Another Set of Dresses

I got the girls Easter dresses all made and then I found some really cheap fabric at Wal-Mart that I just loved.  I had to buy it.  The girls are growing out of all their dresses anyway so I justified it in my head.  But if truth be told I like these dresses better than the other ones.  They are so cute on the girls.  Plus I have beautiful girl to put in them.


Oh Kenna why won't you ever smile for me, at least not when the camera is pointed at your face

 

Oh thank you Railey for always showing me your beautiful smile you make up for Kenna's stubbornness.

 

 

Kids Easter Pictures

We had a great Easter this year.  The day before was hectic but I would rather it be that way than have Easter day be crazy with having to fit so much stuff in.  It was a very relaxing day and we were able to focus a lot more on what Easter is all about.  I loved being able to go in and teach Railey's Primary class this year. I know we have talked about the resurrection before.  In fact we just finished reading the 4 gospels on Friday so I know it's been talked about but it was the first time that it actually clicked in her mind that Jesus died and is now alive again.  It was so fun seeing the light bulb turn on.  After church we were able to snatch a few pictures before their new outfits were torn off.  All the kids got new clothes this year.  Even the boys.  We went and bought them new pants and a suit coat that they can switch off wearing every other week.  They got it a few weeks early and so they had already been wearing it and it was now Damen's turn on Easter.  Seth told him that it was his own turn to wear it and that Damen had had his chance the week before with general conference but had chosen not too.  Too bad that didn't fly, but it did give us a good laugh.  I made the girls dresses.  Railey is becoming quite opinionated about what color her dress should be--dang her.  I was wanting to do something green but ended up finding some material that would go for both and still give Railey her pink.  They turned out great and look so cute on them especially when they are together.  Here's Easter 2012 Pictures


Railey is the best poser ever 

Kenna not so much.  But that is the only smile I got.  She didn't want her dress to get in the dirt. 

 

 

Any time I tell Kenna to smile she will put her fingers up to her mouth and do the "smiley" face

 

 

 

Our beautiful kids

 

 

 

Seth is also my poser and has the whole hand positioning thing down--- in his head

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Saturday was crazy this year!  We had so much going on.  Our ward did a sunrise breakfast/devotional and Steve and the kids went to that while I was finishing making orange rolls for a baptism.  They got home and everyone got cleaned up and the girls and I headed out the door to the baptism while waving goodbye to the boys who were headed off to a soccer game.  After the baptism we went to the luncheon for a minute and then rushed home in time to do our little Easter Egg Hunt.  I really didn't know how we were going to get it all in because we had to be up to a wedding luncheon an hour later and then Steve would be late getting to the temple after the luncheon.  So to make it all work out we had to dash  a few dreams.

I was telling the kids a few days before not to expect the Easter Bunny to bring them a little present because they just got new tennis shoes and church shoes instead.  Seth winked at me and said he already knew.  I asked him what he knew and he said Dad had already told him that the easter bunny and tooth fairy and all that weren't real.  Truthfully he has questioned it since he was 2.  But Damen is a boy full of faith and still believed.  In fact he said "there's no way the Easter Bunny isn't real.  He came last year when we were all working out front."  Oh I love his loyal faith.  Well I put Steve in charge of putting all the stuff out before they went to their game and he ended up recruiting help.  Damen wanted to just keep reading, hoping for all hope that if he didn't help then it wouldn't make the Easter Bunny a thing of the past.  But Steve sat him down and told him there's a time and place to be excited for finding but there's and excitement that comes in hiding the eggs and watching as others are excited to find what you hid for them.  So they all went to hide eggs.  Steve did take 10 eggs and hid them in really hard places for the boys to find and they enjoyed that just as much.  But I loved watching their excitement in helping the girls find their eggs.  It was a lot of fun and yet a little bittersweet knowing they have now outgrown that stage of their lives.  Here's a few pictures of the hunt.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Doesn't this face tell it all.

 

The big boys after just finding the last of their hidden eggs

 

 

 

Seth was so cute and excited to help the girls find more and more eggs.  He's such a great kid.

 

 

 

We had a great hunt and the kids didn't even have all their candy gone before we got back from the luncheon a few hours later.  

Easter Egg Hunt-s

Oh we had a great Easter. All of the hunting for candy takes place on Saturday at our house, so that we can focus on what Easter is all about on Sunday. Lets just say we did plenty of candy grabbing this year. Last year Steve and Seth happened to be over at Smith's buying groceries when they had a candy grab going on. So this year the kids were all excited to do it again. We got up really early and had breakfast and then went to Smith's for breakfast as well (donut holes and cocoa). Then we wandered the store showing the kids where they would gather candy because each age group is in a different part of the store. I sent the boys off and stuck around with Railey. Her age group was 1-3. So I guess Kenna could do it too but really none of the kids had any idea of what to do. They all just stood there as their Moms threw candy in their baskets for them.

Here's Raiely waiting for "GO." See all that candy in the back.

The girls were gathering away when they would come and dump more bags over their heads. The girls got twice as much candy as the boys combined. Seth said he liked following behind everyone picking up what others left behind. Whatever!

Then we headed home and worked in the yard and shared a ton of our loot with the neighbors. After we got done doing that the kids realized that the Easter Bunny had come and we went and looked for eggs before heading off to a soccer game. Here's Kenna. She loved shaking the eggs and was completely content with these two eggs the rest of the day.

Here's Damen hunting away. He and Seth also got new kites

Seth and Damen were so good to leave eggs for Railey. Here's Seth telling Railey to come get an egg right there.

The pure joy of being a child. I love how happy she is here. It was fun to follow her around and snap pictures of the joy.

Ben happened to show up in time for the hunt and snapped a picture of our family.

Kate had to be in the kids picture. We were glad she was. And grateful she helped eat some of the candy. We had so much as you can see below. One bowl with the suckers and smarties was full. That's what we picked up from Smith's the other was from all the eggs that were filled. We just dump everything together so there isn't complaints about the fact that "he got more eggs than I did."

We had a great Easter Saturday and on Sunday we focused on Christ. I did a little treasure hunt for our Scripture Reading. But the kids were pretty disappointed that there was nothing in the treasure egg, and that it was empty, because he was "risen." They said that was pretty dumb. But Steve and I tried to help them understand that that truly is the greatest treasure we could have, the knowledge that "He is risen" and because of that someday we will be as well!