Easter 2013

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Spring Break is over. Easter is in the past. All the kids are back at school. The house is quiet. It's not clean yet... I know what I'll be doing today. But it is quiet. It's funny how after a break--whether it is spring break, Christmas break, or summer vacation, it is always nice to get back to normal routines again.

Anyway, here are pictures from our Easter:
 Grandma Hiatt sent us a package almost a month before Easter, and a week before Easter, the kids talked us into opening it, so they could see what was inside. The bunny basket (apparently from Steven's childhood) filled with candy filled eggs, and brightly colored wrapped packages sat on our living room table for the week, unopened, untouched. I was very impressed by my children's forbearance.
The morning dawned bright and early, with the kids awake and ready to go hunt Easter eggs. A couple days before, they had prepared treasure hunts for each other, and on Easter Eve, they set them up, so one egg would contain a clue that would lead to another, and eventually they would find the gift from Grandma, which had been hidden. The kids found their "starter eggs" on the table, and off they went, following their clues from place to place.

 
 
 After everyone had found their gift, they all opened them together. I was impressed by the thoughtful gifts Grandma sent this year. Hannah got a collection of stories about Pioneer children, which will have special significance since Hannah will go on a Pioneer Trek this year. John received a collection of stories about Joseph Smith. Josh received a story book called Knights of Right, and Peter, who will be baptized the first Saturday of July, received a book on baptism and confirmation.
 
 After the gifts were opened, the children then found the rest of the eggs - the ones that actually had candy in them. The next little while was spent enjoying their loot, most of them reading their new books, and Peter and John crafting things out of their candies
This is John's chocolate Easter bunny.

This is Peter's Starburst man.
 
 

  After a wonderful breakfast which Steven cooked mostly single-handedly, things settled down. We prepared for church. The kids read their new books and watched Johnny Lingo. We all watched the bible movies about the resurrection. We began preparing our dinner. We went to church and listened to talks and lessons about the resurrection and the atonement.

  After church, we came home and finished making dinner. It was good, and I ate more than I probably should have. Once dinner had settled a bit, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a walk through our neighborhood. We returned home to try to cram a bit of ice cream into whatever nooks and crannies may have existed in our stomachs. Then it was time to prepare for bed.
 

 So, our Easter was a great day. The kids had fun. We had a chance to remember the meaning of Easter, to be grateful for the gift of resurrection, and for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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