I did it my way

All weekend, my thoughts have been in two places: Here and There.

We made a conscience decision to not go There for Easter - my parents' house in Cleveland. As much as we knew we would miss my mom's meals, the cousins playing together and my dad reading to the kids, we're traveling again in a few weeks and it's getting harder to travel with two (though I remain proud at the efficiency in which Jeremy and I bring to an airline security line with two kids, two laptops, a double-stroller, four pairs of shoes and coats and so on). So we decided to stay home. Here.

And it helped that my mom visited last weekend for some Jack and Jossie cuddles too.

So Here we were - my first Easter not at my parents' house in about a dozen years. And - to boot - it was Passover as well. So in our glass-is-half-full perspective, it was time for Jeremy and me to start making some family traditions of our own for the brown-eyed babies.

We had the best dim sum ever with our friends in Chinatown Saturday morning at a place called Cai. It was very user-friendly - pictorial menus with English and Chinese. We - and I mean my friend's mom - over-ordered - the lazy Susan that sat in the middle of our table was a feast for the eyes and the belly. This is probably 25 percent of the food we sampled:

We're lucky that our kids aren't picky eaters and tried all of the dumplings. It was a beautiful day as we left the restaurant. We took in the afternoon walking around Chinatown with the kiddos and then came home for naps.

Saturday night was our four-person Seder. Jeremy did his best Seder ever, taking it slowly and explaining the symbols to Jack. Jack probably got about 5 percent of the Seder and that's okay. With time and repeated ritual, will also come understanding.

An Easter egg on the Seder plate because that's how we roll.

And Sunday morning was nicer than I had expected. I tried in earnest to not get too crazy with the Easter baskets and it went over well - a small toy, a book and candy for Jack and Jossie each.

Who doesn't have this picture from growing up? Okay, maybe not with the Yoda Easter basket.

Jack and I went to church. I've never been to a major holiday at my big-city church and there were lines out the door. I went with Jack to the children's service, held in the church cafeteria. We were joined by one of his day school friends. The leader told the Easter story by using differently colored pieces of paper. If a child had a particular color under his/her chair, they were to go stand by the leader. Not all children had a piece of paper, and when the leader called for the color blue, our charismatic Jack announced loudly, "Well, I'm wearing blue." And before I could say anything, he was standing by the leader. Other children caught wind of this notion, and soon half the room was standing at the front. That's my Jack - he can convince you of anything.

Jack and his buddy were restless. Jack probably got about 5 percent of the service and that's okay. With time and repeated ritual, will also come understanding.

Jeremy and Jossie picked us up for brunch at Ina's, one of our favorites, and I was geeked out to be seated at Ina's table in the back, where I promptly ordered a vanilla bean latte as a treat. And in the afternoon, after Jack's tennis class, we spent time at the Chicago Botanic Garden, enjoying the warm weather, the blooms and each other.