Easter

We never did Easter basket growing up so this was a first for me, but since my family and especially children are always in need of some practical things, I thought it would be a fun excuse to get them some little gifts, and enjoy surprising them. First and foremost though, we REALLY wanted our children to know the meaning of Easter and why it is such an important day. We thoroughly explained Easter and the story of the Savior and that just like Santa coming because it's Christ's birthday party, the Easter bunny came because he was celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. That being said; the Easter bunny pooped all over our house. He started outside the boys bedroom, went down the stairs, would around the house, and eventually made two trails for the boys to follow to find their baskets.

He had left them each a puzzle, marshmallow gun, toothbrush, bubbles, chocolate bunny (courtesy of the neighbor), silly straws, a few eggs with candy, one with money, and a piggy bank for Drake and ball for Carson.

Looks like I caught the Easter Bunny! Don't mind the handkerchief around my head - we had the Young Women's fundraiser on Saturday night (well; more like all day for those of us that were in charge) and I was going for the whole girls camp look.

*By the way, the rabbit poop was Raisinets. You should have seen Carson's expression when Dave and I started eating the "poop"...

Conference Weekend

We have lots of fun traditions to help gear the boys up for conference weekend. We want it to be something they look forward to. First off, we have a pizza party. Everyone gets to make a pizza exactly how they want it.
When the pizza party is over, we pull our beds into the from room and have a sleepover. This time the movie we rented was Adventures of Tin-Tin. Must've been good because Drake even watched it all the way through. I am standing right by the T.V. while taking this picture.

Lets not forget this cute kid. I didn't do the sleepover because I still have to wake up in the middle of the night to nurse said baby.

For FHE before conference, we wrote up a bunch of words we might hear at conference. Then, we scattered them all over the floor and the boys took turns trying to hit the cards with a ball. Ultimately, six words were chosen at random, and those are the key words the boys listen for during the talks. Each time a word was said, they boys got a treat that they had chosen for that word.
Spirit - Whoppers
General Conference - M&Ms
Family - Jelly Beans

Temple - Gum Drops
Jesus- Mini Marshmallows
Primary - Mints

This is the second time doing it, and it generally works pretty stinkin' well. It was pretty funny - when it was over, and the boys had collected their little piles, they would say things like, "I think I want to eat one spirit, and two primaries. " Drake even went so far as to blurt out, "I heard FAIF!!" (Faith) and promptly shove a candy in his mouth knowing full well it wasn't one of the "special words". (This happened a number of times...)
It was a wonderful weekend for us. It was a wonderful time for hope, renewal, and encouragement.

Because I want to remember how I felt

I read someone's blog recently that referred to journaling. It reminded me that I need to take the time to yet again put on paper (or a screen) what life feels like right now. Truth is, there aren't words for it, but I know on any given day I feel happy, tired, frustrated, motivated, excited, overwhelmed, and above all - love.
I get caught up in a whirlwind of emotions that come and go quickly. Right now for instance, I am laughing at the goofy sqwaks the baby is making and how much fun Carson is having playing cars, all the while battling the irritating fact that yet again Carson is bashing his cars together in a fierce way that will inevitably break them, even though I have asked him (many times) to stop. And now I smell poop.
*15 minutes later - I haven't yet changed the poopy diaper - Drake is not feeling well and I just spent the time snuggling him and stroking his soft hair and cheek. My heart is melted as he snuggles into my chest all the while worrying about what he might have; his breathing sounds funky.
I am overwhelmed because I haven't started dinner yet and its 4:46, but I haven't had a spare moment today and my body and soul ache for a moment to unwind, even for just 5 minutes. Nobody is fighting though; so really, all is well. Still smelling poop...
It's hard to not feel a little discouraged as I wake up to wild, angry screaming each morning. It's always something so important as who gets to turn the light switch on or off, or who makes it to the bottom step first. I want to be chipper, I want to be giddy, I wan to be spontaneous and fun. And mostly, I want my kids to know I love them.
This is hard. Really hard. But, it is truly my first choice. I realized the other day while making yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I wouldn't trade my life for any other. A scene crossed my mind of a pristine home. Floors were mopped and vacuumed, it was quiet and calm, there was money in the bank, the yard was perfect and neat, I was hard-bodied and put together, and yet while this image seemed perfect and desirable, the only thing I could feel was intense sadness. I was lonely. My image was missing my sweet children and is was SO NOT worth it.
I realized in that moment, I would rather have non-stop fighting, and disobedience than not be graced and blessed with these strong and sweet spirits in my home. Any life with them is preferable to any life without Carson, Drake, and Brooks.
My heart is full. The hardest things yield the greatest rewards, and I feel a portion of that each and every day. I feel warmth. I feel peace. I feel happy. I want to soak this feeling up. Is there anything better? I would argue there is not.
Now to remedy that poopy smell...