Taken with My Phone

 Our ward held a primary Easter Egg Hunt Activity! 

 Soccer Team buddies!

Emma insisted on taking her lunch to school in this egg carton, with all the different parts of her lunch placed into these plastic eggs. Fun!

Golden Harvest by David Merrill

Our ward's Enrichment was awesome tonight. It was about Protecting our Families. Emily B. spoke about Family Home Evening and she used this picture painted by her grandfather, David Merrill, as a visual. She quoted Elder Bednar's talk, "More Diligent and Concerned at Home."

In my office is a beautiful painting of a wheat field. The painting is a vast collection of individual brushstrokes—none of which in isolation is very interesting or impressive. In fact, if you stand close to the canvas, all you can see is a mass of seemingly unrelated and unattractive streaks of yellow and gold and brown paint. However, as you gradually move away from the canvas, all of the individual brushstrokes combine together and produce a magnificent landscape of a wheat field. Many ordinary, individual brushstrokes work together to create a captivating and beautiful painting.

Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results. “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33). Consistency is a key principle as we lay the foundation of a great work in our individual lives and as we become more diligent and concerned in our own homes.

I was really touched by this and made a lot of sense to me. I am so lucky blessed to be in such a wonderful ward in such a wonderful church.

Easter!

The girls were super excited this morning to see if the Easter Bunny had come!

He DID come! They saw also saw that he had eaten most of the carrots they left out!

The girls are so thoughtful that they had made cards and gifts for us parents, too. 

Emma gave Alan this drawing she made when she was 5. It's a picture of her and Alan in the baptismal font. She has always been and still is very excited to get baptized. 

At dinner we had to balance the unhealthy. . . 

and the healthy, cause that's how I roll.

FYI This is exactly where I like my man to be. :)

We also watched many of the videos the Church has made about the final days of Christ's life and His resurrection. It was wonderful! I really hope my girls learn to love our Savior and to be willing to serve Him. 

The highlight of the day was when the girls sang with the primary in Sacrament meeting. They sang the hymn "He is Risen." I was in tears, it was so powerful.

Our Texans

Cori Ann emailed me these great photos she took! Apparently in Texas it is a tradition to take photos of your baby in the blue bonnet flowers in the Spring. 

And here's the boys being boys.
 I'm glad to see they are all doing so well in Texas, even though we miss them tons!

Random Outings

Brooke at Trader Joe's. 

Emma at Sky High in Rancho Cordova for Taylor's birthday party!

Birthdays and House Hunting

On dad's 54th birthday, we went house hunting in Shingle Springs, looking for a retirement home, since he will retire from the Fire Department in one year. They found a wonderful house in a great neighborhood that they put an offer on two days later. If everything goes well, it should be their's on May 31. What a blessing!

It's really nice on the inside and it's on an acre so the grass seems to go on forever!

Then we went out to BJ's to celebrate! It was both for his and for Carli's birthday which was in March, too. 

Yay! So excited for them! And to be only 25 minutes away!

Open House

  Last week the girls got to show off all their hard work at our school's Open House. Here is Brooke with her teacher, Ms. Kuryllo. We love her!

Here's Emma with her teacher, Mrs. Ward. We love her, too!

Emma also wanted a picture with our principal, Mr. Peterson, and her teacher last year, Ms. Sonneborn. 

We are so proud of our smart, sweet gals!

Sharing!

Sharing without fighting! Had to capture this moment!