Life on His Path: Our Easter Traditions

The last week and a half has been weighted more to the "slightly overwhelming" side than "things are going great!" The first two weeks at church, when people asked me how things were going, I said more than once, "I don't want to sugar coat adoption, but everything is going so well!" Last Sunday our pastor asked again, and we had a nice chat about how adding a third child is one of the harder transitions to make. It would be way harder if David didn't do everything he could to make my evenings a little easier, though. He's a great guy.

A few highlights from the week:

--Liz has added "Pippin" to her words, and has dubbed David "Gaga." We are working on making "L" sounds, and she can now make them when she sticks her tongue out.

--When we first got Liz, she would cry in her crib after waking until I picked her up and calmed her down. Now, she cries/whines until one of us comes in, and as soon as she sees us, she gets super excited.

--I went running on Monday after dinner! Two miles without stopping, and my pace wasn't too bad either (first time since Christmas). I'm planning to go again today...still haven't gone with the kids. :) Although the weather is super nice, it's still a little cold in the mornings.

We've also enjoyed sharing some of our Easter traditions with Liz. It all starts with our Maundy Thursday celebration. We always eat lamb for dinner, to remember Jesus' sacrifice as the Lamb of God. This year, I took David's advice and got everything from our favorite Turkish deli--even the lamb and beef shawarma. After dinner, we read John 13-17 aloud. At the appropriate time during the reading, we paused and washed each other's feet. Katie's been asking since last year when we'd wash feet again, so I think it's pretty memorable. Every time, we go over how washing each other's feet reminds us that we are supposed to love and serve each other.

After reading, we take communion, and then our fast begins. We've done everything from bread and water to just going vegetarian (when I was pregnant). This year we are eating a vegan diet. I'm pretty sure if we'd just told the kids "no milk," that would have been enough to have an impact. :) The fast lasts from communion on Thursday through the sunrise service on Sunday. This is what we're having for Easter dinner: Braised Beef Brisket