Easter Weekend--Post 2

The Saturday before Easter was a fun one.  We started off the day by going for a hike and picnic lunch at WildCat Den State Park.  It was someplace we liked to go when we lived in Bettendorf and our friends had never been there.  The kids love that there is an area where they can climb up the rocks.  I love walking in the woods and being together as a family.  It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Saturday afternoon we brought Lizzy and Adam to see our friends the Garner's.  Greg and I enjoyed a short visit with them as well.  Lizzy and Anne Marie are fast friends and it is nice they still get to see each other once in a while.  Adam and Zack also enjoy running around together.  It is nice that even though we have moved a couple of hours away, that our friendships are still growing.
Greg made some chili for everyone that night and we all prepared for Easter Sunday.  Sunday was a very nice day.  We spent the morning at church.  The messages of the Savior were very nice.  One of the things I love about our church is that we all take turns giving the message in our Sacrament meeting (our main worship service).  It is not just our Bishop who gives the message each week.  In fact we start our children giving short messages at the age of 12.  I loved that not only were the messages lovely on Easter Sunday, but that I had a personal connection with the women who spoke.  I knew of some of their struggles, and I knew of their great love for the Savior.  It was wonderful to go to church with the people we grew to love so much as we lived in Bettendorf for 12 years.  Easter is already so meaningful and special.  How grateful I am for the Savior.  I am grateful for his example.  I am grateful for his love for me.  I am grateful he was willing to give his life for me.  I am grateful for the gift of repentance.  I am grateful that he understands my struggles and sorrows.  I am grateful for his mercy.  What a blessing to know the Savior!

Sunday afternoon we drove to Iowa City to have Easter dinner with my brother Todd and his family (and some of their friends).  We got the easy end of the deal and only had to bring paper plates and cups.  We sure did enjoy the yummy food everyone else brought, though.  As always, the kids love playing with their cousins.  We are sure going to miss them when they move this summer.  At least they are staying in the midwest.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.  We were grateful to get away.  We were grateful to renew friendships with old friends.  We were grateful to have time to remember the Savior's gift to us.  We were grateful to spend time with family.  We hope all of you had a wonderful Easter, too!


All of the pictures are from Wild Cat Den.  Sadly, we have none with the Garners and none with the Ebberts.

Here are the climbing kids!

Even Jake got in on the action.

It was hard to keep up with the kids.

 

 A short stop at a stream.

The three musketeers.

I had to include this because of Lizzy's face.  Love you Liz.

That's Adam up there.

Our pseudo-twins.

Awesome time at Wild Cat Den.

Easter Weekend--Post 1

All the kids preparing to make a dash for the eggs in the back yard

For Easter weekend Greg had the day off on Good Friday so we pulled the kids out of school and headed back to Bettendorf to see some friends.  It has been a long time since we have been there for any length of time so it was great fun to catch up with people we still care about even though we are farther away.  We stayed with our good friends the Jensen family, who always have a place for us.  We arrived in time for lunch on Friday.   Then Adam had planned an egg hunt for everyone.  He is outgrowing a lot of the traditions we have, but is becoming a big help in organizing things for the younger kids.  This is the first year that I didn't feel all of the eggs.  In fact, I didn't fill any of them.  Adam did it all.  He his all of them too (he may have had some help from Katelyn).  He didn't look for any of them and didn't complain that he didn't get as much candy as the other kids.  Of course he did pass off a requirement for his Family Life merit badge.  Still, he did it all without complaining.  Thanks Adam.

The search is on

The Jensen have an amazing yard for living in a suburban neighborhood. 

Ben found some cheese on the egg hunt :)

While the kids hunted for eggs, Adam shot some hoops.

There was a lot of trading and negotiating going on

Then came more outdoor fun.

The amazing Christian and his gang perform for the circus.

Snow Cones in March???

Earlier this spring we enjoyed unseasonably warm weather. One warm afternoon, on an early out day, Anna had some friends over. Lizzy and Ben were talking about having a snow cone stand where they would sell snow cones. Anna and her friends were all over that so they combined forces to sell snow cones. Ben generously donated materials. He owns the snow cone maker and the syrup. (I donated paper cups and spoons). Anna and her friends drew the poster. Lizzy helped organize the money and the table. They made the snow cones very cheap so they drew a lot of business. They made over $14. They had a lot of fun and they enjoyed the lovely weather. They really did everything themselves. I hardly helped at all.

Here is the poster they made:

Here is the business team. Jacob insisted on helping too :)

One of the perks of putting on a snow cone stand is eating the product. Did this really happen in March?!

DARE Graduation--Anna

A few weeks ago, Jacob and I headed to Anna's school to see her and all her classmates graduate from the DARE program. The police department here does a great job with it and make it interesting for the kids. I think most everyone's favorite part was trying out these goggles that imitate how a drunk person might see. They put them on and then they have to try to walk. Not so easy. I think these programs are great and I think they can really have an effect on the community. I kept thinking, though, how thankful I am that we already know and teach our children these things. Our church has a health code (for lack of better words). We do not smoke, take drugs, or drink alcohol. We also do not drink coffee or tea. We are advised to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. We can eat meat too, but are advised to eat it sparingly. These are things that I have been taught since I was a child, and now I teach them them to my children. I just feel grateful to have this knowledge. It also acknowledges the connection between our bodies and our spirits. When we take care of our bodies, it is easier to be in connection with our spirits and to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives. In our church, this health code is called "The Word of Wisdom". It is wise, and I am grateful for it.

Here is Jake insisting I take a picture of him while we are waiting.

Anna after she received her certificate.

Another perk is she got to come home from school early. They also give all of the kids a t-shirt. It really is a great program.