Happy Resurrection Day! (I'm slow...story of my life!)

What a wonderful blessing to celebrate our wedding anniversary, Easter, and listen to General Conference on the same weekend. Michael took me on a little anniversary trip to Grand Junction too! The Boyd's watched our kids and I am 100% sure they are going to be sainted for their service. Our anniversary trip was simple yet perfect. My expectations were pretty low after the debacle last year. In eleven years of marriage we have never been away from all of our kids for a night away. We have gone places with only the baby I was nursing at the time and there have been sleep overs where all of our kids were at their friends leaving Mike and I alone but we have never been on an away trip with just the two of us. I let Mike know in no uncertain terms that eleven years was too long and an overnight trip was WAY overdue! He surprised me with a night at a local theater and dinner and a romantic suite at a nice hotel. I think I made a believer out of him after it all. It's a good think I love that man!!!


Every Easter I do my best to keep it centered around Jesus and his resurrection. Our friends were in Vernal to attend temple so I had them pick me up some things from the local LDS bookstore there. I wanted things in their Easter baskets that reminded them of what Easter was really about so we got them ctr rings and bracelets, a ctr tie for Madse, pencils that said I believe in Christ on them and jelly beans with a poem about the resurrection that went along with the colors of each jelly bean. The entire week before Easter we read about what the savior did each day before his death in the New Testament. As we read each passage and opened a corresponding egg that had something tangible for the kids to see like a thorn, a nail, silver coins, the Savior's last week touched us so deeply and there was a deeper appreciation for what he went through. It was a very meaningful Easter week! Poor Ashley learned the truth about the Easter bunny though. She has the habit of complaining about things and feeling picked on and that morning after the Ester bunny delivered their Easter baskets, Ashley was complaining that she didn't get any peeps and how she had gotten them in years past and how it wasn't fair that there wasn't a lot of candy in their baskets. I kind of lost my patience with her and gave her a lecture about how everything in that basket cost money and there was a lot of thought and effort put into pleasing her and her siblings and that I was heartbroken that it wasn't enough for her. She will now have the title of the Easter bunny and will fill baskets from now on. I feel so bad that she had to find out this way but maybe it will teach her about the gift of gratitude. It was nice to share part of that week with Michael's parents too. They had their spring break and came down and spent it with us. We had a movie night and went bowling with the kids,played games, and celebrated Grandpa Mark's birthday. It is always a blast when they come for a visit!

STEE-RIKE!

Future Bowling pro! I can just see the fingerless gloves and the mullet now!

It was the kids's first time bowling and they all bowled a better game than me!
Great idea, Grandma!

Hallie the Arteest!

May is not the best at looking at the camera. She makes up for it with cuteness!

Everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to Grandpa Mark!

The best chocolate cake for the best father in law!

Easter bread that Betta brought from the Lehi Bakery. It made delicious french toast! Nummy!