One of the best things about living in Oklahoma City’s historic neighborhood, Heritage Hills (albeit in a prairie bungalow in the foothills), is the annual Easter egg hunt at the historic Overholser Mansion. The mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently undergoing renovation thanks to Devon Energy.
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Sullivan at the annual Easter Egg Run | Overholser Mansion | Oklahoma City | These are the only shoes he’d wear. |
I feel like I’ve watched my kids, Juey, Bridgy and Sully grow up on the green, green grass of the mansion grounds. We’ve spent a lot of time here over the years. It’s just a short walk from our house and we treat it like a park. On weekends, it’s practically abandoned and you can cop a squat under one of the venerable trees. It’s also the site of the neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July picnic and it’s the perfect spooky stop in October as we make our Halloween rounds.
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Beautiful Juliette | Girls with braces rarely hunt Easter Eggs |
This year, I hardly recognized anyone at the picnic. Most of the kids I knew when we started attending the egg hunts are now tweens or teens. It’s a reminder of how fast life blows by us and how quickly I know Sullivan and Bridgette will outgrow this phase of giant bunnies, magic shows and plastic eggs.
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Bridgette ditched her shoes for the Easter Egg Run | Overholser Mansion | Oklahoma City |
So, I’m hugging my babies and indulging in all the traditional Easter egg festivities this year. Shopping for Easter bonnets clothes, coloring and hunting eggs, ironing my light blue table cloth and telling the kids if they don’t clean up their rooms the Easter Bunny won’t come. Ha!
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Sullivan at the annual Easter Egg Run | Overholser Mansion | Oklahoma City |
More than anything, I am thinking about my faith and what it means to follow the teachings of Christ. He sacrificed so much during his life, and it’s only natural that we think about these sacrifices and sufferings at Easter. But, there’s something even more important to think about it, and no matter how many times I try to remember it, I always seem to forget it. It’s Jesus quote from the Old Testament Book of Hosea:
“..Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'”
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Colored Easter Eggs |
OH, Jen, this is why I love you and your blog so much: you fully celebrate your city, your neighborhood, your children and all the fun you have with them while at the same time remembering what the Easter holiday is all about–Jesus death and resurrection for the sake of us all! I really treasure that quote from Hosea, where God exhorts us to show mercy much more than religious ritual!
The photos of Bridgy are so precious (If an old middle aged guy can say precious, I couldn’t think f another word), I love your Sully’s crocs (my favorite also, I even shovel snow in mine) and your eldest daughter is really turning into a young woman. They are so fortunate to have you and Robert.
You have a beautiful family.
Your verse is a zinger.
You guys have a great Easter together.
hello Jen – those pics of Bridgy are just a delight – and don’t fear my boys are pretty much stuck in their crocs too (the shoes …) Happy Easter my sweet and go get entering that Qld comp – le xox