Alleluia, indeed

Happy, happy, happy Easter 
to the wonderful handful of people who read Mamaluia!

I am delighted it is Easter, finally, as the Lent that just passed felt like the longest one I can remember. But somehow griping doesn't suit the joy that we're experiencing during this holy Feast. So today I just want to share a few snippets of joy from the last 40 days in the life of my little family.

Before Lent began, Patrick and I were discussing what we were giving up for Lent over dinner with the boys, and Noah chimed in and said "I want to give up my little table."

His little table is where he plays with toys, does colouring books, and occasionally he eats his snack there with his brother. (In reality it's simply a coffee table we bought at a church flea market for $15, but with a few kid-sized chairs, it does the preschooler/toddler trick.) So on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, we had one last 'fancy' snack there, and then we placed it in Daddy's office until Lent was over.

I'm always impressed when he decides to participate in Lent these ways. It's not something we expect of him, naturally, but it's so sweet when he wants to join in and observe the Church calendar with us.

(You'll recall last year he gave up blueberry muffins, again, unprompted by us.)

So it only seemed fitting to serve our Easter Sunday brunch at that same little table after the long, long Lent our family underwent. We ate all our kid-friendly favourites: bacon, waffles, watermelon, Baby Bel cheese wheels and orange juice 'spiked' with gingerale.

Isaiah, in his own way, got into Lent too. His favourite word, as you know, is "Alleluia" so he certainly enjoyed helping Noah finger-paint an Alleluia banner before Lent began and then watching us 'bury' it under a purple runner on their toy cabinet. Yet he wasn't so keen on being told by his big brother, in his growliest voice possible, "Don't say 'Alleluia' ever, ever again! Not until Easter!"

So... on Easter Sunday morning when he toddled into our room, at 5:50 of course, Patrick greeted him with "Happy Easter! Christ is Risen!" and he immediately responded by singing a heartfelt Alleluia.

So cute.

Also, for Holy Week, in the past we have taken our children to all of the Triduum liturgies. I was unsure whether this would be a good idea this year, especially since our parish's Vigil began at 9. We managed to attend Holy Thursday Mass in Halifax at the much more reasonable hour of  6pm, and, nicely enough, with my parents, for extra baby-wrangling hands to help (yes, it takes four adults to restrain Isaiah properly at Mass).

Good Friday was beautiful, as always, and the weather was positively spring-like. Imagine our hearts' delight in seeing not one but both boys actually go up and venerate the Cross.

The Vigil... well... we put both boys to bed at 6:45, slightly earlier than normal, and woke them up at 8:50 for Mass. Or, rather, we picked them up, still sleeping, out of their beds and wrapped them in their blankets and walked across the street for Mass. Since the church was dark, they both we are able to doze a little. Shortly into Mass, however, like by about the second reading, Isaiah started to lose it. I was just so very tired, and the idea of walking him around the back for the next two hours seemed foolish.

So we went home. Noah, however, wanted to stay with Daddy, and they both had a wonderful time. (I love when they make their own little memories together!). It was a good idea to take Isaiah back, because we both curled up on his little floor-bed, and I sang to him.

Restful. Joyful. How fitting for Easter.

Easter Sunday was wonderful. Both of Patrick's sisters were in Nova Scotia for the weekend so we had big brunch with all of them at chez-in-laws. I devoured everything in sight with a grateful appetite for... everything! And the sweet boys loved their Easter egg hunts (one with their Gram and Grandpa, one at our home).

Then off to my parents' home where they prepared an awesome turkey dinner and my dear mother, who always frets a little about having enough food, was worried that four pies, two cheesecakes and several dozen egg-shaped shortbreads weren't enough dessert. For 11 people. Two of whom are small children.

And now during the Octave after grace before meals (when he thinks of it) Noah cues us by counting to three, and we all shout "Alleluia."

Alleluia, indeed, Little One.