Easter Pictures

• Palm Sunday -  We started some new traditions this year to help us celebrate Easter as a family. On Palm Sunday we lit seven candles.  Each night we would light the candles at dinner and have the girls blow out a candle for each night that had passed.  They would count the remaining candles to see how many days before the cruxificion.  We reminded the girls of scripture like Jesus being the light of the world each night.  We pointed out how it got darker each night when we blow out more and more candles. After dinner, we reenacted the triumphal entry of Jesus in to Jerusalem.  Then we let the girls open there Easter baskets from the grandparents. 

• Every night we also sang Alleluia just before the girls went to bed.  (Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia, Praise Ye the Lord.) Sit on the Alleluia, Stand on the Praises.
• Monday - We read the story of Jesus cleansing the temple.
• Tuesday - We told the story of Mary Magdelene annointing Jesus' feet.  We let the girls smell some vanilla scented perfume.
• Wednesday - We read Judas' plan to betray Jesus.  We counted out 30 pieces of silver. 
• Thursday - After dinner, we ate a mock Passover meal that included cheese, grapes, juice, toasted pita bread/totillas.      Lance also washed our feet.  
• Friday -  We built a replica mountain of calvary and acted out the story of the cruxificion with pipe cleaner people.  The mountain is made out of modeling clay. We had Jesus on the cross at the beginnning and them moved Him into the tomb under the mountain when it got dark outside.  We rolled the stone (also made of clay) over the entrance and waited.  We also started a fast of TV and candy.  We were trying to teach the girls a little about what it means to sacrifice something. 
• Saturday - We continued our fast. After dinner we sat in complete darkness for a while and prayed.  We talked about how Jesus' followers must have felt after he died.  We also baked our Easter Story cookies.  Each of the ingredients represents a part of the story.  You put the maruige based cookies in the oven, seal it up with a piece of tape (just for effect), turn off the oven and let them sit all night.  In the morning, they are ready.   Each cookie, has a hollow center.
• Sunday -  When the girls got up, all the candles were lit symboling Jesus' resurrection.  We read and acted out the ressurection of Jesus with the mountain.  Then the girls looked through the baskets we gave them.  Hope was given a silver cross necklace to wear to church.  She also had two Easter story books.  Grace had an Easter bible (all the story of The Passion together), two other easter books, and an Easter songs CD.  The girls also had six resurrection eggs each.  They were each filled with a little symbol of the Easter story.  After lunch, the girls enjoyed the cookies.     

  

 Most of the ideas were inspired by a book I have greatly enjoyed reading by Noel Piper called Treasuring God in Our Traditions.  Next year, I would like to add a Resurrection tree to our list.  I also want to gather all the books and CD's the girls have and put them in a basket next year at the beginning of Lent to help us prepare our hearts even more for this awesome time of year.