Easter 2013

Happy Easter!  We hope you had a wonderful Sunday yesterday.

Our celebration was a bit last minute this year, with Lucy and I decorating the house on Friday.  We pulled out the Colored Rice Eggs, the Peeps Bunny Bunting, the little lambs (forgot to pull out these), and I scored some tiny fuzzy chicks at William Sonoma Outlet, which look great on the shelf.




While the kids were in bed, I dipped some of these (and may have forgotten to tell anyone about them…and may have eaten almost the whole batch by myself)

And in the 11th hour of the weekend, Old Navy came to the rescue with matchy spring dresses for the girls (with glitter jelly shoes) and a cute yellow polo for Owen.


Yay!
We chose to do our Easter egg hunt after church, in the sprinkling rain, while Clara watched from the window and I ate a few more peeps.  Seriously.  SO much better with chocolate on top!


And despite the non-Eastery weather I was determined to get pics of the kids in their Easter Clothes.  Thank you family for entertaining your crazy photographer mom.

The kids and Casey went camping at this location two nights before and I loved these never-ending trees.

We snapped some decent photos and some goofy ones, and I wished I’d brought the tripod so we could get a shot of the whole family (duh), and the 50mm lens would have been a good idea too.  Oh well.  Make it work moments, folks.  The good news is, the rain stopped right when we pulled up!  And here’s what we captured.  My three favorite bunnies:





Lucy’s a grab-bag of expressions.  And I love seeing her interact with Clara.  She is such a darling big sister.  She and Owen love their Clara doll so much.


We searched for outdoor treasures,

(I spy a candy tongue).

And we got a few keepers!
When I step back and look at photos like these, I can’t believe all 3 are mine.  And I feel humbled at the huge responsibility Casey and I have to love and teach them how to make good decisions, be kind to others, work hard, help each other, and to enjoy the beauties of this earth.  I think that last one comes naturally.  It’s hard to resist a dandelion no matter what your age.



This might be the best of all 3 kids.   Clara’s not looking but that sorta makes it more candid.

Oh how thankful I am for my little family.  They are my biggest joy and greatest challenge at times.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Happy Easter from the Willard family!

  1. Well said, dear friend. Love those beautiful babies, and so glad your family had a good Easter!

  2. Such a sweet post… Echoes how I feel about my ( soon-to-be) two little guys. You seriously have some cute kids too!! Can’t believe how tall Owen is.

  3. Beautiful family! Lovely pictures!

  4. 4) Jackie

    Easter greetings to you as well. Beautiful family.

  5. 5) Sara

    I so wish I had your photography skills. These turned out beautiful. And I love that your skirt matched your girls!

  6. Happy Easter to all 5 of you from Germany!
    Every time I read your blog my kids peek over my shoulder asking if there are new Clara pictures 🙂

  7. happy easter to you too Dana !!!! great great pics !!!

  8. 8) Kristin

    Your kids are adorable!!! (and, though Clara isn’t looking in that last picture – she has the cutest smile on her face!)

  9. Happy Easter, Dana!! You have such a beautiful family.

  10. Oh goodness your personal posts are my favorite Dana!! Those Old Navy dresses are too cute. And I think the sweetest picture in here is the one with you in it. 😉

  11. LOVE the pictures in the trees!!!!!!!!!

  12. 13) Sue

    Love the Easter outfits. Your skirt matches the girls dresses just right. And I love the girls headbands.

  13. Love the pictures! I like the Peeps bunting….could be one of those projects I actually make for the nest Easter 🙂

  14. Love the family photos! What cute kiddos! I didn’t take a single picture of my kids this weekend. FAIL! 🙂 Also your Old Navy skirt (I have it too) was just perfect with the girls adorable dresses!

  15. Your three look absolutely beautiful together!! I can’t believe how big Clara is!

  16. 17) Collette

    Very beautiful pictures and lovely, lovey sentiments. Thank you for sharing!

  17. 18) Nicole

    Beautiful pictures, kids & family!! Love & miss you guys!! xoxo

  18. 19) Ilene

    Owen is getting so TALL! Those dresses are really cute. I love Old Navy!

  19. 20) kelly

    You have a beautiful family! And you are blessed with quite a knack for taking great pictures! Happy Easter!

  20. Happy easter! Love those photographs!

  21. beautiful pictures, Dana! I love how Dad made it to the post too!

  22. How sweet post with beautiful kids pics! You’re a great Ma of 3 kids. I’m sure they are proud of their kind, sweet and talented mom! 🙂 Happy Easter!

  23. 26) Joy

    Very, very nice. These are special days indeed. Whenever I see a mom with baby on her hip I think how amazing it is a hip can turn into a “chair” for part of a woman’s life! Great photos, so special. Happy Easter to all of you.

  24. Well put. Love this post. Those dresses are DARLING! I am in love with those gold shoes too. I might have to swing by and grab a pair for Nat. I hope they come in size 2. I swear her feet never grow! That location is a-mazing as well. Just lovely. Glad you had a good Easter.

  25. 28) Dana

    I can’t even tell you how much I love these pictures! Suffice it to say I love them!!!!

  26. aw what cute photos!!! i think we might have traded weather for the weekend, hehe. 🙂

  27. Great photos! Such a handsome family God has blessed you with! And how about those Bluebonnets? They make the best photo subjects & backdrops – Thank you Lady Bird Johnson! And don’t think it escaped notice that your chevron skirt matches the girls dress trip and your socks match Owen’s shirt. Such a cool mom!

    Oh, do ya mind not hogging the rain? Next time, wish some a little south please? We need rain on the cattle ranch so bad it ain’t funny. (How’s that for Texan talk?) And thanks for the info on Katie Evans’, Key to Pictures. I joined her online course and I’m loving it! I upgraded to a Canon T3i, got myself an Eye-Fi and I’m loving picture-taking life! I blamed you for the renewed infatuation with pictures. You take amazing photos so I copied (hope you don’t mind) – and now your post has reminded me , I’m in need of a 50mm lens.

  28. That setting is so ilyllic! Love it! I love the rain drenched landscape and the candid shots. No need for a perfectly sunny day. These “real” photos are even better! Beautiful family… Happy Easter!

  29. Your family is adorable!!!!

    I love the dresses you found for the girls. So pretty! Thanks for sharing all of your Easter pictures. 🙂

  30. 33) Mary Kay

    Dana – love love love your family – the kids are just wonderful! Including the big one holding the littlest one!

  31. 34) Jenny

    I never comment but always lurk…I couldn’t resist today. Look at how big your babes are getting. They are just so precious. I makes me remember to enjoy the little things while my kiddos still like me. We aren’t far from teenagers.

  32. Happy Easter Dana. The kids are gorgeous. I love it how you manage to match up the girls. Cute shoes too.

  33. 36) Sally

    Thank you for your heartwarming thoughts, your beautiful family and your love of peeps! SO going to do the chocolate dip!

  34. 37) Robyn

    such lovely photos!

  35. 39) Carolyn Thornley

    Your Easter pics are inspiring!

  36. 40) Adva

    I must mention how Clara looks like a big toddler, she’s not a baby anymore! and so cute with her big sister and brother!

  37. 41) ashlee

    What kind of flash do you use my 3 year old son is hiding from the camera because of the flash my camera is EOS 60D DSLR.

  38. 42) Nicole

    LOVE the one of Lucy with bluebonnets in the foreground. Beautiful! And a shout-out to early morning seminary teachers. WHAT A SACRIFICE, and what a blessing to the students. (It completely changed the direction of my life 20+ years ago.)

  39. Such great photos, and adorable family. I love what you said about your responsibility to your kids. I have no doubt that you both are setting wonderful examples and doing a great job.

  40. 45) Sarah K

    You have a beautiful family! I love your photography – it is like eye candy. 🙂

  41. 46) Erin

    Your website is fantastic!!! I love it!!! I found it through Pinterest and have made a circle skirt for myself. I don’t have any daughters, so I really appreciate that you add instructions for the adults ad that you have great tutorials for making boys clothes. Many a website does not include much for boys. I’m currently making shorts for my boys and they are turning out great! Thanks again!

  42. First of all, I always eat my peeps with chocolate! I’ve never actually dipped them in chocolate (which is a great idea), I pop in a mini cadbury chocolate egg and then take a bite of the peep. 🙂

    Your Easter photo’s turned out sooooo great! Awesome location. Those never ending trees are spectacular. Your skirt and outfit is adorable and and love how it matches with the kids. And best of all, your sweet kiddos are so darling. Their interactions are just too cute.

  43. 48) Criscelle

    Awesome kids beautiful family. Great pictures! What kind of camera are you using?

Leave a Comment