As for many families, Easter weekend is very special to our family. We are eternally grateful for what a loving God did through His Son--secure the future of those who by faith trust in Jesus as the one and only way to the Father. Because of God's grace and Christ's atoning work on the cross and His victory over death (the empty tomb), any man, woman, boy, or girl can secure their future in Jesus' presence for all of eternity. He loves us that much. Wow!
While Gracee doesn't understand the spiritual significance of this weekend, she did enjoy the special trappings of the day. The local Children's Hope International (
www.childrenshope.org) office held an Easter egg hunt for children adopted through their office. While it's been a while since we've participated in an 'colored' egg hunt (the rest of our children are of course older and we have a hard time reconciling such an event with the resurrection of Jesus Christ), we thought Gracee would enjoy the experience and we enjoy the activities CHI sponsors. Gracee got into the hang of it right away, rushing across the field in search of the eggs. It had to be somewhat confusing for her though, given the fact that we have chickens and she sees us collect the real 'colored' eggs every day!

Gracee marked her first Easter at church wearing her Easter bonnet (bought after Easter last year before she even came home) and a new dress (with jacket) with a new pink purse to match (all at clearance at Marshalls this week!). Sure wish Mom-Mom could have been here in town to go to church with her. We know they both would have been sporting their beautiful Easter finery. Gracee found the hat to be an annoyance fairly soon after this picture was taken. And she found her new purse to be the perfect size to swing around and throw. She is so beautiful. God has blessed us in so many ways--all of our children make us the most blessed Mom and Dad in town.