Spring Break

This week was  Spring Break.

Most Spring Breaks we don't go out of town

like many do. Why? Two words:

BUSY SEASON

But even though Daddy is busy,

we have a lot of fun.

Hannah had a great idea this year...

She decided to plant a fairy garden.

Did you know fairies like pansies, honeysuckle,
& canterbury bells?

I didn't.

But Hannah knows everything there

is to know about Fairyland and the Fae Folk.

You could say she is an expert.

We also did great girl stuff like

shopping and eating out...

Love my girls.

Hannah had another exciting idea...

"I want to get my ears pierced!"

Wow.

I guess she is not a baby anymore :(

But Hannah says she will always

be my baby♥

One of the traditions in our family

is Doug takes the girls

to get their ears pierced.

He started it with Alexis.

He went shopping with her one day

when she was two years old.

Little girl with Daddy

wrapped around her finger

asked to get her ears pierced (age 2!)

Daddy couldn't refuse.

(Mommy was so surprised, believe me)

Since then, it has been a tradition.

So Daddy insisted.

This is my big girl now...

Easter & General Conference

I love when Easter and General Conference

fall on the same day.

What could be better than celebrating

the resurrection of our Savior

and spending time with our families?

Our family celebrates Easter with

many gatherings and traditions.

This year we started off our traditions with 

Family Home Evening & Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday.

Alexis & the neighbor's black chickens pose for the camera.

Doug's family gets together once a month for FHE.

It's great to see his siblings and their children.

Our kids have grown up with their cousins.

Jonny had a hard time finding his eggs this year.

He had a hard time finding his Easter basket too.

Could it be he has alot on his mind?

Emily on this chilly afternoon.

At least it didn't snow this day!

Hannah loves these traditions.

She's a believer in the Easter Bunny.

I asked her if she knew

the real reason we celebrate Easter.

She used some pretty big words like

Atonement, Crucifixion, & Resurrection.

I think she gets it. :)

I love that my older children still insist

on participating in dyeing Easter Eggs.

(I liked the UofU egg)

They wouldn't miss it.

Even if we have to do it at 11:00 at night!

Some very pretty colors turned out this year!

Cute boys supsercede the festivities sometimes...

The best part of Easter this year

was watching Conference with my family.

I loved what President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said,

"On this Easter Sunday, and every day,

as we contemplate with reverence

and awe how our Savior embraces us,

comforts us and heals us,

let us commit to become his hands,

that others through us may feel his loving embrace." 

I also love cooking dinner for my family,

my parents and my brother.

Can you believe my football/wrestling/rugby son

folded these napkins for me on his own

to look like bunny ears?

He's a man of many talents...

I also liked how Elder Russell M. Nelson

spoke on "Generations Linked in Love."

In the end, isn't that what it is all about?

My favorite part of Easter...

...is family.

First Day of Spring!

Happy Spring Everybody!

What a beautiful day. The snow is melted.
Flowers are peeking.

Our little birdy is going crazy. I think he wants to be free.

So do we.

I think cabin fever has made us all a bit loopy.

Time to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

Spring is a sensory experience.

You feel it on your skin. You hear it in your ears.

You see colors that seem to have sprung up overnight.

The scent of spring is most powerful to me.

When I am permeated with the scent of hyacinths,

suddenly I am five years old

playing in my father's garden.

My father gave me hyacinth bulbs

for my birthday last fall.

I planted them in my front garden.

They were more than a birthday gift.

They were the gift of memories.