Jojo Turned 6 Today

It really is hard to believe how fast time passes at times. I think I still see all of my girls in my mind as they were when they were 2, which isn't so hard to believe since they are all stay so conveniently small. All the same though I couldn't help but become more then a bit nostalgic and pull out all of her old baby pictures and wonder at how big she has grown. Each day I wish she could stay small forever and at the same time want time to pass more quickly just so I can see what she will do in her next stages of her life. But since I can have neither, I am just grateful that I live when I do, it would be so sad not to be able to record her life with pictures and movies as she grows.

Jocelyn's Birthday Video

Easter Week!

As most of you know we have asked the Easter Bunny to come on the first day of spring so that we can celebrate Easter Week with out so much distraction. And I absolutely love it.

Some of the fun things this year where the annual LOA (love one another) table, reading and discussing the Parable of the ten virgins by light of two oil lamps (yup you guessed it-one was full and the other was not) and watching the low one burn out. We practiced the hymn I know that My Redeemer Lives every night after dinner and on Sunday that was the closing hymn. It was so cool to have all of our kids be able to sing the hymn, especially little Aspen. And they are still singing that song in the car while I drive. I think I want to make song practice a part of every dinner now. We were supposed to celebrate passover on Thursday but me and Aspen were sick so we did Pizza and a movie instead of me cooking all day. But on Saturday night we had our Jerusalem dinner and ate out of community bowls on the ground by candle light. I love eating this way, we always talk more, stay longer, and truly enjoy dinner not just the food.

On Easter Morning we had a little devotional and then the kids watched the Living Scriptures Easter video while I made breakfast. And as a special treat we were fortunate enough to be able to have Great Grandpa Hunt over for dinner.

I love the peace and togetherness of this week-and I am already planning new things for next year that I learned from some friends. This year was extra cool though because it started with General Conference which really set the mood for the rest of the week.

Big Ballon Fun

The hour without power

On Saturday we participated in the Hour Without Power. Which turned out to be a super fun night with the girls. We cooked in the dark, ate in the dark, did dishes in the dark-well not dark but with candle light. They thought it was especially fun to brush their teeth with a candle lighting the bathroom. I never knew all I needed to do to make the bedtime routine easy was turn off the lights. Well now I know. I enjoyed the calm of the night so much that I never turned the light back on. After the kids went to bed I snuggled up on the couch and read by the glow of a single oil lamp. The perfect way to end a day.

Our Spring Celebration

I know we jump the gun on this every year but dear Mr. Peter Cottontail has come and gone leaving behind him all the joys that come with spring.

It took Tressa forever to find her basket, she was getting pretty frustrated but as usual nothing but a smile remained after she found it.

These are some of the special eggs left by Mr. C. He had a Noah's ark theme this year and made us all find the mates to the eggs in our baskets. It was fun to watch the girls try to give hints as to where each others eggs where.

And the all time favorite dyeing of the eggs.

After all the fun we got the girls all dressed up in their new dresses (which I forgot to take a picture of) and headed to church. And as it turns out church was only half and hour long because of the Draper Temple dedication. The girls were pretty bumed that church was over so soon but were plenty happy to go home and get started on all their candy.

And best of all our appricote tree blossomed the same morning. My kids sang the "popcorn song" all day. And being Utah it couldn't stay spring long. It snowed several inches the same day in the night.
I love this tradition. What time do you ever feel like celebrating more then in the spring.