A Full House for Easter

We had a blast this Easter with visitors from the East and the West! Monica and Glenn joined us on the Tuesday before Easter, and Paul and Maureen, Patrick and Liam came on Holy Thursday. We were packed to the gills, but what a wonderful way to spend the most important days in the Liturgical year! We put up bunk beds in the boys' room so Liam would have a place to sleep, we put Monica and Glenn on a pull-out couch in the guest room, Maureen and Paul got the guest bed in the basement, and Patrick scored the couch. Ten people in our little house? No problem! 

I also discovered that I enjoy cooking for lots of people! My mom has equipped me well with a few recipes that serve gazillions of people, so I was set. Plus, Paul's family members are about the most laid-back guests imaginable, so I never felt any stress or pressure to play hostess unless I felt like it. 

We had a fun time catching up with Monica and Glenn in the two days before the rest of the Yantes clan arrived- grilling out, scoring majorly at Goodwill (new kids' winter boots for 25 cents??) and some last-minute grocery shopping before the full house. Errands are really easy with an auntie in tow! 

Everyone else arrived Thursday afternoon. We had an early dinner, went to Mass at St. Joseph's (filling up an entire pew!), and spent the evening catching up and playing cards. Early Friday morning, Paul Sr, Maureen, Liam and I participated in the Good Friday Prayer Vigil outside of Planned Parenthood in St. Paul. What a beautiful, beautiful way to spend Good Friday! Archbishop Nienstadt gave a wonderful reflection, and we sang hymns and prayed for an end to abortion. I found out later that there were over 3000 people praying there throughout the day! 

Around lunch time, the men went to Stations of the Cross at the Cathedral while the rest of us stayed home to do our own Children's Stations with Max's drawings, and to color Easter eggs. I must say, we had some creativity flowing in the house! Several eggs ended up with Jolly Rogers and Pirate ships drawn on them, and Liam was getting pretty creative with his color combinations. In the afternoon, we went to the St. Paul Cathedral for Veneration of the Cross. The boys did surprisingly well during a very, very long service, and I'm glad we got to experience one of the Triduum liturgies at the gorgeous Cathedral! After the boys were in bed that night, a group of us headed to Target for Easter basket stuffers. I thought we bought WAY too much candy, but realized quickly that the candy that didn't make it into plastic eggs would be consumed very easily by a household of ten people. Very few leftover goodies for us this year!

Maureen, Liam, Max and I spent most of Saturday at the Science Museum enjoying the Real Pirates exhibit. And I actually remembered my camera this time! Even though we weren't allowed to use a flash so my photos aren't the greatest, I'm still really glad to have some pics to remember this momentous event in Max's life! Real pieces of eight, real swords, real cannons, a detailed model of a pirate ship, actors portraying real pirates from the Whydah, a full-scale model of the Whydah's hull, including the Captain's cabin... I could go on and on.

We also checked out the rest of the Science Museum, including a real tugboat and a news station!

Maureen and Paul, Monica and Glenn went to the Easter Vigil at St. Joseph's, and the rest of us went to Mass on Easter morning while Grandma and Auntie Monica hid Easter eggs in the backyard. We attempted a family picture (After about a thousand attempts, I think we all look decent in this one...) and then the egg hunt began! 

"I love this chocolate bunny!"

Paul cooked an amazing Easter brunch, complete with a German pancake, sausage, bacon, a yummy egg bake from Maureen, fruit salad, and mimosas. Then we regretfully had to say goodbye to Monica and Glenn so they could get back to work on Monday (darn Chicago public school system!!) But thankfully they'll be back in June for a Baptism, God willing!

Handsome chef!

Later on Sunday, Patrick helped Max finish his Easter crown, after all of the thorns had been removed from our Lenten Crown of Thorns. They glued the jewels on a gold-painted braid, and Max was pretty pleased with the result! (although you'd never guess it from the expression I caught on camera)

Sunday evening we had another huge Easter meal: ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, candied carrots, apple walnut salad, and cherry pie. I discovered that I truly can host a holiday meal, at least for a small crowd. Don't get any ideas, Mom, I'm not ready for the Moorse extended family!!

On Monday, we had a relaxing final day of our visit, checked out the Como Zoo and Conservatory, played lots of cards, and had our last meal together (Chinese takeout, of course!) The family hit the road early Tuesday morning, so we said goodbye Monday night. It's hard to believe that next time we see everyone, we will be introducing our new little baby! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter season. Make sure you celebrate all 50 days! I know we will.