Happy Easter

Easter came at the end of a BUSY week! All of my siblings left the day before, so we were grateful we weren't hosting this year :)

The week prior was full of time together with my family for Mom and Dad's graduation. We went out, shopped, baked treats, did hair, and the week ended with a SURPRISE baby shower for me! I had NO IDEA that they were up to their antics. After the surprise they kept asking, "you didn't notice this?" and never once did I have any inclination that they were up to something. I loved it. I still smile when I think about it. Of course, I don't have any pictures. I'll have to see if someone somewhere has something!

Patti and Alan were in town and Saturday night Dave took the girls over to dye eggs. On Easter Sunday we went to church with Dave's parents. When we got to church I had my heart thing again and it led to me almost passing out and having to lay on the ground, in my skirt, in the parking lot at church. It hadn't been that severe since my episode on the freeway. But Dave took me back to his parent's house and I laid on the couch for the rest of church. After everyone got home we just spent the afternoon getting food ready! We had Dave's relatives and Mom and Dad over for dinner, then had a fun egg/treat hunt for the kids, then spent the rest of the night playing games!

For the few weeks previous, we made a point of doing our Family Home Evening lessons about the Savior and His resurrection. And our family Book of Mormon reading worked out perfectly so that the night before Easter, we were reading in 3 Nephi about the same thing! I really think that the girls understood and grasped what Easter was all about this year. It's rewarding to watch your children understand something so important.

I am grateful for our Savior and His mission here on earth. I know that if we follow Him we can have eternal happiness. I know that it's important that we come to truly know Him, not just know about Him. I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who are examples of this. I struggle on a daily basis, but how grateful I am that we can repent of our shortcomings and try again the next day. I'm grateful for His love, which is evident in the things that He continually blesses me with, inlcuding good health, the opportunity to be a mother, the blessing of being a wife, the chance to serve those around me, and the joy I find in the relationships I have with everyone around me. He knows me and He knows what's important to me, and blesses me accordingly; and how fortunate I am that sometimes what He and I want are the same thing :) That's when I know that I'm on the right path, and it's encouraging.

Cotton candy and their VERY OWN fruit gum. The Easter bunny could have left a mound of just that and they would have been ecstatic.



Yep, Bree can't keep a straight face for the camera. If one of us is behind the lens, she's got her goofy face on.



Happy Graduation!

I love the time of year when BYU graduation is. It's (usually) gorgeous weather and the trees and flowers are all in bloom. It reminds me of when Dave graduated and the fun couple days it was to celebrate, and it gives us a chance to go on campus and remember the awesome time we had there. We LOVE to take the girls to campus and they love going. I think it's important to take them so they get that tiny bit of exposure to higher education, which will hopefully translate into a desire to go to college :) Ulterior motives, that's what we're all about.

Either way, this year was especially important. Mom and Dad BOTH graduated!! They finally got their bachelor degrees and we couldn't be more proud of them! I remember while growing up that Mom would talk about going back to school for architecture, and it's been interesting to see the Lord work His plan for her. She ended up graduating in Public Relations, and it was definitely what Heavenly Father wanted for her. Doors were opened, tests were passed, contacts were made-and all for some reason we don't know about yet! And the journey that Mom and Dad have taken together has brought them closer and helped them to trust in each other more, which is rewarding to see as children. Dad graduated in Latin American studies, which was also not what he expected, but what he felt he should do. He has so much to offer and we all hope he will just continue to have confidence in his abilities. It's a little scary going out (again) into the workforce as an older person, but we all hope that people will take the time to appreciate what someone with his experience has to offer. Mom is in NYC now, at an internship with Admiral Yost and the LDS church offices. She is having amazing experiences and not quite understanding what purpose they will serve, but knowing there is a reason.

I love when we have those moments in our lives where we have no idea why we are to take certain paths, but have the faith to pursue them regardless. It's humbling and rewarding. Those are the times where we come away learning something unexpected, yet appreciated. Those are the times where we didn't even know that we needed to learn certain lessons, but are grateful that we learned them THAT way instead of a less gratifying or more harmful way.

We love you Mom and Dad. Thank you for the special moments we had together that week-the fun and silly times, as well as the quiet times where we grew closer as a family. We are truly blessed!