Easter Weekend

On Saturday Coby came over after having lunch with his friend Autumn.  We Matt and I came home the kids were playing video games.  Colton was there to, but kept trying to get out of the picture.

For some reason pictures from our  cell phone always tend to turn out blurry.  Matt taking a picture of me at what I seem to do a lot----cleaning.

We ended up having Easter dinner at our home.  It had been planned at my brother Matthew's and Suzanne's, but my nephew Nathan had been throwing up.  So we had it here minus Nathan and Suzanne.  We sure missed Nathan and Suzanne.

Coby trying to introduce us to the BBC version of Sherlock.  Unfortunately we weren't able to finish it.

Easter baskets!!!!

Easter Dinner at the FUN table!!!

Adult table!!!!  You can't really see my brother Matthew only his back side.  He left today to run the Boston Marathon!!!!  I am so excited for him.  I know he will do awesome!!!!!!!  Good luck Matthew on the Monday the 16th!!!!

How grateful I am that Christ has risen for each of us.  How amazing that He was not there that day so long ago. He was risen.

And he is still risen. And although he was not "there" that morning he is here. In our hearts. With us always. Beckoning us to "follow." Waiting to help us through our deepest woes and worries if we'll only remember to let Him in.

Because He's been there.

How incredibly grateful I am for that knowledge.

Random Things

Kara got asked to sing in church on the 15th.  We have fast Sunday this Sunday so we are doing an Easter program the following week.  The bishop approved this song; she is happy.  Kara has been busy preparing for several events and I just  love to hear her practice and sing.  If you want to hear the song, just listen to this link.  http://mormonsoprano.com/2009/07/28/gethsemane-song/

So last night around three in the morning 4/6 there was an ear piercing siren that went off at our home.  It woke everyone up, but everyone else went back to bed except for Matt and I..  We couldn't figure out if someone tried to break in our home or what the noise could be.  I will admit I was really super duper scared, I think Matt might have been for a moment too.  We finally checked the whole house, with Spencer's help and went to bed.  But sleep wouldn't come since we were so wide awake.  We both finally fell asleep until again at 4:30 the same sound started, but this time it wouldn't stop. Our fire alarm had malfunctioned and every fire alarm in the home was going off, and two of them were talking saying fire, fire.  This time we couldn't even turn it off.  I have always wondered if we would wake up when our fire alarms go off and now I can definitely say  100%  that we would all be up. They are terrifyingly loud.  Everyone was in the hall way within 15 seconds of the alarms going off. There was no fire, in case you weren't sure.  It just malfunctioned.  It took us several LONG minutes for us to figure out how to get it off and then we had to individually turn each one off.  WOW!!!!!!!  I tried to convince the kids we were having a fire drill, but they knew I was full of it.

I have been missing my brother Jared so much, his wife and 4 children.  I really dislike that my baby brother lives all the way in Indiana.  I really miss him. This is the last picture I had taken with him and it has been way too long. I have been trying to go and see him this summer, but flights have been so expensive!!!! But I will go soon because I need a Jared fix.

Kara has finally decided which high school she is going to.  She is in the process of registering right now.  She is going to BINGHAM!!!!!   She went and tried out for one of the choirs at Bingham.  Apparently, it is pretty hard to get into them.  The try out was hard.  They tested her musical theory, had her sing a random solo a cappella and then she had to come with a prepared solo too.  So it was hard, but she made it into the Cantatrice choir. Many of her friends didn't get into any of them so she was feeling pretty sad for them. But she is grateful to get in one of the top choirs as a freshman.  It is a huge school.  I believe they are around 2500 students in the entire school. WOW!!!!!

Easter was wonderful, but I will write about it next time or this post will be WAY too long!!!!

Easter!!!!!

For Easter my brothers and their families came over for dinner. We had a lot of fun!!!  Apparently, so much fun that I forgot to take pictures!!!!  My kids are getting a little old and aren't as excited to get their Easter baskets as they use to be.  It is kind of sad how fast they grow.  But they did appease me by letting me take pictures of them.  I don't have my Easter basket, but let's just say Matt and Kara (Kara for picking out great stuff and Matt for paying for it) did an incredible job!!!

I think I might need to sign up for a photography class or two!!!

Matt looking his usual handsome self!!!

Don't you think it is totally  normal to put stuff on your head?  Well, at our home it certainly is!

Easter/Conference Weekend!!!

The two weekends that we have General Conference are perhaps my favorite weekend of all the year! I love being spiritual fed and hearing from the brethren, feeling the spirit, shutting the world off for the two days, and focusing on what the Lord wants me to hear. I am so grateful now that we can record it, watch it again on the Internet, print it off LDS.org the Wednesday after Conference. We are just truly blessed to have all of this available.

I also love on conference weekend that my family gathers together, that we have traditions and that we always make very yummy food together. Below are some pictures from Easter Sunday of the baskets our children got on their chairs during Easter dinner and the two Matt got me from the Chocolate Cottage. Now that was heaven! Also pictures of Easter dinner. We had the missionaries over for dinner and then after wards we went over to my brother's home to visit with both my brother's family and my Aunt and Uncle who were in town from Reno visiting. What a wonderful Easter and I am truly grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ who gave of His life freely so that we may have Eternal Life and live with our families forever and be able to repent and be washed clean.







Matt without his basket showing!
Coby was taking the picture! Darn

Random Pictures from Easter Weekend/Spring Break

I got my hair cut with a little bangs and done a little darker. It was done kind of by accident, but it is starting to grow on me. Matt likes it better so I guess that makes it almost a done deal!

Some of the ladies I work with on the Eastmont PTSA board. What a great bunch of women. Our principal, Jan Sterzer is in the suit in the front and standing next to her on the left is our PTSA president, Joanne Andrus who is one heck of an amazing woman. She is also Kara's voice/piano teacher. I love the opportunity and privilege to be to work with these women.
Here is Kara and one of her friends. She stayed with us for half of the week while her parents went to a funeral for one of her grandparents in another state. She is a fun girl to have around and the girls had fun.
One of my former Beehives that I had the privilege and honor of teaching when I lived in Olympia/Lacey, WA and she also baby-sat my boys when I lived there too. She was in town for General Conference and we were able to get together. It was so fun to see her and her five little girls and husband. What a cute family and what a beautiful woman she has become inside and out. It is hard to believe that Kara is now the same age that she was when she use to baby sit my boys. If she lived closer Kara could baby sit her girls! Thanks for coming and visiting; it meant a lot to me when you were so busy in Utah!!!

Easter/Spring Break !

Above is my attempt at trying to make two bunny Easter cakes. I will have to work on making them next year too.
My Easter Basket that Matt and Kara bought me. Kara did a scavenger hunt for me to find it. It has been fun getting an Easter basket--my mom never did them and for the last two years Matt has been spoiling me.
Spencer with Easter basket! I don't think he likes gettting his picture taken too much any more.
Kara and Matt at the Easter hunt at the park in our neighborhood.
Colton and his Easter basket too.


Kara addressing us at the Conference Center---I LOVED her talk, I can't wait until it is in the Ensign.
Getting ready to go on a wagon trip like the pioneers.
Kara trying to be like Moroni. Sadly school starts again tomorrow, but only 53 days until school is getting out!