Easter in East Texas- My Hometown Post 2 of 2

Easter Sunday we met in front of the barn at the Rosevine Inn Bed & Breakfast before heading to church to get some family pics.  I put my camera on the tripod and used the timer to get these pictures.  I put the focal point system on auto (since I obviously wasn't behind the camera to select the focal points) and I noticed that it didn't focus like I was hoping it would on some of these photos so they are not as sharp as I had expected. Bummer, but still it is great to have everyone together!  

Here we are from left to right, my Dad (Opa), my mom (Nana), me, Claire and Kevin.

Our little family of 3 for Claire's 2nd Easter!

Closer up!  

Couldn't choose just one, so I'm posting a few :) 

The sun started poking through the trees making shadows tricky for these pics!

Weeee, smile for the camera, Claire!

After pictures and a delicious breakfast at the B&B we went to worship at the church I went to growing up!

It was really special to come back here again on Easter Sunday.  We sat at the same place I remember us sitting at when I was little in the "big church".  Claire did pretty good with us for a while and really enjoyed the singing, but had to sneak out and walk around after about 20 minutes.  Blurry picture, but still wanted to post it.

Everything in the sanctuary was just as I remembered, with the addition of the screens now.  It was just like being a kid again sitting in church with my parents, only this time I had my hubby and daughter with me. :)

We let Claire swing in the new playground area that they have added.  Before this playground was built it was just grass and I remember Splash Day, carnivals, rolling down the grassy hills and climbing the trees here as a kid.  Here is an old pic of me  on the right in one of the trees in the courtyard where the swing set is now.

 

Beautiful Easter Sunday!

We took some time walk down the halls of the Sunday School where I also attended PreSchool!  WOW- I had sooooo many memories come back to me as we walked through those hallways.  I remembered my classrooms, the time that the little boy Ben kissed me on the cheek and got in big trouble, the decorations for Vacation Bible School and so much more.  

I found this picture of me with the Easter Bunny in Sunday School when I was little.  What is crazy is that the classrooms looked exactly the same today! (so yes, they were a bit outdated, but still bright, fun and colorful)  It was like nothing had changed!

After church we headed back to the bed and breakfast for the Easter Lunch that Bert and Becca were hosting.  They had over 100 guests!  Here is Claire getting ready to enjoy lunch.

It was pot luck and everyone brought such delicious foods!  My favorite was the homemade mac-n-cheese that was uhhhhh-mazing!  Everyone had a lovely time.

After lunch, it was time for the kids Easter Egg Hunt.  There were 13 kids and 240 Easter Eggs to find!  I took Claire over the kids area to listen to the instructions for the Easter Egg hunt and as soon as Becca said, "Ready, Set, Go" all the big kids ran away and I looked down at Claire and this is what I saw.  My heart melted.  There she was...holding my finger with her little hand as tight as she could, trying to keep up with the big kids, but still not quite sure what to do at the same time.  Oh- how I just LOVE this age!  Claire, never grow up, okay!  Stay just like this for mommy :)  {sigh}

Soon enough she was getting the hang of it and finding the eggs.

Nana & Daddy helped her know which way to go!

Sometimes she got a little sidetracked...(going for a stick here)

But, she got right back to it.  Scroll down through these to see her "hunt in action"

 oooops, dropped it...

 She did great and we had a lot of fun sharing in the experience of the Easter Egg hunt with her.

 After that was over we all loaded into the car and headed back home.  Claire fell asleep pretty quick and stayed asleep for at least an hour!  

We had such a wonderful time.  We can't thank Bert & Becca enough for this experience, their hospitality and the very special memories we all made.  It was a wonderful Easter and a great way to celebrate that He is Risen!