Easter!!

Easter seemed to sneak up on us this year...why is it that this year seems to be flying by??? The kids always love to color easter eggs....each year they try and get more creative than the previous year. They love drawing on their eggs with white crayon and seeing what messages or pictures will appear. Jordan stuck with the easy "melt on" decoration for her egg. This year we were able to have the missionaries over to enjoy some egg coloring with us. It is funny....the kids get excited about coloring the eggs, but then nobody eats them!
This year Easter fell on General Conference. That was awesome!!!! The kids woke up and while Rick and I made a yummy breakfast, they started immediately searching for their hidden Easter baskets...they always look in the usual places....inside the dryer, under the trash bag, in the dishwasher, etc. The Easter Bunny hid them pretty good this year...it took everyone awhile to find their baskets. The Easter Bunny left them a little note, to let them know there were also eggs hidden outside for them. Paige was first to find her basket. She found it under the bathroom sink hidden in all her hairbows. Chase found his hidden in Paige's cradle full of webkins. Cody found his inside his cubby in a backpack. And Jordan found hers on top of the armoir behind a picture, covered in greenery! Once they all found their baskets, (and helped the missionaries find their baskets) they dumped everything out to survey the goodies!!! Everyone got giant bubble sticks in their baskets, so while waiting for breakfast to be finished up, they decided to give them a try outside. Jordan and Cody got a little crazy with the wheelbarrow! After breakfast we all settled in for the first session of Conference. I had printed off a fun "Conference Packet" for the kids to fill out and work on during conference. Just a little something to help them follow along and help them understand things a little better. It had crosswords, matching games, coloring....and all kinds of fun stuff even the "older" kids liked to do! In between sessions Rick and I were busy in the kitchen getting ready for dinner. Mom, Dad, Davey, Kristi, Felipe, and Vanessa were joining us for Easter dinner and the second session of conference. I must admit, I was a little worried about so many people...not sure if everyone would fit. BUT...I'm so glad we had everyone here. That is what holidays and family events are all about. Everyone contributed to dinner and brought DELICIOUS food!!!! No pictures of the food, but here was the table! A table full of family and friends...that is what life is all about! This was the "kid" table. I think Jordan and Chase ate and took off before I could get a picture! And hey...I managed to pass the camera off for a photo of Rick and I. (I always seem to be the one behind the camera :)Conference was awesome! What I took away from conference was the emphasis that was put on family, temples, and the important role of mothers and fathers. I'm so excited for the next Ensign to come out, so I can read through the talks again.
The week leading up to Easter was great - we talked a lot with the kids about Christs last week before he was crucified and also talked about the great sacrifice he made for us. I love this time of year, because it helps me remember how much our Savior loves us!