We enjoyed our first Easter together as a family of four (Raleigh didn't make it into the pictures but wanted to make sure she wasn't forgotton all together :). My mom watched John Harrison for us so we could go to church. Easter Sunday was the first Sunday that we had gone to church together since John Harrison was born. My mother-in-law cooked a delicious meal and our families ate lunch together at David's parents' house. James and his fiance, Caroline, were in town so we really enjoyed having them with us on Easter. James and Caroline graduate from college next month and are getting married two weeks after graduation. I am excited about having a third sister......James and Caroline have been dating for so long, though, that she has already been part of the family for quite some time.
This Easter was a bittersweet one....very wonderful in that we love having our precious son with us....but sad in that one of my grandmothers is no longer with us. My Dad's mother passed away three days before John Harrison was born and we miss her so much. Our loss is very much her gain, though, as she is with our Lord Jesus! This Easter, I couldn't help but remember so many Easters spent with my grandparents. Most every year when my siblings and I were growing up, we would go to my grandparents' house for Easter lunch. My grandmother was an amazing cook and she would make a huge spread of all types of cold salads, homemade rolls, and an assortment of desserts. After lunch, we would hunt eggs with our cousins in our grandparents' yard, which was always beautiful at Easter with dogwoods and azaleas blooming. I remember that we each had to stop hunting after we found 16 eggs (always seemed like too few in my book :). Grandmama, I miss you so much and thank you for all the special memories you gave me...ones that I will never forget!
I guess now that we have a child, David and I will have to start our own holilday traditions. It is interesting how each family has its own traditions. For instance, while our family had cold salads on Easter, David's family had an Easter ham. Until I married David, I never knew that it was traditional to have a Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, and Easter ham. Of course, my family always had a Thanksgiving turkey, but at Christmas, we would have barbeque, shrimp, beef tenderloin, (and even sandwiches and salads one year), but rarely (maybe never) a ham. This year, my Dad smoked a turkey breast that he and Mom brought to Easter lunch...needless to say, the ham had some competition. Dad may have unknowingly started a new tradition....I think that ham and smoked turkey should be given equal places of honor on the Easter table from now on....mix in some cold salads and you have the perfect spread!
This week, we are at the beach. John Harrison is enjoying a week with Mom, Dad, and Great Grandmama. We are having fun, but quickly learning that vacations with a baby will never be quite the same as trips without one....oh well. Just being out of the house and having a change of scenery has been so enjoyable. My Grandmama is so fun and easy to travel with and it has been wonderful having her along to help take care of John Harrison. The weather is perfect at the beach this time of year and we haven't had any rain all week. 
