Easter thoughts...

 Happy Easter!  Okay, so I haven't conquered the blogging and having a baby around thing!  As I have mentioned before, I'm quite nostalgic now days.  I read a lot of blogs and I love seeing pictures of friends and family on facebook.  I think I just have a hard time putting into words what I want to say...I'm not very good at it, so I haven't done it and therefore sadly I've lost several months of getting my thoughts down!  So, I'm inspired again and so I'll try and tackle Easter!

 I love any holiday, but especially holidays that celebrate Christ.  We have always lived in great communities that hold huge egg hunts and for the most part christian communities.  I feel very blessed for that! The egg hunts have always been great to invite non-member friends to.  I love it! This year was our second year to go to some good friends, the  Russell's.  They hid over 1200 plastic filled eggs.  I loved seeing my cute little activity day girls from church and then friends from school and teachers too.  Such a great missionary tool!  Most of the teachers that my kids have had are christian and the same with their friends.  I love Christmas and Easter because they turn out to be huge connections with my non-member friends.  I love discussing the similarities that we have in our traditions.

 Wayne and I have been married for nearly 18 years...I can hardly believe it!  I love that we've come to an agreement on how we celebrate each holiday.  We both had ideas and traditions from our own families that we wanted to see happen within our own little family and I'm so grateful that neither one of us had to give something up.  Things are a little different but we didn't lose anything.  Over the years we've discussed making connections with each holiday and the tradition, but we've come to the conclusion that Christ is the reason for the celebration on Easter and Christmas and that's good enough! (pretty darn good reason in my opinion) I'm happy to say that my kids know the reason for each, and the other stuff is just fun!  On Easter, we always have on display the story of the resurrection and it stays up all week.  It's a visual reminder of the reason we're celebrating.  It works for us and it took a few years to develop what works.  Now that our family isn't so young anymore, this is one of my favorite traditions and I love sitting down and talking with the kids about their thoughts on Easter.  We always discuss the Easter story and each year it gets more in depth. I love it!  I don't know what my kids will do when they marry and start their own families and traditions, but I hope that in our raising them, we've taught them to at least gain a testimony of their own and to respect other people.  Anything beyond that in their traditions will be up to them and their spouse!!!

 In this above picture, Britt is watching on.  She didn't participate in the big egg hunt this year. (she did in the cousin egg hunt which I'll post about later)  She loved coming and enjoying the friends, but I guess she's officially outgrown hunting eggs!!! :(

 Max, as young as he is was hilarious.  He was the youngest kid, and he got to go out all by himself and hunt eggs.  He found one blue egg and didn't want to let it go, and couldn't have cared less about the other 1199 eggs out there to be found.

 Ally LOVED the egg hunt this year.  She had lots of friends and they all had a plan of how to find the hidden eggs!  They all had a blast!

 I don't remember where Jay was during our dying Easter eggs.  I think he may have been asleep.  I said this year to the girls, "do we have to dye eggs or can I just boil them?"...they thought I was crazy and yelled in unison "YES we do!"  OKAY!!!

 Easter morning, meeting at the end of the hall before entering the front room!(another tradition)  Ally and Max are both yawning, and I love their faces!!!

 Ally with Easter shtuff!!!

 Our traditional banner and pictures on display! I have to say I love the pictures from the Gospel Art kit with the story and scripture references on the back.  I love even more that my kids have the Easter and Christmas pictures pretty much memorized because we've read them for so many years now!!!

 My kids know that on Christmas and Easter I get family pictures!  Max hasn't yet learned that you just have to smile for mom and then you are free!!!

 Max letting me know he's had enough of the picture taking!!! (he'll learn)

Love these kids.  Love traditions, but especially the ones that allow us to celebrate Christ.  The Christ celebrations are my favorite!  My time is up, Max needs his mommy!  Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter!!!