Easter Preparations

I'll update this as we go. We had a lot of fun last night dyeing eggs and putting together a pretty cute presentation!

This morning we watched "He Is Risen" on lds.org http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/he-is-risen?lang=eng, which of course made me shed quite a few tears. I am so grateful for my Savior and for the pain He suffered so I don't have to, if I but choose to follow Him, repent, and be better every day.  Ella was sadden by the events leading to His Resurrection but then then joyful to see the Savior's resurrected beaming happy and perfect face, as depicted in the video.

Tonight is the Pin Oak Charity Grand Prix, a huge equestrian show that goes on for two weeks and where we also went last weekend. We're going to watch some amazing professional jumpers tonight.

It was indeed amazing to watch those riders jump over 5'5'' and taller jumps. The horses made it look so effortless, they almost looked like giant bunnies jumping over giant fences.

Ella was so excited to watch, of course.

They were really all amazing riders and horses. It was pure delight to watch them. The pictures don't do them justice. Below are the winners, first and second place.

Unfortunately the night didn't end that well as at 3:45 am the next morning we were in the ER with Ella having had a severe allergic reaction from something she ate the WholeFoods. She was blessed not to go into anaphylaxis, for which we are so grateful. We've learned some new things about food allergies, namely that sometimes a reaction may occur several hours and even days after the allergen had entered the body. It was not pleasant though and very tiring as we were in the ER for almost four hours only to get the doctor's attention for about 5 minutes. Shame on today's overpriced and ineffective medical system.

Saturday we took it slow, relaxed, got some more Benadryl, watched carefully for any signs of distress and luckily there weren't any. It was hard for her to sleep that night as she kept having nightmares about not being able to breathe. (Probably because she was asked that question quite a few times the day before.)

In the evening we decorated our traditional Easter Bunny cake which this year turned even better (aesthetically and taste-wise.) I used to make cozonac in years past but as it's hard to find tasty enough substitutes for nuts, we replaced it with our Easter bunny cake. Ella loves this tradition and always looks forward to it. She is the sweetest bunny though and my heart broke to see her scared and worried. 

 So proud of our masterpiece :)

Easter morning!! This year is probably the first year I did an Easter basket with a couple of treats, pens, and a Dr. Seuss book. She loved it, can you tell??

Daddy's mighty lamb roast!!!!!  He did an amazing job!!

This year we didn't go to any Easter egg hunt as most candy is dangerous for her anyway but she did set up her own Easter egg hunt in our backyard. We probably should have done it... when I saw her planning and then planting the plastic eggs filled with safe candy, I almost cried and laughed too. I love my Ella!!!

The roast was roasting all this time:

And after setting our beautiful Easter dinner table, we took some pictures:

Ella made the pretty and so creative table place "cards."

Here she is watching our dear friends Shu and Andrea hide the cascarones in the back yard for her to find later on!!

Ready for the hunt:

The best friends ever:

They brought cascarones (confetti filled eggs) and we all had so much fun finding them and then cracking them on each other's heads, haha!!

They brought some amazing ceviche (that Hrishi's guarding, haha!)

Shu and Andrea loved the Romanian egg cracking game.

I love my family!!! They are the BEST!!!!!!

 After dinner we took a walk around the lake and Ella and Andrea rode their bikes. Those bluebonnets again, I love them!

How grateful I am for the wonderful blessings of family, friends, healthy, and bounty of kind. Happy Easter. Christ is Risen! He truly is.

I love the words of the Savior:

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth

 in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” ( John 

11:25).