Life has been overwhelming for the last three weeks.
My fridge is nearing empty. My house is a wreck, and my car is even worse. We've subsisted on a rotation of Taco Bell, Subway, and cereal.
It is a sacrifice for our family to put our lives on hold for three weeks to participate nightly in this portrayal of Jesus Christ's life. Kids miss bedtimes and adults lose patience sometimes, but all of the good things outweigh the difficult.
What I love about the Easter Pageant are the spirit and the focus it brings to our home during the Easter season. No one is consumed with bunnies and baskets and chocolate. Songs about Jesus Christ are constantly replaying in my mind. Phrases from scripture pop into my consciousness unbidden, then welcomed and recited.
I also love how it forces our family together for three or four hours every night. We play games and read stories and fight and eat treats and wrap up in blankets and spend time at the temple together. If we didn't take time to participate in the pageant, I know we would be bouncing around from activity to lesson to game to concert to recital--our regular life--and missing this special bonding time.
One of my favorite memories from this year:
Micah, Hyrum and Evie had all fallen asleep before the finale, so when it was time to leave, we had three lifeless little bodies to maneuver. Micah awoke and clambered into the wagon, Ben lugged an immovable Hyrum, and James gently snuggled Evie's blond head under his chin as we slowly made our way back to the car.
Happy Easter Week, my friends.
If you're in the valley this week, the Mesa Easter Pageant begins at 8 pm every night through Saturday at the Mesa Temple. Chair seating is available first-come with no reserved seats, but the weather is beautiful and if you bring a picnic and a blanket, there is plenty of green lawn and orange blossom perfume to share. Look for us on the north grass during the miracles and on the north stage during the triumphal entry and the finale. You can't miss my purple veil.
Our entire family has been participating in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Easter Pageant, even James.
What I love about the Easter Pageant are the spirit and the focus it brings to our home during the Easter season. No one is consumed with bunnies and baskets and chocolate. Songs about Jesus Christ are constantly replaying in my mind. Phrases from scripture pop into my consciousness unbidden, then welcomed and recited.
One of my favorite memories from this year:
Micah, Hyrum and Evie had all fallen asleep before the finale, so when it was time to leave, we had three lifeless little bodies to maneuver. Micah awoke and clambered into the wagon, Ben lugged an immovable Hyrum, and James gently snuggled Evie's blond head under his chin as we slowly made our way back to the car.
If you're in the valley this week, the Mesa Easter Pageant begins at 8 pm every night through Saturday at the Mesa Temple. Chair seating is available first-come with no reserved seats, but the weather is beautiful and if you bring a picnic and a blanket, there is plenty of green lawn and orange blossom perfume to share. Look for us on the north grass during the miracles and on the north stage during the triumphal entry and the finale. You can't miss my purple veil.
The Easter pageant is one of the highlights of my life when we lived there years ago! My daughter is down there this week visiting and that pageant is on her list of "must see!"
ReplyDeleteHow great is it that your whole family could be part of it!
Wish I was there to see. Get some rest next week. Happy birthday, Hyrum!!
ReplyDeleteSO SO fun.
ReplyDeletewhen my fridge and pantry start to look bare i always think that i could save a lot of money if we were just crazy busy and i couldn't go to the store b/c we always find a way not to survive off of what we have here already! haha
How did you get all 8 of you to look so good in the same photo? Impressive! How fun for James to participate in your yearly Denton Easter traditon.
ReplyDeleteI love the last picture of Evie! So fun!
ReplyDeleteEaster Pageant has got to be in the top 10 things I miss about home. Going every single year of my life, multiple times a year, and then suddenly not getting to go anymore.... Easter is just different in college.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME! I wondered if you guys were doing Pageant this year. For some reason, this spring I have missed it so much. I'm glad you get to do it again, and I think it's fantastic James is doing it with you. That year I got was in Pageant with Heidi and your family was incredible. I hope someday we live in Mesa and Greg and I can be in it together.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, that last picture of Evie is beautiful. Stunning, really.
I love picture of Evie at the end. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see that! Perhaps if our Massachusetts chicks get their wish to move out West again, we will have an excuse to come to your neck of the woods. It sounds like a wonderful Easter tradition.
ReplyDeleteI only wish I were there to see it!
ReplyDelete=)
I love the Easter pageant and miss it a lot.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures of Evie and James are incredible.