Easter

We made it back from Seabrook in time for Randy and I to attend a concert by Jenny Oaks Baker, an incredible violinist.  She performed with the Ensign Choir, a local choir made up of LDS singers in our area.  The performance was so good!  It was a great way to get into the Easter spirit.

We took the boys to the temple to do baptisms.  Henry hangs out with me in the waiting room and then we go out to dinner afterwards and we've been doing this almost every month.  I love it!

Easter means spring and the views outside the kitchen windows are stunning!

The boys have learned a lot about the events during Holy Week.

The 2nd Annual Easter Egg Decorating competition.  

Ethan picked the winner who was pre-selected to be Henry :) This was the first year I can remember that we didn't do an egg hunt on Easter.  It was raining and one of the families canceled because they were all sick so we just had a delicious Easter dinner instead.  A few days later the sun was out so Henry and some friends hunted for eggs.  It was actually a great idea to postpone the hunt and prolong our Easter fun a little bit.  And I never got a picture of the boys on Easter.  Oh well.  Who cares about dingy white shirts and mismatched ties?

Family Temple Trip

This event deserved a post of its own.  We went to the temple with everyone (except Marcus) during spring break.  I'm sad to admit we've never gotten all of us together to do this yet.  Someone is always missing!  But this time we felt complete, or at least as complete as we can be while Marcus is in on his mission.  Marcus saw this picture and actually felt bad because we all looked so happy without him.  I told him we still miss him terribly :)

I couldn't get us an appointment until 8pm but we decided to see if there was room for us before dinner time.  Unfortunately there was a huge group from Seattle gathered in the waiting room so I quickly rushed my family down to the baptistry to get in before the crowd descended.  It worked!  Landon and Parker were baptized by Ethan while Henry and I explored the beautiful temple grounds.  If you'd like to know more about what happens inside the temple, go HERE.

Since Henry isn't old enough for a temple recommend to do temple work, he and I explored the gardens and had way too much fun together.  I died laughing at all the faces he pulled as he pretended to hate the beautiful flowers.

After we explored all there was to see, we went into the visitors waiting room.  It was so quiet and peaceful inside and we had about twenty minutes to kill so I read Book of Mormon stories to him.  Henry loved the illustrations of stories we talk about frequently, especially the pictures of battles.  He asked questions and listened so intently.  I know I will never forget this experience with him and look forward to doing this again after Marcus comes home this summer when we really will ALL be together.  Personally, I love going to the temple and attend every week.  The peace I feel while I'm there extends into the rest of my life and I find myself looking forward to going back again and again.  Heaven feels so close in the House of the Lord.

Utah and Family and So Many Blessings

We spent Veterans Day weekend in Utah so Ethan could receive his patriarchal blessing from my Dad.  Landon got his blessing about six months ago and Ethan has been waiting and wanting to get his too.  My dad was recently called to be a Patriarch and can give blessings to members of his stake and family members so we made this trip happen for Ethan. It was a fun trip! 

And lucky for us, the weekend also coincided with Megan's mission farewell so we got to gather with everyone (except for Marcus).  And since we like to take advantage of every moment in Utah, we met up with the Brandt's and Beeson's--two close family friends who moved from Washington who we miss  terribly.  

We also drove three hours down to Cove Fort to see Randy's parents who are serving there.  We got a tour and had a delicious lunch with them. They are 9 months into their 2-year mission. 

Pushing the metal rings around is harder than it looks! After driving back to Orem and hanging out with friends, we even snuck in a quick visit with Randy’s siblings.  We were busy!  We had fun!  We spent way too much time driving in a 4-day period.  

We toured the Orem Temple Open House with the Beeson’s and the Brandt’s.  The temple is absolutely beautiful!  The stain glass windows are unlike any I’ve ever seen before. After fighting the crowds at the temple we went to the Brandt’s giant house (everything is bigger, better, and costs less in Utah) for dinner. The kids played so hard and Henry was reunited with his best buddy James. All felt right in the world. 

The next morning was pancake breakfast at Dad’s. The kids played while the adults laughed and talked together. Chaos reigned supreme, as usual. 

Henry and the second generation of cousins. He was in heaven running around in the basement and it reminded me of when Marcus and Ethan were little. We played pickle ball at the park (hello sunshine!) and had pizza for lunch and then we were off to do the Flow Rider.

My boys improved a lot but it's nothing like surfing behind the boat!

Ethan did some cool tricks and barrel rolls

Then we went to Top Golf for dinner and golfing.  It's the most expensive family outing possible, next to skiing.  But the food is delicious and I got to sit and visit with April and Laura's family so it was even more fun for me.

Henry is actually pretty good.  He consistently hits it over his left shoulder and into one of the goals.

Ethan's not a golfer but he sure can hit it hard and far.

Parker might just have to start golfing with Landon and Randy.  He loves it!

The food is always a nice bonus

Ethan received his patriarchal blessing the next morning before we went to Megan's farewell.  She gave a great talk that only makes us miss her more.  Colorado Spring Mission is lucky to have her and we can't wait to hear about her adventures.

We are getting old!!  Mom and Linz were definitely there in spirit and we felt their
presence multiple times that weekend.  Heaven is closer than we think!

After all the reuniting and saying goodbye, we loaded up in the CIA and drove back home to Washington.  Yes, you heard that right.  I no longer drive a minivan.  I LOVE this car.  It is so roomy and the best road trip car ever.  The boys love it too and Ethan doesn't love driving my minivan but now he's extra motivated to work his tail off to purchase a truck.