We celebrated all weekend long & it was truly the best Easter ever. I wasn't sure we'd ever top our first Easter with our Magnolia --- our literal golden egg, but we did. And then last Easter was one of the worst days of my life. After losing our baby on Easter Sunday last year, I was determined to make up for it this year. I remember sitting on the sofa last year, body shaking from what I had gone through physically & emotionally, feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness. We watched an Easter service on TV & the message of hope in the midst of tragedy was carried in my heart all year long.
This Easter it felt as though life had gone full circle. Our home was full of fresh blooms, the breeze of spring air, birds singing in the backyard trees, pastel chocolates & the laughter of children. In my deepest despair last year, all of this was hope & faith in my heart.
We hosted this year & it was so much fun getting the house all fancy & decorated with pastel colors of spring.
Magnolia is learning the art of celebration. She helped me pack her cousin's Easter Bunny party bags!
We had this white fluffy bunny with pink glittery ears hopping around our home all weekend long!
I know I'll always be grateful for capturing simple moments of her in imaginative play because of the joy it brings me to just watch her. Watching her creativity & curiosity blossom right before my eyes is a gift I cherish.
On Easter Eve the three of us decorated our eggs with a confetti of colors.
I let Magnolia pick her favorite six for the egg dish to put on display at the Easter party.
My sisters & I started a new family tradition. On Easter Eve all the babes plant some magical jelly beans. On Easter morning they wake up to a surprise in the garden. The jellybeans bloom into colorful lollipops! The envelope printable can be found here.
While Magnolia was sleeping in on Easter Sunday, I ran outside & picked some fresh lilac blooms. The cool breeze, hot coffee, and the smell of lilacs felt like a dream.
Magnolia's basket was full of all things baby. She is obsessed with babies & her favorite book is the Golden Book Little Mommy. The Easter Bunny brought her the other mommy + baby Golden Books that remind me of my childhood. She has a golden egg that shows up each year with a note from the E. Bunny. Ryan wrote it this year & I was in tears when I tried to read it to her. She is one lucky girl to call him her daddy.
She's stayed consistent with her favorite foods - chocolate & mommy's milk!
We took a bunch of photos before my brother, sisters & Papa Jesse showed up. And somehow we didn't even get a family photo!
Love him. I had a vision for the day & he was right there helping me with every single detail. He stayed up late after we went to bed to be the Easter Bunny - stuffing eggs, writing love notes to Magnolia, making the lollipop garden come to bloom. I probably don't thank him enough. I feel incredibly blessed that God brought us together!
I looooove a pretty table setting & this pastel bunnies, baby chicks, rainbow sprinkled, fresh flowers, layered cake setup was incredibly fun to create!
We put a candle in the cake because Magnolia thinks a cake means birthday and that means a candle to blow out. We had Peter Cottontail playing on Alexa & we all sang Hippity Hoppity Happy Easter Day before the kids made a wish & blew out a candle.
Before the party, after Magnolia was in her garden dress, I followed her around the yard snapping photos. She runs with her arms up to the sky, smiling from ear to ear, as if she's soaking up every drop of Heavenly joy. The gift of motherhood is never taken for granted & her beautiful soul has me thanking God at all times. I could sit here & cry just thinking about how much I love her & how grateful I am that God sent her to us. Our days are full of magic because of her. Pure magic.
And now to the big Easter Egg Hunt with her cousins...
The one & only egg that got her to stop for longer than 15 seconds. The sparkle of a golden egg reflecting on her cheeks!
My sisters & I were cracking up yesterday as we made child commentary for the next six photos. I was behind the camera & I had no idea that Magnolia was opening an egg with melted chocolate enclosed.
Her face in the first photo was a curious one, then it was as though she was wondering if anyone noticed because something just wasn't quite right, and then she started to get her cousin Ollie involved in the situation. And his face of disgust & the fact that he wanted her to backup is the best part. He didn't want all that chocolate mess wiped on him, so the next best thing, her beautiful dress!
My sisters & brother - my best friends in this world!
Forever thankful that Magnolia has her cousins to grow up with and to make all the sweetest memories. Ollie & Magnolia have the cutest relationship. If they get together it is a guarantee for laughter. If they aren't pushing, hitting & fighting, then they are probably kissing, hugging & talking.
We ended the night on our back deck, our most favorite room of the house this time of year. God's artwork was magnificent.
Easter is more than a celebration once a year. Christ's death & resurrection offers a life of hope, love & faith every single day. With God's grace we can find reassurances of hope in each day. The sound of a little child laughing, the birds singing a sweet melody, the warm sunshine on our face, the flowers blooming after a harsh winter, a blue & pink sky decorated by the Heavens, & love, pure love.
Easter allows us to find hope in death & because of that we will always think of the baby we lost on Easter Sunday as HOPE. And especially so because it was a miracle to get pregnant naturally after IVF.
Even if you're going through a hard season of life, I hope there are days with little blessings of beauty in your life.
With so much love, thank you for following along on our story.
xo The Smiths
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