A few pictures from our Easter day...

It was such a nice day!  Kelley spoke in Sacrament meeting and did a great job.  I was so glad Candice and KC could be there to hear him.  His talk was on the atonement and it was pretty cool to hear his thoughts and his testimony about it.  He is a man of few words so it was something we don't hear a lot of.  Reminds me a lot of daddy that way.

 

After church Curtis and his kids came over and we started hunting for our baskets.  Easter bunny was extra evil this year.  It took us all a long time to find them and required many clues.  Benny and Leila were good sports about it and finally found theirs with lots of clues and the hot-cold game.  Really Kelley???  I couldn't even find Benny's!

 Revenge!  The kids helped me hide Kelley's basket.  In the attic behind boxes!  That's a good one!  He looked all over and I finally  had to give him some clues.  I'm such a push over.  I practically gave it away and he found it.  It was fun to see him looking for a change...

KC's was pretty much impossible, and unfortunately, him and Candice made a pact to not ask for any clues this year.  After looking all over outside, Kelley told him it was in the house.  So then KC looked all over in the house.  Then Kelley told him it might not be in an actual Easter basket...that he had taken the stuff out and put it in something else.   mean huh?

I told him it was on the main floor and let him look a while, then I told him when he was getting warm and he finally found it...in a decorative basket on the high shelf around the kitchen that was back behind all the other baskets.  That was a good one too.

I had invited Kelley's dad and Pat over for dinner, but he called and said Pat was having a real bad day and they wouldn't be able to come.  He has not done very well since he got home from the rehab place.  So after we ate dinner, we took some food over there for them.  It amazes me how upbeat and happy Lisle is even though he is dealing with some pretty hard stuff right now.

He had some old pictures to show us that were pretty funny!

I think this was at Peggy's house when we went there for a Christmas party.

 Wow that feels like a life time ago...fun summer get togethers with Kelley's family

That's a sweet memory there...Maxine out in the rose garden.  She loved her roses and being out there working in the yard.

 We have been watching these Bible movies every week and the final one was on Easter night.  They have been really good ( very violent, but I guess that's how it was) and I've learned more about the stories in the Bible from them than I have of years of Sunday school and trying to study the old testament on my own..I gained a whole new appreciation for the old testament prophets and what they went through.   I don't know the old testament stories very good so having them shown to me was helpful!  These last two movies were all about Jesus life and really touched me.  I don't know if it's because I have been studying the atonement and resurrection an extra lot this last month, or the way it was portrayed in this movie, but I just sat there and bawled watching what Jesus went through and did for us...thinking about the love Heavenly Father has for us to allow this to happen is hard to comprehend...thinking of watching one of my kids suffer helps me understand a little bit why He had to go to the ends of the universe  cause he couldn't watch any longer. Can't imagine what I'd do if I didn't have the sure knowledge that because of Jesus' sacrifice, we will all be able to be resurrected and live once again with our families and those we love. My heart is full and I stand all amazed.



A few things we have been doing...

The other day I went out in the garage and looked around at all of the neat stuff that we had brought home from mum and daddy's place.  I don't know what's taken me so long, I guess now I just feel like I have some time to work on some projects.  This little table has the neatest carving on it.

It was pretty beat up though so we decided to strip it down as best we could and refinish it.  It's pretty tough to get into all those little intricate carvings so it will take some work.  Kelley got me started with his electric sanders (they are wonderful!) then I sanded by hand all the other places.  I'm excited to see how it will turn out. (still have lots of sanding left to do)

 Love when Candice comes over for lunch...warm enough to jump on the trampoline!  Hurray!

 We've been letting the chickens out quite a bit lately.  They love to dig in the garden.  The other day it rained really hard so there was a lot of worm that came up.  The chickens were happy as could be!

 Lizzy gets so jealous of the food we take into feed the chickens.  When we let them out the other day, she snuck in their pen and got a big piece of cinnamon roll.  She can't much people food anymore though.  She gets sick and throws up.  It's tough to explain to her why the chickens get all the good stuff and she just gets dog food.  She just looks at you with that one eyebrow up and those pleading eyes...then she will reach up and tap you with her paw like "awww  come on, please!"

 Candice came over Saturday and we colored Easter eggs. Love these two so much

 Sticker face

 I was trying to figure how to color the brown eggs so I looked on the Internet and found all these natural ways to do it with beets, cabbage, turmeric and onions.  But I figured by the time I bought all those things, I would spend a lot more than just buying a carton of white eggs.  We decided to try one of the brown eggs in the dye and it turned out real pretty...that's what we will do next year!

OK, this is sad.  I usually get a calender for Christmas or my birthday, but this year I didn't get one for my big calender space.  I've looked a few places but haven't found one I liked so I just left the old calender from last year up there.  Kelley and KC  kept harping at me to get a new calender cause they would look up at that one and the days would be all wrong. 

Then the other day, they had a big fit, took down my cute calender and put this up there instead.  It's actually a seed starter.  I like how he decorated for Easter. 

I'm sure when Tammy came over the other day and looked at that she thought I was real classy.

Camille sent me these adorable pictures Auburn took of the kids. 

Oh my goodness I just want to squeeze them!  Missing them so much!

We have been living in an eternal winter.  Last week looked like this.

Seriously got super cold again too....like in the 20's????  I had taken all my cute geranium starts outside  and put them on the picnic table cause I re- potted them and there wasn't room for them in the window sill.  Had to cover them up to keep from freezing. Really not OK.

 

The thing about spring weather in Utah though is that it can change in a

minute.  I woke up to this beautiful sight this morning.  I had a small epiphany and realized how much more I appreciate the warm sunshine and the pretty flowers after having to wait for them for so long.  I guess that's how it is with everything...if it's just there all the time, and you don't have to wait or work for it,  you get to where you to take it for granted.

I hope to always show gratitude for all the good things in my life, the many blessings I have now, and those that I hope and wait for (mostly for my kids...seeing their dreams come true is my greatest desire)

 

 I taught the lesson in YW on resurrection on Sunday.  There is so much to talk about and the girls had some questions so before I even got through half the stuff I had prepared, the time was gone.

So for our activity last night, I thought it would be good to make these resurrection eggs.  Years ago, Travis brought us a little basket full of these at Easter time.  I thought it was pretty meaningful and helped me understand a little better what Christ went through for us.  I had the girls put their own little set together and asked them to share it with their families.  They seemed to like the idea.  It was a little work, but a good activity.

 KC came home from a ward missionary dinner and looked so handsome I just had to take some pictures.  He doesn't really like to get his picture taken.

Sure am proud of this guy...he's working hard at school,  and  enjoys his calling as a ward missionary.  He goes out visiting people all the time...most of them he doesn't even know.  I admire that so much.  That's not an easy thing to do but he never complains about it. 

He always takes time to sit and talk to me and makes me laugh...( he has a great sense of humor...a lot like his dad) and I never know when he's going to jump out and scare me ( seriously paranoid coming in the back door)....(him and Kelley get a big kick out of that...they will be sorry one day when I kill over dead  cause they scared me so bad!)

Anyway, he's kind of a special kid.  Love him a lot.

Spent a fun day with Candice on Saturday.  We went shopping around at a few places, then went to JoAnns to find some fabric for a little  Easter dress for Olivia.  When I was in Arizona, Camille and I went to Hobby Lobby (love that place!) and picked out a cute piece of fabric, unfortunately, I left it in Arizona.  Candice and I looked through the pattern books and found the cutest skirt pattern, then we picked out some cream colored tulle with sparkles in it.   We were pretty excited about it.

Then we went out to Village Baker and got lunch for all of us and took it back home to eat. 

We went out to see how the chickens were doing.  They have been acting really mean lately...pecking at each other and pulling feathers out until they bleed.  Kelley said they started doing it when I was gone,  He asked out at IFA what to do and they said that the chickens are probably boared so he said to put some hay in there for them to peck at and also to try this spray that smells bad that will make the chickens leave each other alone. It seems to be working, but it's still very sad to see their little bare bottoms where they have pecked the feathers off. ( I think they just missed me!)

Candice has a sweet touch with the Chickens.  Always talks quietly to them and pets them. I think they can feel her gentle spirit and love her right back. She has that effect on people too.

 Last week, Abby called and asked if I would play the piano for her to try out for Madrigals.  She has been taking singing lessons and has a lovely voice.  She brought the music over while I was still in Arizona and I was delighted to find she had picked one of my favorite songs.  It's from Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella".  I remember watching the movie with Leslie Ann Warren as Cinderella when I was a little girl and falling in love with the music from it.  I always thought she was just the most beautiful lady.  Well Abby picked "In my own little corner".  As soon as I sat down and played it, all the words and music came right back to me and I could see Leslie dancing around the room singing this song.
Abby and I practiced on Wednesday night during the yw-ym combined.  She sounded great...I was a pretty shaky...this piece was pretty challenging, and she wanted to go pretty fast.  So I really practiced for the next few days.  Friday she text me and asked if I could come over early so we could go through it before the try out.  We went in a rehearsal room and this time when we went through it, her voice was much stronger and I didn't mess up nearly so much.
I was surprised to see how many kids were trying out...the choir room was full.  It was exhilarating to be there with them.  They are so full of  life!  They were all really supportive of each other too...they had made posters wishing good luck and they all cheered for each other when they went up to try out.
It really took me back to my high school days when I was in choir.  I sure loved singing in the choir. I loved our choir director Mr. Looslie...he expected a lot from us and everyone wanted to do their best for him.  I loved going around to different wards singing at Christmas time...the music was so beautiful and dang we were good!  I still have the record they made of our final concert.
Anyway,  it was nice to see Leah too.  She directed a women's choir I sang in a few years ago and is just an amazing lady.  She has a unique and special relationship with these kids and you could see how they loved her.  She got up at the start and talked to the kids and became quite emotional.  She said choosing just 14 of them out of the probably 80 people that were there trying out was one of the hardest things she has to do.  I can't even imagine.  It means so much to some of these kids.
She said they would have all the ones who had an accompanist there to play for them go first so Abby was number 3.  It was fun to listen to the ones before her try out...some good, some not as good.  When Abby's turn came, she walked up there and introduced her song and accompanist.  The kids were super supportive and all cheering for her.  She was very poised and lovely. 
Then I started to play.  It felt weird on that big grand piano...but I played OK.  Abby sounded beautiful.  He voice was loud and clear and right on key..  When she finished, they all cheered again.  Gosh I was just proud of her.    She was so grateful to me for playing for her...she brought over those cute bunny salt and pepper shakers, some bunny candy corn ( how sweet that she remembered how much I love candy corn!) and the nicest card.  She's a special girl with her head on straight.  She knows what she wants out of life and lives so that she can achieve her goals. I love her like one of my own.  It's pretty cool to see how excited these kids are about life and the bright future ahead of them.