Easter Week 2011

We had a very full week of activities leading up to Easter!  Just like last year, we had Easter Week in an attempt to fully prepare our hearts.  Each day, Finley, Jude, and I had something planned to make this time about the Lamb and not the Bunny.

Here's an overview of some of the other traditions, both new and old, that we enjoyed during Easter Week:

Palm Branch:

Waving it in celebration! 

 Here Jude!!!  Hold the Palm Branch!

(I'm not sure why the branch says Naomi on it... She made it in Sunday school so maybe we ended up with the wrong one!)

Easter Cookies Given to Neighbors:  (Finley had sooooo much fun with this!!!!  We will definitely have to cook together more!)

 Daddy taught her that she could eat the cookie dough!  She is a BIG fan!

Enjoying the "fruits" of her labor!

Resurrection Eggs: (As I was reading the Scriptures on the papers hidden in the eggs, Finley said "Momma, Bible is God's Word!"  I was so proud of her that she recognized that I was reading from the Bible even though it was on paper and not from the actual Bible.)

 Showing Jude the purple "robe"

Jude with one of the guard's swords

Crucified Handprints: (I wasn't planning to do this again this year, but when I found Finley's handprint from last year, I knew I had to.  It was so fun to hold both of them up and see how much her hand has grown in a year.)

Making her handprint...

After we put the nail in...  I love this picture... it looks like she really understands the sadness of it all. 

Showing Jude his handprint....  

Jude posing with his....

Jellybean Favors for her friends at MDO:  (I loved the little poem that went with them.)

Stained Glass Crosses: (We talked about how just as the light shines through the crosses, His light shines through us!)

 Hmm... where do I start?

 I'll just jump in!

 Showing Jude the one we made him!

 It's a cross!

Allowing His light to shine!

Tomb Cookies: (Finley enjoyed these, but neither of us could eat a whole one... they were super sweet!  I had her taste the vinegar, the sugar, and the salt and talked about the symbolism.  She didn't really make a face after any of them, but she immediately reached for her water after tasting the vinegar!)

 Here's what she did after the vinegar... and then

 grabbed the water!  Can't blame her!

 Helping measure...

 We had to beat it for 15 minutes!!!!

 Talking about what it all meant...

 Sealing the tomb...

The next morning... seeing what had happened over night!

Hands-on Good Friday Service:  (This was amazing!!!!  It was very solemn so I felt bad taking pictures... I would have loved to take more. We will definitely continue this tradition along with going to our traditional Good Friday Service at night.)

 Finley touching the wood that made up the cross!

The curtain is torn!  I loved seeing this.  We studied it in BSF last year and it has totally new significance to me now!

Ressurrection Rolls:

Easter Books:  (Each night we chose a different Easter book to read and talked about Christ's sacrifice for us.)