Easter

I love Easter and I try hard to keep perspective and focus on the day, but I do hold onto some fun (usually), but frivolous traditions that took me to the brink this weekend. Finding a spring dress that is modest for teenage girls is a nightmare! I have gotten out of the habit of sewing for my children because it is so time intensive and can become quite expensive, but next year that may be the only option. I spent two weeks, on and off, looking in every store in Nampa and we could find nothing that covered the girls knees. On Saturday I got desperate and went to the mall in Boise (you don't even know how desperate I have to be to go there) and after HOURS and embarassingly loopy girls =) we finally found things that barely brushed over the knees. Oh for the days (that I still have with the twins) where the hardest decision is which princess dress to buy. After that marathon I didn't even want to look for me, but I think my family felt fresh and "beautiful" Easter morning. 

We had stake conference this weekend, which added so much to our Easter celebrations. I love the adult, Saturday sessions, which are always so intimate. Our stake presidency is remarkably powerful and their messages were profound. I am always sad that those talks aren't recorded so we can re-read them over and over again like General conference messages. I forgot my glasses that evening and was taking notes as fast and furiously as I could write , but I couldn't see which made the task so much more difficult. =) An announcement was made that our stake has been authorized to organize our own Young Single Adult branch. Currently there is a branch that combines 3 other stakes and which meets in Caldwell, but it doesn't attract a huge amount of our youth because it is far away and Caldwell has so many spiritual struggles, but there is much excitement about having our own branch. I've never been a huge advocate of singles wards outside of the college environment, but I do see a unique potential in this case for unity and leadership training opportunities as our huge group of youth come to and fro from college or prepare for those experiences. Even Mikayla is excited and she has never shown any interest in attending the student ward before and Fred and I get to be right in the middle of it all. I'm feeling a little giddy! ;)

After the meeting we got to talking about the announcements and the talks and I asked Jet what he thought about Elder Uchtdorf's talk on fulfilling a mission and without a pause he told us that he had already decided to serve a mission, right after listening to General Conference. The boy is a mystery to me, but that was exciting news for all of us. He will still fulfil his enlistment and so isn't planning on going for 3 years, but that will give him time to prepare himself and I will continue to make sure we stay in touch as he leaves in June, so he doesn't get "lost". He has a warped "shock and awe" sense of "humour" which he thrives on and which often crosses "the line", but I am learning not to feed into that, which only eggs him on, and I think he is learning to respectfully retreat when I call him on crossing the line. Mikayla says the change is much more dramatic than I know. I feel invested in him and am glad for that insight.

As part of our family Easter basket we bought the new all Men's voice Tabernacle Choir CD. I know Mom doesn't always especially care for Mack Wilburg's arrangements--he loves spirituals and big, dramatic music but we love that and I was so impressed by the way that they could take common, everyday songs and make them into Sabbath fare. Jordan would love the CD and I thought of him all day. I miss his music (well some of it =).

As the close to a perfect Easter day we attended an Institute Easter concert right outside the temple. It was a cantata about the life of Christ. Cantatas can be a bit random for me and this one had it's moments but the Spirit was there and the setting was perfect and some of the pieces were beautiful and we all enjoyed the opportunity to re-contemplate the true meaning of Easter. We are so blessed to live in a spiritual lap of luxury where our opportunities are boundless. I just feel grateful every day to live where we do. I invited Jet to go with us. He never says no, so I try to use that to his advantage (though he may not know it now) and invite him to anything where he may be able to feel the spirit and leave behind the "dark" that he seems to constantly be attracted to.

Things are as crazy around here as usual. Abe is getting stranger by the day (trying to fill in the gaps that Jordan's absence has left=) and sometimes I don't know who raised Mikayla and Eden. They are loud and boisterous and find much pleasure in sitting on each other and being genuinely unladylike. When we are having family time in our back yard Fred and I just shake our heads and feel sorry for our neighbours who no doubt are shaking their heads as well. And yet we often find ourselves laughing at their antics and the twins witty remarks to their antics. They are all a goofy bunch of bones.

The next few weeks have much to keep us looking forward. Fred and I leave for Taylors wedding on May 6th. I'm nervous and excited and am so glad that I don't have to go on my own. I don't think the farm girl will ever be squeezed out of me and when I board my first ever plane, destined for a big, wild city my husbands presence is the only thing that will keep me from shaking. It will be fun to have a little bit of date time in between planned family events because it's the only get-away we'll get this year. And then, when we get home on Mother's Day, we get to talk to Georgie. That will be the most perfect gift of all.

A Smile Only a Mother Could Love;)

Ditto

Our Elder Ware and Elder Crosby

Hunting For Eggs

Eden and Mikayla's Favorite Pastime

Easter Basket looms for Humanitarian Service

Easter Dinner