Whew!

What a crazy month - and its still not over yet!  With a family camping trip, my brothers wedding... sniff sniff (they all grow up sooo fast - 2 brothers down one left to go, anybody want to play match maker?), with my Grams & Gramps and of course my favorite Aunt in town, life has been in the fast lane! 

I forgot to mention we have found a home to rent in a nearby ranch! WE were originally looking to buy but as time pushed on and nothing came back, we prayed to find a place that was best for us ~ and tada! Would you believe it, right after we paid the deposit and the first month rent we received a call that we were approved on the loan? What were we thinking? WE decided to save up and pay cash on our first home.  In the meantime, our kids are about to get an experience of a lifetime! 

How was your Easter holiday?  I know I am going to rub elbows when I say this, but I don't believe in the Easter bunny.  Really, what has the Easter Bunny ever done for anyone?  So what exactly does the Easter Bunny spirit entail?  I told this to my sister in law and she threatened to buy a bunny and put in my yard just as the kids were waking up.  I told her it better poop chocolate or else it will end up as dinner.  Its safe to say, and to my disappointment, on Sunday morning ~ there was no bunny.

This year we kept Easter simple. We hard boiled eggs and made a mustard, honey & yogurt devil eggs.  We talked about what was so special about this day.  I was at the Alamo last thursday and saw $6 bonnets in the gift shop and pop guns for $5.  I brought them home as gifts for my kids.  Then it hit me - my church celebrates once a year a "Pioneer Day" to honor those who traveled in covered wagons across the prairies in pursuit of freedom from religious persecution. I could make a new (or return to an old?) tradition of Easter Bonnets or Pioneer toys on Easter, and then later in the summer on Pioneer day they would bring these gifts out again ~ they might remember the Easter story we talked about.  For me Christmas and Easter are not once a year and I want my kids to believe that too.  I hear that Easter is really the time frame Jesus was born.  Maybe that's why we are into a little gift giving, a mini Christmas soo to speak.  For me Easter is a time to celebrate the son of God who atoned for all the sins, pain, & suffering in the world, and who overcame death to fulfill the plan of salvation that we may have Hope in an Eternal Life ~ a purposeful life after death.

This year I posted on Facebook this General Conference message about Easter.

How did you celebrate?