Easter, Family and Fun

This year for the first time we were able to do the traditional 7 Church Hop on Holy Thursday.  In the past our parish has been in a more remote location so it has only been possible to visit two or three parishes at best.  This year, since our new parish is in a much more populated area, we were able to visit seven churches.  It was beautiful!  I can't wait to do it again next year.  Ms 23 yo had to work, so I took pictures of all the churches we visited and texted them to her so she could be with us in spirit.  Here are three of my favorites.

Our parish

The Cathedral

While I love the convenience of taking pictures on my phone, I realize now how difficult it is to keep my hands steady.  This then requires many more tries before I get one I like.

 Good Friday we went to the afternoon service, went home and had our penitential fish fillets and not so penitential hot cross buns, then colored our eggs, which proved to be a bit too rowdy for the day.

Holy Saturday is always such a hard day.  You feel the joy of Easter approaching but yet it is supposed to be a day of silence and waiting.  Nothing silent went on at our house.  A lot of baking and cleaning did.  We tried to keep it to a quiet roar.

Easter Sunday was glorious, as to be expected.  Our parish is beautiful on a normal day, but was decked out nicely for Easter.

 Our boys are part of a Historic Altar Boy society and they got to serve in historic looking cassocks on Easter.  It really added to the visual beauty of the Mass.  Here they are looking like superheroes. 

Saving the world...one Mass at a time!

 After taking lots of pictures, we headed back home for a nice, quiet dinner with my mom, dad and uncle.

Lest we loose our celebratory spirit too soon, my youngest son celebrated his 10th birthday yesterday.  

More good food and cake!  Now we are all double-digits!  Oh how bittersweet.

While this is our Easter break off from school this week, the weather is not being very cooperative so I think it will be a laid-back, restful kind of week around here.  Next week, of course, looks to be gorgeous.  Oh well, that will be incentive to get the work done early, won't it?

God Bless!