Our Easter celebration is still a work in progress. Our visitors usually hide eggs as part of their Easter Sunday tradition, but David and I are trying to start new traditions for our family.

We enjoyed a lazy morning and then started cooking a big meal for lunch. We were expecting some more visitors for the day, and so David made a huge pot of chicken cacciatore stew (which was absolutely delicious).

While I was down in the shed printing out some pages for our Easter celebration, the Rattenburys came down and devised the ingenius game of “gyro-tag”. Riders on the gyro-cars must keep their feet off the floor (so you can only propel yourself via gyro-motion) and then it’s a simple game of tag. In our big shed, the game was not as easy as it sounds, although the favourite escape route tended to be right alongside my chair and under the desk holding the computer!

Due to a possible miscommunication due to language differences, (or perhaps because they saw the Rattenburys and were scared off), our visitors came to the house but didn’t ever ring the doorbell or come in. So we finally served up a late lunch for our smaller contingent.

We had hastily devised an Easter program to mark the day. (Mel’s valid argument was that if we didn’t do anything to make it a special day, we would be essentially doing the same thing as people who introduce the Easter bunny and eggs without remembering the resurrection of Jesus.)

Our first item was some group singing. I chose a traditional hymn (Christ the Lord is Risen Today) for Roger’s benefit and some kids’ songs (Easter Friday and Shout Hosanna) before several contemporary praise and worship songs.

I printed out the lyrics and used the computer to play backing music (from our mp3 collection and Youtube) so we could sing with gusto.

Mel read the kids a story narrated from the point of view of the rock used to seal Jesus’ tomb.

Mel read the story while Nigel acted as the rock (see his happy face?).

The kids put on a little play for us while Roger narrated by reading the resurrection story from our read-aloud Bible. Afterwards, we sent the children outside on a scavenger hunt while we read and discussed passages from the Bible. It was a nice little service, and I felt encouraged in the fellowship of friends.

We prepared a treat for kids when they finished their scavenger hunt. We put ice cream in waffle cones and sprinkled the top with sparkling sugar rocks (the kind that fizz and pop in your mouth).

I'm not sure what the youngest kids thought of the topping sprinkles!

Enjoying his waffle cone.

Ice cream is such a treat for our girls. (Notice all the scratches on Brioni's legs — they're from her treks into the paddocks.)

K was the one who managed the kids' scavenger hunt, sending individuals off in different directions to find the objects on the list, so this ice cream was well-deserved.

Late in the afternoon, we took another trip to the paddocks — this time for photos.

Another beautiful sunset to mark a special day.

3yo A came into Calista's room and read her a book before bedtime.