Happy (Second Day of) Easter

I love how pretty our church's altar looks on Easter morning. It's even more beautiful after seeing it stripped bare on Thursday evening.

But. 

The lighting in there is horrible. Every picture of I've ever seen in our sanctuary is marred by this orange-ish glow that frustrates me to no end because 1. it looks bad and 2. I don't know enough about lighting and photography to know how to fix it (if there even is a way).

However, I also love photo editing software. With just a few clicks of a mouse, I was able to create a passable picture. The lighting is still imperfect and a few of us are wearing weird expressions but, hey, we are a family of six: good enough when it comes to family snapshots is better than nothing.

Easter Recap, 2011

As long as Joe gets a vote, I think our family will be doomed treated to the early (6:30 a.m.), sunrise service on Easter Sunday. Amazingly, even little Caroline adapted just fine to being woken more than two hours earlier than normal.

Our Easter morning service was, as always, moving and wonderful after a long, somber Lent and, as a special treat, we were treated to some incredibly gorgeous music thanks to our talented organist and numerous brass players (all extremely talented volunteers).

After the service we tried for our annual family picture in front of the altar. I think we'll continue the tradition if for no other reason than to prove that getting a nice family photograph with four kids is an impossible feat.

The Easter Bunny is nice enough to accommodate our early morning schedule and hold off on his deliveries until after we leave for church. That means that following the fun of church and Easter breakfast at church we have more fun to look forward to at home. Hidden Easter eggs! Baskets! Small gifts!

After we watched the kids play around with the new loot, cut Caroline off her her jelly bean feeding frenzy and drank some coffee, I started in on getting the house ready for our guests. This year I got smart and put all the kids in the basement, which meant we were only ten upstairs, and all adults.

Shortly after that, guests began to arrive and my camera fell on my list of priorities as cooking and playing with friends and family took precedence. 

After lots of enjoyable hours spent sipping wine and, later, coffee with all assembled, Joe, the kids and I changed into our PJs at 7 p.m. and cuddled in to watch Tangled, one of the few movies everyone in our family enjoys. 

It was, if memory serves, one of the most fun, relaxing Easters, we've had in awhile.

Ash Wednesday

Have a blessed, Ash Wednesday, everyone. And, for those keeping track, this is the third (or fourth?) consecutive Ash Wednesday we've had snow. Blergh.

Last year's post. Applicable this year too.

Caroline's Baptism

I'm hoping some of the other photographers present at Caroline's baptism got some better shots than what I have. In each of mine someone in the picture has a wonky look on their face. Usually multiple people. Please, people, send me your .jpeg and .tif files-- I desperately want them!

In the interim, however, I'll share some of what I have.

Joe and me with Caroline following the service. The gown Caroline is wearing is the same gown worn by my great-grandmother, my maternal grandmother and now all four of my kids. While my mom and I did not wear it, others in our generations did, so the gown is on its fifth generation now. Of course, you can't really see the gown in any of my pictures because no one-- including me-- thought to get a close-up of just Caroline. Ugh!



Our whole crew.



Our family with Caroline's godparents.



Madeleine and Caroline with the cakes made by a very talented friend of ours from our congregation for Caroline's reception following the service.



I think most everyone who attended the service was able to join us for some cake, punch and coffee and I'm more than certain that at least fifty percent of our congregation held Caroline at some point. Madeleine kept asking when it would be her turn and grumbled how everyone else got to hold Caroline for too long. It was a fun celebration.

A much smaller crew including grandparents, godparents and a few friends joined us at home for a relaxing lunch that I failed to really record, photographically-speaking, except for the beautiful flowers Diana brought and the leftover cake.



As a side note, there are a million little things that happen through the course of life that make me miss my mom and it's usually the dumb little things, not the big important things. For instance, you'd think a big important day like Caroline's birth or her baptism would make my mom's absence hit home and it does, in a way, but you know what's really made her absence hit home today? The lack of pictures that I have from Caroline's baptism. Weird.

Anyway, it was a beautiful, happy day and such a joy to witness Caroline receive the blessings of baptism in the presence of family and so many good friends.

Camp

Joe and I dropped Madeleine off at camp on Sunday afternoon. Leaving church late Sunday morning we were a jovial threesome (Hank and Elisabeth departed with Grandfather after the conclusion of the service) but by the time we arrived at Madeleine's camp the camper had grown a bit more quiet. She was happy to see her friends. She was excited to spread out her sleeping bag on her bed in her dormitory-style room. And she looked relieved when she met her college-aged, friendly counselor for the week. Yet, still, it was obvious she was a bit apprehensive.

Still, though, the time came for Joe and me to leave. Madeleine gave us two rushed hugs, assuring us that she was going to be fine until pick-up time on Friday. Right now I'm sure she's having a wonderful time swimming, canoeing, hiking and all the rest of it. It's me who is going to have trouble waiting until Friday to see her again and hear how things went.

UPDATE: A letter arrived today from Madeleine. She wrote, "Camp is fun. I love (underlined twice) my counselor." The rest was about strange food that she couldn't identify, but the letter was upbeat and it was clear she's having a fun time. Whew!

Church Behavior

Madeleine took it upon herself on the drive to church this morning to verbally instruct Elisabeth how to properly follow along during the service.

OK, Elisabeth, Madeleine began, when everyone stands up, you're going to stand too, OK?

OK, Madeleine, Elisabeth agreed.

And when we pray we bow our heads and fold our hands like this, OK?

OK, said the eager pupil, dutifully folding her hands.

And when Pastor starts his sermon, you daydream like this, Madeleine said as she placed a thoughtful expression on her face and gazed off into the distance.

Hmmm. I think we'll be placing Madeleine on a temporary tutoring suspension.