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.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Alexis really kicks up her heels for St. Patrick's!

Grandma Weiler made her this leprechaun costume for Halloween one year. Alexis wore it to school once
on St. Patrick's Day to be funny and clicked her heels as she went down the hall.

We have some funny traditions for St. Patrick's. We're not Irish but we have alot of fun with it! Our traditions include the littlest making an elaborate leprechaun trap to capture the wee fellow so we can find out where he has hid his gold. Did you know leprechauns like peanut butter? I didn't :)

This year, Jonny has constructed some lethal contraption with a mouse trap that will beat the tar of the poor leprechaun. Somehow, every year the little blighter gets away. He pranks at great lengths, turning the milk green and causing general havoc throughout the house.

Luckily, the leprechaun spills his gold everywhere and in the strangest places. It used to be chocolate gold coins, but the little laddy has upgraded to real gold coins. It is shameless bribery I know, but the older kids are already asking, when is St. Patrick's?

♥ Be My Valentine ♥

Happy Valentine's Day to you from our Family!

We are so grateful to have you in our lives.

We love you!

As Hannah would say...

Eskimo Kisses & Butterfly Eyes

from the Hardys ♥

Autumn Harvest

I just love autumn. I love the fall colors in all their splendor. I love the harvest. I have the most wonderful memories of harvesting fruits and vegetables with my family from our large garden when I was growing up. Our kitchen was a canning extravaganza. My mother was always covered in either raspberries or tomatoes. I think the amount of corn I’ve shucked in my lifetime is higher than I can count. Those were the days when parents had uninterrupted time to actually talk to their children. What else can you do when shucking corn? The smell of corn silk still evokes pleasant memories that make me smile. Our kids enjoy trekking through Uncle Rob's pumpkin patch to select that oh so perfect jack-o'-lantern!