Happy Easter!

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him."

~ Mark 16:4-6

* * * * *

Happy Easter, my friends! Christ is Risen! What a wonderful day to celebrate!

We are very much looking forward to our first real opportunity to celebrate Easter with Ellie this year. Sure, this is technically her second Easter. But, last year, she was just a little blob of nothing, merely ten days old, and I was still very much in the throes of recovery. We dressed Ellie in her Easter dress, posed for a picture, and then quickly returned to the couch to rest and relax.

Our new family of four - Easter 2012

This year, however, we'll be taking Ellie to church, which I am very excited about. I love the celebratory Easter service and I think she will also love all the joyful activity. Then we'll be spending the day with family, something new this year as we're not usually around relatives for this holiday. And of course, we had to get in on the more secular side of things, as well. A few weeks ago, Ellie made sure all the necessary introductions had been made:

Ellie and the Easter Bunny! 2013

Her adorable smile seems to have made a very good impression because the Easter Bunny visited our house early last night and left behind a basket of goodies for Ellie. So, she'll get to start that tradition this year, too!

Happy Easter to all of you. I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating our Risen Savior with loved ones.

He is Risen, indeed!