Happy Easter

We've had a really great Easter this year.  It's the first year that Andrew is old enough to absorb and express the concepts surrounding the holiday.  I was amazed the other day when he was asking me where my dad's mom is.  (He likes to ask questions about different family members).  I told him that she is in Heaven because she has died already.  I told him that everybody dies, and that when we die our bodies are buried and our spirits go to Heaven to live with Heavenly Father until the resurrection when our spirits and bodies go back together again.  Andrew said, "then we will be like new again!"  Did he get that from a recent Sunday school lesson, or did I tell him that at some point in the past?  I don't know, but it really surprised me.  Then today when we were waiting for our "resurrection rolls" to come out of the oven, Andrew said, "I don't want to live with Heavenly Father because I want to ride my bike."  I assured him that he needn't worry about details like that.  I don't think he was convinced.

Here are some photos from our festivities:

How cool are we that Andrew and our church playgroup friends had an egg hunt with Manhattan in the background?

Here's looking up the river at mid-town

Andrew didn't get as many eggs as some of his friends because he stopped to eat their contents

Here's the group

Here we are with the new World Trade Center Freedom Tower in the background

On the way back to the car, I made Andrew pose with these beautiful tulips.  At first he wouldn't look at the camera because the sun was in his eyes.

He was much happier once I got him his sunglasses

This reminded me of taking pictures of him in a Pittsburgh park this time of year three years ago:

He wasn't too happy about sitting on the bark dust.  Poor guy.  I laugh every time I see this picture.  (My mom does, too, so I don't feel so bad).

On Saturday we had our friends Melody and Brent and baby Lily over for an Easter lunch, since our church schedule on Sunday makes it difficult to do a dinner and get kids to bed on time.  They brought baked potatoes and toppings.  I made a ham, asparagus, and strawberry shortcake.

This morning Andrew and I made "resurrection rolls" for the first time.  We dipped marshmallows in butter and cinnamon sugar and wrapped them in crescent rolls.  This symbolizes Jesus' body being prepared for burial. When the rolls are baked the marshmallow dissolves/oozes out of the rolls, leaving a hallow center like empty grave clothes after Jesus is resurrected.

Here they are finished

See, hallow!

Yum!

Then we decorated some Easter eggs

And had an Easter egg hunt for Andrew in the living room and Andrew's room using some plastic candy-filled eggs to minimize the mess.

After all that we went to church and enjoyed our Easter Sunday talks and lessons.

Andrew's Newest Wheels

I guess Andrew is benefiting from our sudden tax-refund-induced sense of wealth, since yesterday we bought him yet another new mode of transportation--a scooter.  Paul got himself a scooter a couple of weeks ago to use on the walking portions of his commute (included traversing the Brooklyn Bridge), and ever since Andrew has wanted one too.  Andrew has had a three-wheeled scooter since he turned two, but it's actually not that great (horrible turning radius, slow), so we've been planning on getting him a real razor scooter eventually.  I can't believe how fast Andrew has learned to ride his new two-wheel scooter!  I thought maybe he'd get the hang of it by the time he's four, but he was riding it and balancing pretty well last night right after getting it.  He still stops frequently, either because he loses his balance, gets tired, or gets distracted by something interesting on the ground (trash, dog poop, plants, the usual).  That's one advantage the bike has over the scooter--it's harder to climb on and off it so he usually stays on and keeps going.  Nevertheless, he loves his new scooter and I'm looking forward to a spring and summer full of bikes and scooters and generally being outside!.