Ham is traditional at Easter?

I think Grace felt the pressure to ham it up for the pictures. It was so stormy, with wind and sideways rain and even a power outtage at our house, that I spared the girls a trip to the backyard daffodil patch for photos. (Last year I even made them lie down in the flowerbed. In their dresses. What kind of mom...? (But WAIT! There're some of the award-winning results in the top right hand column.))

This year was even more challenging than last year with the photos. We had to wait for a break in the storm system to go outside. Then we could barely make it as far as the shop for the background... so much less lovely even than beat-up daffodils. They didn't have to sit on a bench or anything. Just stood in front of the straggly raspberry patch while I knelt on the ground for a better (?) angle. And then I remembered I'm 7.5 months pregnant and I couldn't get back up again.

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Nope. Not joking. But everyone else in the family laughed at the sight of Mr. Suite helping me up from the soaking wet grass, so feel free to join in!

When we arrived at Grandpa and Grandma's house in the afternoon the girls were so glad to see their cousins! No one wanted to stand still for a picture there either. What else is new? But they're all so gorgeous and sweet that I just tried to capture their growing up. It seems like we have been missing one cousin or another from the photo every Easter for years, but this year they're all accounted for. That makes the picture a treasure. (Plus no one is visibly picking his or her nose. A-hem.)

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The boys are so outnumbered by girls at the family get-togethers that they needed a little time to themselves. But just a little. I think the boys were secretly glad that our family, which contributes just less than half of the gang of kids, didn't get to go see Mr. Suite's family a state away. (We had a last-minute cancellation by our farmsitter.)

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The big kids on their nine-clue scavenger hunt. It was 41 degrees outside and they ran so fast between Great Grandma's, Grandma and Grandpa's and Uncle John and Aunt Jennifer's houses that they took off their sweaters! Those are some speedy-smart children!

(Photo note: Mr. Suite chased the older children with the camera for that event. I told you they were fast.) While they did that, the four "littles" broke out the sweets.

And did a good job sharing.

Cousin Cayden dressed to match her roll of candies. "Smarty" indeed.

Grandpa and Laura and Madeleine sharing naptime. Who is faking?

Sarah a study in black and white against the colors of springtime.

The sun finally came out just in time to set. Laura was not happy to leave.

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It's always hard to say goodbye to the ones we love. We wish we'd been able to spend the celebration with their cousin Rio, too, and all their grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles.

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Then I remember that we're blessed to have family, loved ones, to miss. We're blessed by the incomparable sacrifice and miracle that Easter represent. We're blessed.