We began Holy week with Palm Sunday mass online and in lamentation of the cancelled Passion Play that is put on by the youth every year and in which our own Mariana was supposed to portray our Blessed Mother Mary! I knew we would need extra help focusing on the meaning of the week this year, so I ordered this sticker activity for the kids to do. We even delivered a few to friends nearby.
Mom decided to color eggs with the kids on Holy Thursday morning (breaking with our Holy Saturday morning tradition) because Allia had plans to make macarons Saturday.
Then we had an unexpected event Good Friday. I took the little ones out in the front to ride around on scooters and bikes. My little daredevil guy was a little too crazy on his scooter. He fell, coming down right into the bar with is nose. Immediately it started gushing blood, making quite the puddle in the street. We didn't want to take him to urgent care and risk catching germs so I called the pediatrician's office. Her nurse was very understanding and got us in right away. The doc was going to glue it but realized it was beyond her skill and sent him to the ENT. That was a good call because it turned out he had torn some cartilage and opened an artery (hence the excessive bleeding). So it took a good stitching job by an expert to get him all put back together again. He was very brave and requested Little Caesar's pizza when it was all over. So Daddy obliged, and Sebastian ate 3 pieces. I guess he burned a lot of calories during the ordeal! It made for an appropriate Good Friday meditation because I could really empathize with Mary watching her precious son pour out his blood.
And Manah couldn't resist braving the grocery store to get him some balloons.
This was the first year ever that we made it to all the Good Friday opportunities since it was so easy with them being online! We did the Divine Mercy Litany, Stations, Veneration of the cross, and Tenebrae. Austin had the blessing of singing at Tenebrae, and we participated online from home...it was my first time to "go"! I think I will have to make it a tradition. It was such a beautiful prayer.
We made our usual crowns of jewels Saturday morning.
Austin warned me that I had a big surprise coming for Easter. The funny thing is, it was right under my nose, and I didn't even notice! He and the older girls stayed up later than me (which they often do on Saturday nights) building a new school table which is also a bumper pool/card table! I have always dreamt of having a house with a game room and a bumper pool table because I love playing. Even more so now that we have been home with so much extra time lately. It is actually the same size and shape as our previous school table, so it fits perfectly! Of course, the space is a little tight for playing pool, but it works. We had lots of games while waiting for everyone to get up and get dressed for mass (Yes, we dressed up to watch it online so it would feel more normal and so we could take our usual family photo!).
Then we opened Easter baskets together. There was a theme this year...things we can play together during our newfound free time! The little ones received books and Catholic memory card games.
Stephen received a horseshoes game.
Water balloons for Gloria
Exploding kittens card game for Mariana
Then a few more games before mass...
Our family photo after mass (it was stormy overnight, and the sun came out just as mass was starting. It was so beautiful!).
And of course, hunting Easter eggs
Daddy hid one in the tree!
And then we had a surprise socially-distanced drive by visit from Lito and Lita! Everyone was so excited to see them. Matilda the dog even came along. They brought some get well toys for Sebastian and stayed to chat for a bit.
Jesus is Risen, Alleluia! We are all hoping and praying that we will be able to return to live, in-person mass before the end of the Easter season!
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