ktb, for you.

my dad's deep slovakian traditions are the ones i pass onto my children today. our easter breakfast at my parents' is another one we cannot leave behind. every year we say how we're going to duplicate it in a few months instead of waiting a whole year to enjoy it next. every year also, my dad mentions how growing up his mom arranged an easter food basket to be blessed, which i only go as far as mental noting. this year we did it.

on holy saturday, my grandma salley delicately placed all easter morning's foods in a pretty basket, lined and covered with a laced, linen cloth which she brought to church to be blessed. the ham, kielbasa, cheese, bread, wine, vinegar, salt, pepper, colored egg, butter and horseradish each has special meaning, why it is enjoyed the next day.

aiden, my mom and i took a sampling of each of our foods, arranged just so on saturday. my dad came home from fishing right before we were heading out. we showed him, he critiqued, we made a change and then i was like "let's go". he gets all "uh, im not properly dressed, i need to shave, i'm dirty...". i was like "this is your tradition i'm carrying on, let's go". i need to talk to my brother here because he'll get what i mean when i say my dad came in our-dad fashion. my mom & i ignored him and were in hysterics while she sat in a carseat (not the first time!) while the four of us tried not to be late. i literally couldn't drive i was crying so hard (ah, a good cry) which i'm sure you could guess how happy that made my dad.

audience participation allowed aiden to count the baskets. audience participation is always a very good thing for a 6yo boy at church. 56, which we thought was an awesome turnout previously thinking we could be the only ones there. my dad, in a helpful way, was quick to point out everyone who did it correctly and how we can do it next year. i left out the aren't you glad you came? and told him how we wouldn't change a thing because i knew he was proud. it was a super, new, old tradition and really added to my holiday.



easter morning, we anticipated some excitement so we set the boys' alarm, telling them they couldn't come out until they heard it. they had a few exceptions to that rule they wanted heard in the a.m. before the alarm went off which was understandable... we woke up colin, and all fuzzy headed he says "santa?!". omg, he's so cute.

EB must not have known how to label the very similar, easily to get confused or fought over baskets so he intelligently placed them at their assigned dinner table seats which we all know are distinctly marked here. no confusion. :)

then on to mom's for the grub.

followed by back home for brett's family. as hostess, it's not the best photographed. but easter without any of them is like a peanut butter cup without the peanut butter. they're each pretty important(!).

so blessed.