Easter

Our Easter was a happy, sun-filled, relaxing day. We found our Easter baskets- yes we still all get baskets. :) We enjoyed a early afternoon Easter brunch with Pete's Dad. 

We went out for a walk. We soaked up the sunshine sitting on the deck. We watched the Wizard of Oz. We missed Jake who stayed at Notre Dame for the weekend. We celebrated that He has Risen!

He Is Risen!

memory lane :: Easter

One of my very favorite pictures of my boys, taken in the spring of 2008.

weekend lens {Memorial Day}

Memorial Day weekend had the perfect mixture of fun, relaxation, and family time; which is my favorite kind of weekend!

We had a great time at the Twins game on Friday evening. We were worried about the weather but it turned out to be just perfect!

Saturday brought rain showers.

Which made for the perfect day to cozy up in the house and read. {I finally bought this book and was so excited to dig into it. I saw the author, Kate Hopper at the MN Blog Conference last fall and she was fabulous! She teaches mother's "how to write the stories they need to tell".}

And time to snuggle up with the dog. :)

In between the heavy downpours of rain and the thunder and lightening, Jake helped a good friend of his who was working on his project for his Eagle Scout badge. They were planting a garden at their old elementary school. It is kind of neat because they have been friends since they were 3 years old, attending the same preschool. Boy time flies! {photos taken by Teri}

We enjoyed a trip out to our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Sunday we had a family BBQ at my parents house which always includes great company and good food! I brought a '7 Layer Salad'. The recipe is {here}. I haven't had this salad for years and years, and it totally brought me back to my childhood!

On Monday I finally got my garden planted!!

It was a great Memorial Day weekend!

Easter weekend

Friday evening Pete and I went out to Sea Salt Eatery, a favorite seasonal spot for some fish tacos.

The line went out the door, which is a sure sign of a great restaurant. :)

Delicious food

in a beautiful setting of Minnehaha Falls.

Saturday I spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing for Easter dinner. I had the entire day free so I could really enjoy taking my time playing in the kitchen. :)

I made Bunny cakes.

and my favorite Carrot Cake {recipe HERE}

Deviled Eggs

Raspberry Jello Salad {recipe HERE}

and I got the French Toast Breakfast Casserole {recipe HERE} ready for Easter morning

Drew worked on coloring the Easter eggs.

Sunday morning we woke the boys up at 10am and enjoyed a family brunch

and then looked for the Easter baskets. Jake requested the Easter bunny hide his super easy this year because usually he cannot find his and most often just gives up looking for it. :) This year he was very happy to find his first!

Next was Tyler.

And Drew finally found his on top of the kitchen cabinets! :)

The bunny even left me a basket. :)

Drew and I worked on making the Gratin Potatoes--these are so good!! {recipe HERE} (This year I didn't add the fennel and  used a combination of cheddar and Gruyere cheeses-- loved this newer version!)

and getting the table set

While Bella stole a Frisbee from Tyler.

We were so blessed to be able to host Easter and so happy that so much family could join us!

And since we had everyone together, we also celebrated Jake's birthday a couple of weeks early.

It was such a beautiful day and we were so thankful for all of our family that was able to join us to celebrate Easter and especially thankful that my Dad was doing well enough to join in the festivities!

And most importantly we are thankful for the true meaning of Easter!