Happy Easter!

When you have little ones, you get through with all the silly and fun things about Easter early. There is more reflection on the true meaning of Easter later in my post, but the kids are pretty darn cute so I'm getting the pictures out of the way first.

Ayden came in our room at 6:30 to tell us the Easter bunny had been to our house. We managed to hold him off until almost 8:00. The four older kids had already ransacked the baskets and eaten some candy but the Easter bunny had left eggs out in the backyard! Ayden was ready to go get them. Bobby and I forced ourselves out of bed and down the stairs. The rest of this story can be told in pictures:

Dillon loved his bunny, well, before he realized there was candy too.
Caleb went after the Easter bunny's tail!
Seth has already had too much sugar.
Then Daddy helped Dillon discover the candy.
We headed outside to find some eggs, Ayden wasted no time. I couldn't even get a clear picture of the kid.
Caleb wasted no time and already knew what he was going for. The Easter bunny visited his bike.
Seth wasn't even looking for eggs, he missed one right in front of him. Can you see it?
Dillon wanted the candy INSIDE the eggs.
They weren't too hard to find for Brooklyn.
Ayden found the rest of his!
It was fun for the children to hunt for the eggs and discover the chocolate and jelly beans. I love to watch my children enjoy the beautiful spring weather after a cold winter. However, Easter is so much more than candy, toys, and the Easter Bunny. I know this. I have talked to our children about this, though probably not enough. All of the symbols: the eggs, the chicks, the bunnies, the lamb - they all celebrate new life, rebirth, starting new, clean and fresh. Because of the sacrifice of our Savior, we will all be able to be resurrected as he was. Many Christians use the cross to celebrate and remember this day. It is significant, I know that, but I was taught to remember two additional things on this day that represent, to me, what Easter is all about. First, I remember how Christ suffered and bled in the Garden of Gethsemane for my sins. That act is why my sins can be forgiven. I also choose to focus on the idea that even though he died, he rose again! He was resurrected on the third day and that is why we celebrate Easter. So, as we look for the eggs in the yard, we need to remember the women who came to his tomb on that third day to discover he was not there. I can not imagine how they felt when they saw the stone rolled away and the ache in their hearts, only then to actually see him, in the flesh again. This is what gives me hope. Even though I am imperfect and have sinned over and over again, I will have that chance to be made pure and perfect again. I am grateful for the sacrifice of my Savior and my Father in Heaven. I am grateful that He came to set the example for us and I love to have a special day each year where I can reflect on this sacrifice and what it means in my life and the life of my children. This is my testimony. Thank you for letting me share that and Happy Easter everyone.

Seth's baptism part 2

I realized that I posted that slide show on the day of his baptism and never got around to posting pictures of the actual event. It went as smoothly as an event like that can go. Everyone was there on time, including us. We remembered towels and underwear (for after the baptism, I forgot that with Caleb). There were more people there than I had thought there would be, which was great. Brooklyn did a fantastic job on her talk and Craig Giffin finished off the day with his talk on the Holy Ghost. Seth beamed and Bobby gave him the most beautiful, thoughtful blessing. Ayden and Dillon were loud but not overly so and it was controllable. It was such a wonderful experience and very sweet. I wish I had posted about it sooner so I could relate more of what happened but life marched on and I just have not stopped. Whenever life is slow, I get restless and wish we had more going on. Then, we do get a lot going on and all I want to do is crawl in bed and sleep! Here are some shots from the day. We didn't get too many because Bobby was rushing me to start on time :D

Seth arrives at the church, suit on, hair only slightly messy.
All of the boys kept running over to watch the font fill up with water. The water started out very hot but the hot water ran out before the font was full and Bobby and Seth both agreed it was rather frigid.

We took the "Mormon Baptism Photo" once the boys get on their jumpsuits. (They were borrowed and Seth's was huge! It was pretty funny, this was the smaller of the two)
Seth, Brooklyn and Caleb in "I love my sibling" mode, don't worry it was short lived.
Seth, only slightly damp and definitely looking more mature.
I love this kid!
If you have been baptized, what do you remember most from your baptism?

Seth's baptism

I made this slideshow for Seth's baptism. After we're finished I'll update with some pictures!

Blessing

On Sunday, February 2, Bobby blessed Dillon at church. His parents were able to be there and his father stood in the circle. It was a beautiful blessing and the part that stood out to both of us was that he was blessed that he would not suffer the afflictions of his fathers. Bobby and I constantly worry about the boys having diabetes like him and we feel so grateful that Bobby was prompted to say that in Dillon's blessing. He is so big already and growing so fast. He seems to be a healthy, happy boy. Here are some pictures from the day:

Dillon still had his hat on here. Daddy took it off, he said it looked sissy.


Caleb wanted to help me take some pictures, I think this one turned out pretty good.

Dillon has a sneaky smile here, I love it.
I love this one, it looks so paparazzi. "No pictures please, I like my privacy."
And of course, as my sister said, we had to take the typical 'Mormon Family' photo