Easter

Easter fell on a Conference Sunday, so we wore our Easter best the week before. 

I don't think they could be any cuter! Olive is in her Easter dress from last year, but the boys got new, "big boy" ties that matched Dad! And those pink pants! I mean salmon. Salmon pants. ;) I die.

Dad teaching them the way around a real knot.

We had our Palm Sunday lesson after church. Opting for real palm fronds instead of crafting some. 

Even Tanner got a ride on the donkey!

We had Easter dinner at my mom's house and a little egg hunt afterward. 

Of course, our kid found the patch of mud. 

I don't think eyes can get any sadder. :(

We went to the Easter pageant on Wednesday night. With the temple closing for renovations on May 19, there won't be a pageant for two years, so it was packed. With three shows left still, the ushers said they already have had 5,000 more people attend than last year. Travis had gone on his lunch break to put blankets down to save seats and the whole first section was already taken. Bug! I wish for the old days when it wasn't so crowded. We invited Travis's business manager, Kirk, and his family, and they came! It was wonderful. They are religious, but seem to have lots of questions and be open to other religions. We really wanted to get good seats since they were coming, so I was disappointed they weren't better. Oh well! They came at 7:30pm so we got to visit for a while and they were incredibly nice. They loved the pageant and seemed amazed by the whole production. It made the night that much sweeter which I was grateful for because I couldn't help but feel twinges of sadness that we weren't accepted to be in the cast this year. I trust that it just wasn't meant to be, but it was hard to not take personally. Or at least just feel like we had missed out on a life changing experience. Hopefully, another year it will work out. 

We got Ned's Krazy Sub for dinner and of course, DQ for dessert.

She can't help herself. I'm so entertained by her dancing because she seriously FEELS the music. Future 10 virgin dancer here.

The kids wanted to see the Christus statue. Notice, Secily! Carrie's family happened to be a few rows in front of us. 

Weston getting to pet the sheep was a highlight.

Or maybe wielding this sword took the cake. :)

Baking resurrection rolls!

I made them make a temple together this year, for which I was rewarded lots of murmuring. Until they got going on it, then they admitted they were having a good time. We used icing for glue instead of just stacking them and built it around the sugar cube box so we wouldn't have to use as many. Collin thought of using a starburst for the Angel Moroni. Niiiice touch. 

I bought a few, new decorations this year. That picture of Christ is my current FAVORITE. And I loved the framed bunny made of flowers I found at TJMaxx!

Passover Dinner!!

We had it on Friday this year to accommodate schedules and invited Leah and Shelley's families over to join us. It might have been my favorite Passover dinner yet!

Shelley brought their family's clay lamps over to light with ours and we all got a good laugh at our minuscule ones compared to their giant ones. Shelley is generous with their clay while I'm a scrooge! 

Shelley brought lamb shanks from Costco that were way yummy! I added potatoes and smoked sausage to the lentil soup which really amped it up. I don't know if I'm just getting used to this food or what, but I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner! I found specialty goat cheese at Costco that had fig and spices in it. It paired really well with the flat bread and olives! I had seconds of almost everything.

But I've also learned that it's not the most appetizing of meals for our guests, so I was sure to have a yummy dessert. Strawberry trifle and homemade cookies. 

Us, grown ups ate outside, laughing and catching up on life. It's been ages since we've gone out with Leah and Shaun. They are a great couple and so fun to be with. After a while we realized that Della was sharing with Tanner. It was hysterical. She'd take a bite of her soup, then toddle over to Tanner to give him the last lick of her spoon. He'd arch his neck backward to wait for her in anticipation of his morsel. So funny how she noticed him and decided to share!

After dinner, I mixed it up a little bit with the "lesson". I bought a children's book called "Let My People Go" and had the kids participate by taking parts. Lane was Moses and Amelia was Pharoah. The rest of the kids each got something that represented a plague. Weston got a waterbottle I had put red food coloring into to represent water being turned to blood, for example. As I read the book, Lane and Amelia would say their parts and I'd have the other kids bring up their object when their plague was mentioned. It was a little crazy, but fun! We went over the outline of the story of the Passover and hopefully they learned something. The kids all played so well together and with no school the next day we were free to visit until late. Well, as late as you can when you have babies that need to go to bed. ;)

It actually happened. The Easter bunny came early this year! I've been wanting to separate the candy/bunny hoopla from actual Easter for a while now, but was never on my game enough to make it happen. I only felt bad that I hadn't warned the kids because come Saturday morning, Collin was completely confused about what was happening. I realized my mistake. He's a planner. A scheduler. And he LOVES to anticipate holidays and presents. So I had unknowingly stolen the excitement of knowing he was waking up to Easter baskets. Shoot. Rookie mistake. 

I was proud of myself for keeping the candy to a minimum. Their new swimsuits served as the "grass" stuffing at the bottom. Now I know why my mom always hated Easter grass. That stuff is the devil. 

"Did I eat it or rub it all over my face?"- Jim Gaffigan

I saw this idea for a hair basket on Instagram and wanted to give it a try. I almost couldn't believe it worked! Haha! 

In-between conference sessions we went to the cemetery for our brunch and final lesson. I invited Jefferson and was thrilled that he came! Shelley had made us a pan of cinnamon rolls that I supplemented with some monkey bread, sausage links and fruit. We set up near Grandpa's headstone. I brought that picture of Christ that I loved and tried to show a short video of Christ's life set to music but I always forget it's hard to see the lap top screen in the light. It was still a really special time with my family. I love reading this children's book called, The First Easter. It sums up the week so well. After we talked and cleaned up, we walked over to Jefferson's friend's child's grave. And it just so happened that his friend and wife were there! I loved getting to meet them. Our family has been praying for them and I thought it was neat that my kids got to put some faces to names. 

There are no coincidences. Tender mercy from Heavenly Father.

I LOVE this picture of us. Look at his eyes.... I think the eyes say so much. He is a sweetheart. Always has been, always will be.

I'm a fan of Jefferson.

We visited all the graves of family we love. Grandparents, cousins, siblings. Because of Christ we will be with them again! What an incredible gift and such priceless knowledge we have of our Savior's sacrifice and what it means to us. 

Jefferson and I mourned over Grandmother's grave. I truly miss her. More than anyone I've ever lost. Jefferson understood exactly how I felt and expressed similar feelings. She just LOVED us so much.  And made it known at all times how much she loved us. Losing someone that thinks you hung the moon is tough. 

Olive is standing where Melanie was buried. I didn't realize that my kids didn't know I had a sister who died at birth. It was sweet being able to explain to them how much I look forward to seeing her again. Jefferson misses Melanie. We shared a moment together near her grave. Just hugging and crying. I wouldn't trade this day for anything. Tell me what means more than family?! I don't know what I did to deserve this amazing life I've been blessed with. 

That evening we had the Evans Easter festivities at Grandma's house! 

It was April Fools Day and Shelley had tricked our family into thinking she was pregnant. At the last second, when I needed to color my egg for the Egg Bash, I had an idea.

I'm a terrible liar and am sure my face fooled no one, haha. 

Creative emoji egg from Dad! 

Matthew won that year!

Each year, Easter seems to get better and better. I saw more families celebrating Holy Week and that made me so happy! No other week compares to the spirit of this sacred week. My testimony grows and I hope the same is happening for my children. There is nothing I have a stronger conviction of than my knowledge of Christ's life, Atonement and love for us. He is my brother and Savior. I will worship Him all my days.