Celebrating Easter

The Easter Bunny left his trail…leading to some very special surprises Saturday morning.

Later that day, we celebrated Easter with Dave’s family.  Dave’s parents branched out this year and planned a little hike before lunch and the egg hunt.  The trail was just below our house and led to a family of 7 deer. It was fun to see them, although the cold weather made things less fun. “We’re so ‘very lucky’ live in Utah;” that’s what I keep telling myself for every Spring day that it snows.Afterwards, we realized just how cold it was outside and changed our event to the in-of-doors.

Easter Sunday is the one day of the year where we try especially hard for a family photo.  We got ourselves all pretty and posed, and Dave set the camera timer up right before church. I, apparently, have a broken neck, but it was cute otherwise.

After church we were off to my family’s event.  The weather was so much better on Sunday! I think the kids had themselves a heck of a time, winding up with millions of eggs.

We tried really hard for a shot with all the cousins; we were close, but we’ll have to shoot again for next year.

Thank you, Mr. Easter Bunny, for such a memorable Easter.  We’ll remember your kindness and gifts all year long as we open Miss Kate’s closet door each day.

Coloring Eggs

We went all out with the dye, paint, sparkles, beads, and stickers kit this year.  It was mostly just messy.

But I put on my happy face, and so did everyone else (although Kate’s happy face came much more naturally). Dave turned on “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown” and whipped up some Blackberry Italian Cream Sodas.
Grandma Sherrie stopped in and visited for a bit (mostly giving her attention to Junior). And then we dyed our little hearts out, all while munching on Cadbury Mini Eggs. It was quite the night.

Beauties

A Break From Spring

As a child, I have very vivid, lovely memories of the Spring season: birds chirping, sunshine, budding blossoms, lilac aromas, etc. As an adult, I realize I was either way off on those memories, or that Spring now ceases to exist. 

Either way, while Spring was enjoying its time off this week (it was “Spring Break,” after all) we got out and enjoyed ourselves too.

*Kate and Cole’s cousin, Baby Sasha, came over to play. After his work, Uncle Dave brought home cookies for the kids to decorate; such a darling husband of mine.The frosting to sprinkles ratio was just as it should be:
*Cole charmed us (or maybe just me) all week with his stunning looks and charming personality. He's mastered the art of rolling over and is still working on eating mush without his tongue pushing it out.

I’m seriously in love with this boy.

*On Thursday we took a family outing to a MoTab rehearsal. Dave’s parents volunteer up there for all the Conference Center and Tabernacle events. 

As we listened, I told Kate that you have to have a really great singing voice to sing with this choir.  Kate replied, “I do!!! I want to sing with them!” I told her maybe someday she could.

Sadly, Dave’s mom was positioned in a spot where she couldn’t visit or get a pic with us.

I hate to fess up to this, but Kate used her first swear word this night.  Parking was a fiasco.  We tried out the new CityCreek Parking Garage.  With a stroller, the only elevator that led to the street was through Deseret Book (which closed earlier, and therefore, the elevator, too, was closed).  We walked around for like 10 minutes trying to exit with no success.  Finally, we got back in the car and decided to park elsewhere.  From the back seat Kate complained, “What the hell is wrong with this place!” I was stunned (but can’t say I wasn’t thinking the same thing). Alas, we had a discussion about not using swear words, but I guess “Mother of the Year” is out for me.

Upon leaving, Kate was fighting her tears and said, “I’m sorry I’m sad.  I just don’t want to leave.” She loved the music and seeing “where President Monson works.”

It was a really fun night.  The choir always sounds so completely different and amazing in person.  We want to go back when it’s warm outside.

The kids were pooped when we got home.  Any outings past 8:00pm tends to be tough on them.

*The kids and I also got to hit up Kangaroo Zoo and Hogle Zoo too.  And might I say…that Hogle Zoo is a wreck!  They’ve got major construction going on...like everywhere else in Utah.


*The very talented, Dave, took a glass-blowing class.  It was his first class, but he made some serious masterpieces.
These first three are paper weights:
My favorite, the vase:

And a red plate/bowl shaped kind of like a poppy:

*And the last (and potentially best) part of Spring Break---

sleeping in.

This is a typical morning scene where Kate mugs on Cole, and Cole (scared) anxiously reaches for me to rescue him.