Happy Easter!!!

Here's hoping everyone had a happy and holy Easter day!! Yet again we had the opportunity to reflect on the blessings we have in this country which are denied the lowly all over the world. Due to our good fortune to be born in this country in this age the medicines we were blessed to have on hand worked to bring Julia back to the picture of health this morning!!The promise of a high calorie breakfast delivered by a bunny probably didn't hurt either :)! The weather was about as would be expected for spring in the mid-west and at least the sun held steady all day. As expected the church was packed to the rafters but the music was stirring and the sermon short and we walked home feeling the Alleluia mood!!!!! Poor Patrick only had time for our 'traditional breakfast' of Irish bangers and fried eggs before heading off to work and the door had hardly closed behind him when the rest of the relatives started arriving. A great time was had by all from the 3yo to the 83yo! Equal opportunity home here! Even the children are allowed to work in the kitchen as other children manned the camera. Mari caught this picture of a couple of us working on setting up the buffet. That would be me with the lobster look! Someday I hope to learn that sunscreen is my friend.

His wife will thank us someday! Anyone who wanted to hang out in the kitchen HAD to be working so Ethan put some of his toddler exuberance into 'smashing' the spuds and boy were they SMASHED!

How do you know when a child's consumed lethal levels of chocolate?? I'm voting that when they try to 'catch' themselves in a butterfly net and feel the need to whack the catch in the head with a mallet might be an indication...hmmm do you think? His mother, the one with two TWO sons assured us that this was really just 'normal' boy behavior and would just as likely occurred without the influence of sugar :) Thank you God for my two GIRLS!

A phone call at 8:30pm from my boss was not a good sign for the rest of my vacation! Seems the dentist scheduled for tomorrow called in sick and they're desperate. Here's hoping it's the only time I have to go in when I'm supposed to be 'on holidays' as Patrick calls vacation. Just for your viewing pleasure I'm closing with a few pictures from Easters present and past. Enjoy!

This morning.

Only just last year! They've both grown up soooooo much since then. We missed you St. Martha's in Sarasota!!!!!

Julia HATED that haircut!

Yep, I'm one of those matching Moms! Caved a little this year by letting them choose their own skirts. Oh St. Martha's we REALLY, REALLY missed you this year!

Mari's first Easter with us was only three weeks after coming home! To think she spoke not a word of English when this photo was taken yet she clearly is happy to be posing with the cousins. This was also the last time we spent Semana Santa in Illinois. Did I mention how much I missed being in Sarasota???