Stations of the Cross that Olivia’s class was doing.

It’s a tradition at our school for fifth grade to do this (although, they didn’t do it when I was there… unless I just forgot about it!), and it’s a tradition that I love so much.  Brian and my parents came, and it was such a sweet performance.  Olivia had a reading part – she read the seventh station – and she did a great job.

We took some pictures afterward, we chatted with our pastor, we chatted with Jacob’s future high school advisor about his schedule, and then I headed home. 

At home, there was a flurry to finish Friday’s blog post, to start the post that you’re reading and get it all caught up, eat lunch, log some more people into the alumni database, and then prep for the rest of the evening.

Jacob had a golf match, and Olivia had her long dance night, and my mother-in-law was handling Olivia’s schedule for us so I could FINALLY go to one of Jacob’s matches… his last one!  So I had to make sure we had everything for the evening – golf stuff (most had been gathered by Brian already that morning), dance stuff for Olivia, a change of clothes for me, snacks for both kids, a snack for me, full water bottles, and dinner in Olivia’s lunchbox for her to eat on the way to dance with Nana.

I also knocked out my Bible study for the day and got all of the Easter eggs filled for our family Easter egg hunt on Sunday.  By the time that was done, I had just enough time to get changed and out the door to get in the car line.

While waiting for the kids to come out, I got organized and made some lists for various upcoming things, and I worked on our One Second a Day video for the year. 

When the kids got out of school, we drove straight across the street to a parking lot to meet Brian and my mother-in-law.  Jacob hopped in Brian’s car and Olivia hopped in my mother-in-law’s car, and then Brian and I headed to the golf course while my MIL took Olivia to their house to hang out until it was time for dance.  My step-SIL’s son had a Flat Stanley project going on, and Flat Stanley was visiting with my MIL and step-FIL, so Olivia got to pick some carrots with Flat Stanley before getting over to dance.  :o)

Brian, Jacob, and I met at the golf course and my father-in-law met us there, too.  He grabbed a cart for us to put all of our stuff in, and Brian and I walked the whole course with Jacob.  It was pretty warm on Wednesday, and I was happy to let the sun warm my bones.  It was so nice to be outside in a tennis skirt and a tank and not be cold!

Jacob ended up playing one of his best matches yet and he had a lot of great shots.  He ended up with a bogey and three double bogeys.  He had a chance at par for one of the holes, but he struggled with his putting, and didn’t get it.  But overall, he did pretty well!

After his match, the boys headed home, and I stopped by Chick-Fil-A to grab dinner for the three of us.  We all ate together when I got home, and then I cleaned the kitchen, got showered, put some laundry away, and hung with Jacob for a bit while Brian went to pick up Olivia from dance.

When she got home, she got showered, we got them in the bed, and then B and I watched a little bit of American Idol before bed.

 

Thursday, April 17

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I went straight home to work on my blog post for Monday.  I also got 50 people transferred over to our alumni database, and then I packed for our overnight trip because Brian and I were heading to Chattanooga to see Judah & the Lion in concert!

We had a quick lunch together, and then we dropped the kids’ stuff for music class along with their overnight bags at my mom and dad’s house before hitting the road.

The drive to Chattanooga was much smoother this time than it was when we had to drive through there for Nashville the previous week, and we made it there with plenty of time.  I Facetimed with the kids when they got out of school, and then my mom took them to music lessons.

When Brian and I arrived in Chattanooga, we got checked into our hotel – The Hotel Chalet at the Choo Choo.  It’s a small-ish boutique hotel that was recently updated and it’s train-themed so while everything inside looked old-fashioned, it was actually brand new, recently renovated, and really nice.  The lobby is just beautiful!!

We got unpacked and then we changed clothes and freshened up before walking to Urban Stack for dinner.  Brian had researched several options for dinner that were in the area, and I ultimately chose Urban Stack as they specialize in different whiskey drinks. 

The restaurant ended up being okay – the bar area had a cute vibe, but the main dining area wasn’t fantastic, and the food was pretty basic… nothing to write home about.  As for the whiskey, I decided to try the Dixie 8 since it had Chattanooga whiskey… since we were in Chattanooga.  Well, y’all, I’m just going to go ahead and tell ya, Chattnooga whiskey (or at least this particular kind) was GROSSSS.  The drink was barely drinkable, so Brian ended up ordering a Manhattan for me.  He stuck with an Old Fashioned which is always a safe bet, and it and the Manhattan were delicious.

When we were done eating, we walked to the venue, and it was just so nice to be able to walk everywhere.  Traffic in Chattanooga is hideous, so it was nice to not have to worry about navigating through it.  It was also crazy awesome that the venue where the band played was literally at the other end of the parking lot of our hotel.  So convenient.

When we arrived at the venue, they gave us bracelets because we had seating upstairs on the balcony.  While I’d love to be down in the general admission on the floor for their concerts, I worry constantly about my vertigo and dizziness now, because I never know when it’s going to flare up.  Concerts can be a trigger for me, and when I get dizzy, I have to have something to hold onto if I’m standing still, so I knew that if we couldn’t be right on the rail in the very front it would likely not end well for me.  So, I was grateful to have a stool on the balcony. 

We had an awesome view, and we were just above the stage!  The venue only holds about 1,000 people so it’s pretty small and intimate.  Judah & the Lion had sold it out, too!  And if it wasn’t sold out then it was darn near close!

When we got our seats, we chatted with the people next to us for a bit, and then Brian and I went downstairs to go to the bathroom and grab a couple of beers before the show started.  While we were downstairs, we swung by the merch stand, and we ended up buying a signed vinyl of their album The Process.  It has quickly become one of my favorites of all-time, and it was awesome to be able to get a signed copy of it.

When we got back to our seats, the opener – Ethan Regan – started, and I really enjoyed him.  Judah & the Lion started promptly at 8:30 and the lead singer started the concert out in the audience, which was really cool.  They ended up doing a great setlist and it was just so, so good.  They had the entire venue screaming, dancing, and singing along to all of their songs.  All of their songs are anthems, so everyone just belts them out and it’s so much fun.  It’s always high energy in there, which I love!  They also debuted a new, slower song that’s about losing someone you love, and the whole time I kept thinking about Maui and also our sweet baby who we lost almost 15 years ago.  It is a beautiful song and it was a great night.

When we left, Brian and I only had a 30 second walk back to the hotel since it was at the other end of the parking lot, and shortly after we got into our room, we heard loud cheering coming from the direction of the venue.  We weren’t sure what was going on, but I was already in my PJs, so we didn’t investigate.  It turned out that the band had come outside on the front steps of the venue, and they played a couple of acoustic songs for those who had stuck around.  Brian and I didn’t find out about it until the next day, but we were soooo sad that we had missed it.

 

Friday, April 18

Friday morning, we got up at 7:45 because we needed to get home at a decent hour because we had a crazy busy day.

Brian grabbed a fruit and yogurt parfait, and I grabbed a cup of coffee from the little shop in the hotel lobby and we hit the road.  We made SUCH good time, and we only had to stop once for gas and a bathroom break on the way home, so we were at my mom and dad’s before lunchtime. 

My mom was out in the field behind their house taking pictures with the kids, and she got a couple of really cute ones.

We got the kids’ stuff all packed up and we headed straight home.  At home, we unloaded the car and then ate a quick lunch, and then we headed to the local plant nursery to grab everything we needed for outside – some ferns, some flowers, some herbs, some potting soil, and sunflower seeds for Olivia.  I wanted to do all of my planting Saturday morning, but I knew the plant nursery would be a zoo, so I wanted to knock it out Friday.

We got home with just enough time to drop all of that stuff off, change clothes, and then we went to church for Stations of the Cross at 3 PM since it was Good Friday.  My mom, Mama Cass, Aunt Joy, Uncle Greg, and Aunt Becky were all there, and we also saw one of my BFFs with her two boys and a lot of our school family. 

After Stations of the Cross, we headed home, but we only had about 45 minutes until we had to leave again.  That gave me just enough time to get 40 people logged in the new alumni database, and then all four of us drove over to a local trampoline park to drop Jacob for a birthday party.

Once he was squared away there with his friends, Brian, Olivia, and I went to my parents’ house to have dinner with them and my oldest brother as he was in town just for the night.  He works for NASA in Huntsville but had been down at Cape Canaveral working for a few weeks, so he stopped here on his way back home. 

He brought rockets and NASA coins for the kids, and we enjoyed catching up with him.  My momma had made her famous cheesy ziti with a salad and bread, and it was such a yummy meal.  Perfect for our last meatless Friday of Lent!

We only had a little over an hour there as we had to be back at the trampoline park to pick Jacob up by 6:40, so we said our goodbyes and then made our way to pick up Jacob. 

After that, we were finally able to go home and stay there the rest of the night.  The kids got showered, and I got unpacked from our trip and put everything away.  I also got a load of laundry done, I did my Bible study, and I made my to do list for the next day.

Once the kids were ready for bed and we were all in PJs, we spent the rest of the evening finishing the Disney puzzle we’d started a few weeks prior, and then the kids went to bed.

Brian and I watched an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale and an episode of The Chosen (what a combo, haha) and then we headed to bed.

 

Saturday, April 19

Saturday, I had major plans to get a ton of stuff done, and I ended up being even more productive than I thought I would.  We had no place to go since we were going to Mass on Sunday for Easter, so we had the entire day from start to finish at home.  I. was. thrilled.  It was much needed after running around all over creation all week!

Brian got up early to play in a tennis match, so I woke up a bit earlier than usual for a Saturday and I allowed myself a few minutes to just lay in bed and scroll through my phone.  I never do that – I always jump right out of bed because if I don’t, I’ll fall back asleep immediately, so it was a nice treat to get up slowly for once.

After that, I made my way to the kitchen to make homemade waffles for the kids and me, and then after breakfast, the kids threw their laundry in the washer and then watched TV for a bit.

Meanwhile, I got to work!!  First up, I went through my planner to get everything on paper, then I downloaded some new music and synced it to my phone (because, priorities – haha), then I went through both email inboxes and got mostly caught up there. 

I realized right after that that a few Target items that were supposed to deliver on Friday for Easter baskets had, in fact, not delivered, so when I checked the status and saw that they weren’t delivering until Monday, I immediately reordered said items to have them picked up at our local Target instead.  Sigh. 

After the kids’ laundry was done, I threw in a load of towels, and then I transferred 70 people from our old alumni spreadsheet to the new database.  I have to do about 35/day from now until the end of the school year to get them all done, so I doubled up on Saturday because I knew I wouldn’t have time on Sunday since it was Easter.

After that, I did my quiet time and Bible study for the day, and then I went to each of the kids’ closets, and we all got our outfits picked out to wear to church on Easter.  Talk about cutting it close!  I sure didn’t prep well this year. 

Brian got home shortly after that from tennis, and he’d also gone to Lowe’s to grab some basil for me since our local plant nursery was out.  When he got home, he helped me get all of the pots out of the outdoor closet and Olivia and I got all of my flowers and herbs planted.

While we were doing that, Brian moved everything off the back porch so we could clean everything off really well.  We have had the pollen-iest spring everrrr and it was thickly coated on every single piece of furniture and the ground. 

We had all hands on deck to get everything sprayed off, and then we went inside to eat a late lunch while everything dried out in the sun.

After lunch, it was right back outside to put everything back on the porch, and then Brian mowed the lawn, front and back.  He was the real MVP for the day playing tennis and still having the energy to clean off the porch and mow a half an acre of grass. 

While Brian mowed, I reorganized the entryway by our garage.  We’ve used that as a drop zone for years (since the kids were tiny) and it was no longer serving us since they have outgrown the space.  With a few tweaks, I was able to get things right where they needed to be for full functionality, and I’m really happy that we no longer have crap all over the floor right there.  I’m also really glad that we no longer have that shoe rack where it was because I was constantly hitting and bruising my hip on it.  Haha.

While we were cleaning out that area, Olivia and I cleaned out her backpack, and y’all.  I wish I had taken a picture of all of the junk that we pulled out that thing – old snack wrappers, a pair of fuzzy socks (why??), her camera, TONS of old papers, like three or four library books, chap sticks, lip glosses, her glasses (not in a case – grrrr), random pom poms and beads and glitter and other crafting items, like three hand sanitizers – the list goes on and on… and ON.  Haha.  I think we shaved off about 5-6 lbs. from her backpack and I am not exaggerating. 

After that was done, I finally showered for the day, I grabbed a few of these delicious Meyer lemon wafers (OMG SO GOOD), and then I went to my office to get a bunch of stuff in there – I posted a few things on Instagram, I finished my whole blog post for Monday, and I worked on another… all while watching The Wedding Planner as my happy background noise.  ;o)

Meanwhile, the kids had some screentime, and then they got showered for the day.  Brian left to pick up dinner, and he was kind enough to run to Target and pick up the items that I’d ordered for the kids’ Easter baskets while he was out.  They didn’t have one of the items that we needed, but we made do.

When Olivia got out of the shower, she made a no-bake cupcake from the set she’d gotten for her birthday, and I played around with decorating my new record player stand.  It’s still not done, but I love how it’s coming along!

When Brian got home with Five Guys, I mixed up some Moscow Mules to go with it, and we listened to our new Judah & the Lion record on the record player.  Record players are just such a vibe, y’all.  Such a vibe. 

We cleaned the kitchen after dinner, and then I still miraculously had a ton of energy, so I went outside and swept off the front porch and watered our new ferns.  By then, the sun had gone behind the trees, but it was still light outside, and that’s my favorite time of day… the hour or so after the sun is no longer glaring on you, but before it gets dark. 

The kids wanted to do something fun after that, but we couldn’t find anything to watch with them, so Brian and Jacob watched videos of all of the roller coasters at Six Flags over Georgia because Jacob will be going there soon for his eighth-grade field trip and he wanted to see what each of the rides looked like.  He will ride almost every ride at Disney, but he doesn’t want to go upside down, so that rules out most of the roller coasters at Six Flags.  Haha.

While the boys did that, Olivia and I started her Wicked puzzle that she got for her birthday, and we put a big dent in it!  It’s a fun one because it’s round!

After that, I was still itching to get things done, so I folded and put away all of the towels, and then we finally got the kids in the bed.  Brian and I watched 1.5 episodes of The Chosen and then we had to go to bed so the Easter bunny could come.  ;o)  I swore I was only going to put out the kids’ baskets, but at the last minute, I just couldn’t not put out Maui’s, so I put hers out, too.  <3  I didn’t have anything for it, of course, but I thought it was beautiful when I pulled it down and there were flowers resting inside.  A few months back, I had been too lazy to put some flower stems away in their proper box in the closet, so I had laid them in her basket, and it was such a sweet surprise.  It was like I knew I’d need to see that. 

Sunday, April 20

Sunday morning, we were up earlier than usual for Easter and the kids went downstairs right away to find their Easter baskets.  Jacob’s was in the huge cooler that we’d bought a few months back and never put away and Olivia’s was on the top shelf in the pantry. 

We all had a quick breakfast after that and then we got ready for church.  Olivia wanted her hair curled, so I did that for her, too, and then we were on our way!

Both of my cousins who weren’t supposed to come ended up showing up with their significant others and I was so excited to see them!  Mass was beautiful, as it always is on Easter, and the church was gorgeous thanks to my Momma and several other ladies from our church.  They always decorate it so beautifully for Easter.

After Mass, we took a few family photos outside as we always do, and then our family of four headed straight to my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s house for Easter lunch.  They’d made a huge, delicious spread of food including two desserts, and I partook in all of it since we were only eating once that day.  My mom doesn’t do Sunday dinner on Easter because we have an extended family gathering in the afternoon.

After lunch, we headed outside for our annual Easter egg hunt, and Jacob, Olivia, and my two grown nephews participated… you’re never too old for an Easter egg hunt!  ;o)

Once we were done with the Easter egg hunt and the kids had opened all of their eggs, it was time for our family to hit the road for my extended family’s gathering.  My Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg hosted this year, and they did it a little later in the afternoon this time, so we didn’t have to miss most of it as we usually do.  Most of the time my family’s celebration overlaps almost completely with Brian’s family’s celebration and we miss almost all of my family’s, so it was nice that it worked out the way it did this year.

My cousin, Wil, and his girlfriend, Cat, brought their baby Cavapoo and he is soooo dang sweet.  Olivia was head over heels!!  She and Jacob played with him all afternoon and we were all excited to get some doggie snuggles… I’ve been missing Maui terribly.

We also have a new baby in the family, so I got to get some newborn baby snuggles, so my day was made COMPLETELY. 

We got home around 4:30 and then my father-in-law swung by to give the kids some Easter goodies.  He hung out for a bit, and then we were finally able to relax.  And by relax, I mean I retreated to my office for a bit to try to squeeze in some work.  I transferred all of the pictures and videos from my phone to my computer and it decided not to work on that particular day, so I ended up with lots of broken files and a huge batch of photos and videos that I had to EMAIL to myself.  Sigh.  Technology is just terrible sometimes. 

That took all of my time, so I stopped (and still wasn’t finished) to do a Bible study around seven, and then I watered the plants and took dinner orders from everyone.  We were just doing a mix of “whatever you can find in the kitchen” so I made four different things for four different people.  Brian and I ate light, too, since we’d had a big lunch.

After the kitchen was clean, we watched a little bit of American Idol, and then Brian found a show called Man vs. Bee on Netflix that the kids could watch.  They’re not into American Idol anymore, so they wanted to find something else.  They are loving Man vs. Bee, but it’s only one season and each episode is super short so it’s not going to last long. 

After we got them in the bed, Brian made us some Manhattans, and then we watched an episode of The Chosen and then finished an episode of Saturday Night Live that we’d already started.

The kids had Monday off, too, but I’ll recap that next week since this post is already a book!!

Happy Thursday, y’all!