Finally getting around to Easter.

Cache and Carrie have been renting a fabulous house out in Orinda and she knew it would be perfect for an Easter Egg hunt, and right she was. She invited all the preschool people over and we had a really fun time. All the kids had so much candy by the end, it was candy overload at our house. In fact, I've hid some of in our pantry for later use (ie. bribery).

And.....they're off! It really was like a race out there. Fend for yourselves!!!!

Happy first Easter, Gentry! Don't be fooled by that pouty lip, she really was having a great time. :) Her lip is almost permanently like that. It's so cute.

Claira started out a little timid, but surely got the hang of it by the end. So much that she had to start dragging her bag on the floor.

Poor little Claira just prances around while all the kids are running for their lives.

The whole crew. And funny thing about that guy scaring him is that we don't know him at all. He just showed up. Just kidding. No, the funny thing is that his name is Michael Jackson and he always introduces himself as Michael Jackson and I've only known them since October, but every time he says it, you can expect a myraid of responses like, "Oh, the real Michael Jackson!" or "I thought you were dead." or "I guess he really was white." okay, I'm made that last one up but I'm sure he's heard it!

Other than that, we unfortunately didn't have much of an easter with Loren's wedding on Easter Sunday. But, we did teach the kids all week about the true reasons why we celebrate Easter and I hope some of it set in. Than and I found a church nearby and were reminded of this talk given by Elder Joseph B. Worthlin during the October 2006 General Conference. This is my favorite part:

"I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.

On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.

Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant.

On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.

On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.

It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

I really do believe that that is true and I love teaching my kids about it. We believe in a gospel of hope and happiness and I am proud to be a part of that.

Why I should not be allowed to barbecue.

This is what happened today. I was feeling all good about myself going to my favorite little produce stand and buying tons of fruit and veggies and getting ready to make some yummy dinner. They had corn on the cob and I was like, Yeah, let's barbecue and I'll make a yummy salad and have corn on the cob and it'll be like, Welcome Spring! So good to have you here in sunny California. And I'm prepared early and I marinate my chicken all afternoon and I"m stoked about it and Than says he's on the way home so I light the grill. No, before that, I looked up on the internet how long to cook bone in chicken thighs (I'm usually a boneless skinless girl but these were soooo much cheaper) and it says on medium heat 10 minutes on the first side and then flip for 5-10 minutes more. EAsy enough. I turn on the grill, let it heat, put on the chicken and go back inside to do something. I set a timer for ten minutes. At about five minutes in, I look outside my window and there is smoke everywhere and flames coming out the back of my bbq. What the heck!?!?!?!? After I turned everything off, and the flames died down, I had the courage to open it. This is what I saw.

Seriously?!?!?! It was going to be so good, but I cannot barbecue. I did this another time way back in the day when I had the nukaya's over. I really don't know what my problem is. I had it on medium heat. Should I leave the lid open? Do I really only light it to low? I don't know. All I know is that it was charred on the outside and completely raw on the inside. I'll give it a go another time because this really shouldn't be hard. It's fire for crying out loud. :)

But to redeem myself, I present to one of my favorite salads (that I made to night to go with my really awesome chicken!).

NOw, I'm no food blogger. But I like good food. And a girl brought this to me after I had Gentry and I thought, coleslaw with enchiladas....weird. But it is so delicious, Than and I get excited every time I make it. It would be a crime not to share the deliciousness with you.

1 bag cabbage (I used 1/2 head each of green and purple)

carrots (I grated two large carrots)

1 bunch of green onion

1 sliced red bell pepper

1/2 bunch cilantro

Dressing:

3/4 cup mayo

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 jalepenos, seeded and diced real small

1 tbsp. lime juice

salt and pepper

1 tbsp. maple syrup (I just used sugar or you can leave it out all together)

1 tsp. cumin.

Mix up the dressing before you chop all the other ingredients. Stir all the veggies and dressing together and let it all chill for at least an hour. Your taste buds will thank you. I have NEVER liked coleslaw, but this one has made me a changed woman.

So, in the end I called Than and he was still on his way home so I told him how lame I was and he headed over to Safeway to grab some chicken, and I must say that my charred/raw chicken might have been just as good as the nastiness that safeway had. It was nasty. AS a kid, my dad would bring home Albertson's chicken and it was soooo good. Or maybe I was just a kid and it was greasy.

And I went for a jog today for the first time I think since college. All of Than's running and watching Biggest Loser made me feel like I could run, too. I can't. I walked and jogged and walked and jogged...probably walked faster than I jogged but I felt pretty good not walking pushing a stroller with three kids in it. My knee hurt and I really shouldn't do that to my body, but it was fun. When I got home Pacen said, "Why you back already??" Apparently I didn't run as far as I thought I did. :)

Six Flags

Last week it was Becky's spring break and so they headed down here to hang with us. On Tuesday we went to Six Flags and it was super fun. I pulled Pacen out of school for the day (which he was all bummed about afterwards because he missed Library day) and we packed the kids in the car and headed out. It really is going to be fun to have the season pass I think. It was only 30 minutes from our house and the kids really good time. I'm hoping that Walt and Becky get a season pass because it's always fun to go with people you love. (And Becky watches Gentry while I ride on the rides with the kids!) So, hopefully there will be many, many more trips to Six Flags with the grandparents. And if anyone wants to go, call me...we're in! You kind of need a second adult with the kids because someone needs to watch the babies.

We rode a lot of rides. We did watch the Orca show but the kids were mostly all about the rides.

I have a really cute video of this, but it's being lame. I'll try again tomorrow.

And the little water fountain. Claira stripped down but we made the kids just stay in their clothes and get soaked. Unfortunately there was a mom who didn't care if their 8 year old ran around in their underwear. For me, there is a line and 8 years old is waaaaaayyyyy past that line.

Waiting for Papa to bring the car around...we were spent! And it wasn't even a full day. We need to work our up our endurance!

Loren's Wedding.

Have you ever been to your step dad's wedding? I never thought I would either. But I will say this...I am really glad that I went. It's been a sort of emotional roller coaster going through all this (You think all you have to deal with when someone dies is just losing that person, but really there are many, many more things that you have to deal with because they are gone...it never ends) but I feel like I am in a good place about it all now, even though I wasn't always there. You just have to accept some things and let some things go and just deal with it all. Because Loren deserves to be happy and this family deserves to be happy and they both deserve a second chance. It's not like Loren wanted my mom to die and they didn't want to have all the cards they were dealt with, but they are making the best of it. It sucks that he lives in Alabama now. It's very expensive to get out there and for him to come visit us but hopefully we'll get to see him every now and then. Her name is Vickie and she has four children that are all in their twenties and so now they are one big happy family out there. They met online about four months after mom passed away and now they're married. They are all very nice and wanted to make us feel welcome. They had made a little sign for us with a goodie basket and it was waiting in our hotel room when we got there. I think the hardest part is the "Where do I fit in?" feelings. We aren't Loren's real children but he is the only grandpa that my kids know besides Walt, of course. And we want him to be around, but how does that all work out with him so far away? That is what we'll just have to wait and see how it works out. Loren always says things like, "Well how often would you come and see me anyway in San Diego?" But we would see him more because Emily is down there and it's a drive to get there, which is not really financially comparable to buying 5 plane tickets. And we go visit family. That is what we do. It's what we've always done even when we lived in Michigan. So, yeah, life changes and you just have to roll with the punches even though most of the time you want to fight it. But the good news is that his new family is really, really, sincerely nice and we could tell that they love Loren very, very much. He is surely the center of their world now and I really hope that he can help them get their much deserved second chance.

Than, Gentry and I left on Friday. Arranging babysitting with all our kids is just a headache and it makes me never want to leave anywhere. Except that Shauna has already asked....yes, I said asked to babysit for us when we have to go somewhere next. Love that. Thank you, Becky and Peggy for babysitting for us. I know it was inconvenient but it was much appreciated. It was Loren's birthday so we went out and celebrated with some Indian food which was actually really good. You would never think that you could get Indian in Alabama, but you can!

One of the best parts of the weekend was hanging out with my Auntie Leslie. I just love her. She is so full of energy and love and reminds me so much of my mom. We had the same flight and stayed in the same hotel with the same car so she was probably having Than and Erica overload, but we loved it. On Saturday, we just did whatever we wanted and it was so fabulous. My aunt got me a pedicure and my eye brows waxed and I will tell you, I'm never going back! It is so worth the ten bucks to get your brows waxed. Why have I never done that before!?!? We just hung around town and ate ice cream and browsed in stores and relaxed. Than and I rarely get to go shopping by ourselves (or with just one baby!). We're always like, Okay, you watch the kids and I'll go here, or lets load everyone in the car and go, but we really do love to shop and it was fun to just do whatever we wanted. It's a luxury these days. And where did we go...Old Navy, Dairy Queen, he got his hair cut. Nothing big, but so enjoyable. That night we did eat some good southern barbecue and watched Water For Elephants which I liked. In Randy's words, I wasn't jumping up and down about it, but it was alright for me.

Sunday was the big wedding. It was in a cute little old town and everything went really well.

It took two people to get his boutonniere on.

And of course, Gentry was a star! Everyone loved her and she was just the best baby. And she cut her first tooth while we were there! She was a fantastic flyer and made many new friends with her cuteness.

And I just LOVE traveling with Than. We have done it so many times and we know how each other work and it's just fun. While I was walking through the airport I was just thinking about how great it is that we can travel together. And how much more fun for him to get to travel with me than by himself. Its amazing how much time you don't get to spend together when you are raising a family. It does make those times that you do actually get to sit next to each other and hold hands that much more special.

And while we were there, Pacen got sick. Like throw up and fever sick. That is just the way it works sometimes. My kids have been so unbelievably healthy this year, of course someone would get sick during the four days we were gone. Thanks, Becky, for cleaning up all that puke and dealing with Claira's screeching voice. :)

Last Week.

This past week was just a great week. Nothing monumental happened, it was just good. What I think made the biggest difference was that it was beautiful weather and we spent a lot of time outside. Pacen was off the wii all week, not by his choice (he's just been obsessed with it lately and needed a break) but I think that made things better because when he got home we went outside and played at the park or just in our way overgrown with weeds yard. I love it when I see my kids playing outside and using their imaginations and getting dirty and getting tired. It's great to put your kids to bed when you know that they have just played as hard as they could...like they just really got the most out of their day. It all started Monday when I really wanted to go out into the Open Space here in Walnut Creek. Everyone always talks about the open space and how wonderful it is and I didn't really get it and thought people were just weird but now that I've been out there, it's really just beautiful. Walnut Creek really is just beautiful right now when everything is green and you just go up one hill and you see all these rolling hills that get lost when you are down in the valley. I went out with Bill and Peggy and we had wonderful time out in nature. And it really is just open space. There are cows and trails to follow. Camry said, "I thought you said we were going to a park." Not all parks have jungle gyms and swings! And it's great! You can explore and throw rocks in the pond and moo at the cows and show your kids cow-pies and remember that time when Jana ate a cow-pie at Table Mountain on a dare.

The beginning....

Bill pushed and pulled the stroller most of the time....THANK GOODNESS!!! It wasn't exactly easy terrain.

Peggy was so great with Camry. She used all sorts of Grandma-mind-tricks to keep Camry from complaining too much. And they worked like a charm.

Bill and Pacen had quite a time blazing the trail. Bill told Pacen all sorts of things he could yell at the cows and Pacen thought it was pretty funny when he said that he was hot and I said, "Well just take off your shirt then." He was like..."Really!?!?!?" And he did and thought he was pretty cool for a while. What is it with boys and taking off their shirts?? It's that sort of rebel in him, I guess.

These girls had it easy.

My two big kids. I can still hold both of them....barely.

We found a pretty awesome tree to climb.

Bill was pretty spent...and we were only halfway there! The way back was much easier.

Look how pretty that is! It's just like 5 minutes from my house. Crazy.

There were some mansions nestled back there. Pacen chose the one with the basketball hoop and the pool, of course.

And if you ever wondered what I was like as a child, look no further. I can just picture my mom laughing at me down from heaven because every bad attitude Camry ever has, she gets directly from me. Seriously, I know I was just this awful as a kid and I complained and whined and hated to be uncomfortable and wanted everything to be my way, and now I have a little mini me to remind me of how terrible I must have been for my parents.

Oh, that face! I love it! It makes me kind of happy to stretch camry a little and get her out of her comfort zone.

So, Monday was great. Other highlights....

**Camry started her little soccer class. Pictures are coming.

**Pacen had two baseball games and he's doing great. It's deceiving because the days are so warm but then the nights still get really cold and so we froze at the game on Tuesday but then got smart by the Thursday game and brought warm clothes.

**We went out hitting yesterday and he is getting to be a great little hitter. Camry is getting pretty good, too. She must take after her mother. :) I get so excited now when he is six, I can't imagine me watching the games when he is 15.

**Than started his mens softball league on Friday night. They are called the Cobra Kai...sweet! Emily and I went on a karate kid kick our freshman year at BYU and I have a special place in my heart for Ralph Macchio and Johnny. (Although not special enough to actually watch dancing with the stars). But Than did have an in-the-park home run which started a two out rally! Way to go babe! I can't wait until the summer when I can play! I'm not pregnant and I have an almost functioning body.

**The downer of the week was working on our stupid yard. It's only stupid because we don't own the place and it's very overwhelming and we are responsible for it. We actually would love to buy a house of our own out here but where we live is just sooooo expensive. We looked at a 1500 sq. foot complete fixer-upper on a terrible lot, but since it was in a great neighborhood it was still 500,000. What?!!?!? I should be getting a dang mansion for that!

**Camry opened her present from Emily and it was new clothes and she put them on immediately and didn't want to take them off to get into her pj's and then in the morning, it was seriously the fasted I'd ever seen her get dressed. She was so proud of her new clothes and was beaming all day long.

**It has been a Tangled weekend. First, we left Camry's big Rapunzel doll at Kaylee's house and Claira has been either crying about it, or telling me we need to go back to Kaylee's to get it. I bought the Tangled soundtrack and we've been listening to it non stop. We are all either singing it or humming it or whistling it...it's great. Someone turned it on this morning and as soon as Claira heard it, she got a big smile on her face and said, "Ooohh!!! I need my rapunzel dress!" and ran and wore it as fast as she could.

**We've also been singing Mary Poppins songs. Camry is obsessed with supercalifragilisticexpialidocious on our ipod so we started watching it last night and I was surprised at how much the kids liked it. I thought they would think it was not good because its not all new like the movies they have not but they really liked it and can't wait to finish it sometime this week.

**Church was really good this week. Sacrament meeting was all on service and our Relief Society lesson was on Honesty and it was really quite inspiring for me. Honesty is such a simple thing but really can speak volumes about who you are and what you stand for. Perhaps I got so much out of it because I didn't have Gentry for Relief Society and I could actually listen fully without juggling her around.

**Speaking of Gentry, she is such a wiggly pill! She wants to crawl so bad and I keep telling her, "You're too little to crawl!" and I set her back up and I saw claira go up to Gentry and get in her face and say the exact same thing to her. She really is just too little to crawl. My babies usually don't crawl until at least nine months and I love that. I love where they can just sit and not move and it's like she's going to just pass that right up! I guess if you're the fourth baby you want to get involved in all that other fun as quickly as possible.

**We had some friends over for dinner tonight and the sister missionaries, too. It was a full house but it was fun. Our sister missionaries have been so good, I just wish I could find a family for them to teach. I love having the missionaries in our house. They are just so full of love and happiness and who doesn't need more of that in your house!??!?!

**What else....Than had a bowling night with the Elders Quorum and he bowled a 195!!! He was on fire. I don't think I've ever even bowled a 195. What's up with that?

**I'm finally getting a hair cut this week. I've been debating growing it out but I just don't think I have the will power. We'll see how I feel on Thursday.

**Oh, and I finally found a time that I could go into Pacen's school to volunteer and I got a babysitter and got dressed like a real grown up and I show up only to find out that she didn't need me this week and forgot to send me the email. DANG! I was so excited to finally get in there and help. I get to help for three more wednesdays so hopefully they'll work out.

Here's to a great new week!