Easter Feelings

I am away from my husband and children today for Easter. This makes me sad to not be with them on such a special day. But I have been given a different gift: to be with my brothers, sister-in-law, mom, grandmother, grandfather, an aunt, an uncle, and my nieces and nephews.

I was also able to attend the sealing of my dearest of all friends. This was such a blessed occasion and the opportunity of being here in Utah has brought so many fun, funny, spiritual, and emotional moments. These are too special to share in this forum and format.

But I would like to share something special and dear to me: my testimony of the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. First of all, I KNOW He lives and loves me. He loves each of us more than we will ever understand. The Savior bled from every pore and suffered all of our sins, illnesses, worries, sadness, sorrow, and every pain we have ever experienced. He was brutally beaten and unjustly hanged on cross and left for dead. If this does not show complete love I do not know what does. Finally, He was risen whole and perfect.

He taught us to love and forgive each other. He taught us to serve one another and that we can find happiness and joy through this atoning sacrifice. He not only taught the way back to Heavenly Father, but he provided the way for us to do so. 

I know God lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ. I am thankful for His eternal sacrifice which is provided for each of us to find lasting happiness and joy. Let us not take this greatest of all gifts for granted. Happy Easter!

Atlanta

We went to Atlanta this week and were able to see my brother Joe and his kids. We had such a great time. Unfortunately we did not get to spend as much time with them as we wanted to because I had doctor appointments and a surgery. But the time we were able to be with them all was unforgettable.

Here are the kids in our Hilton room.

There was a lot of tumbling going on when we met up with Joe and his kids. It was a lot of fun.

Then we headed to a Japanese steak and Sushi restaurant called Ninja. It was really good food and the kids enjoyed watching the food being made in front of them. This was Richard and Hannah's first Japanese experience and they couldn't get enough. The flavor of the food was better than other Japanese restaurants I have been to. We all had a lot of fun!

Family Day: Beach and BBQ

Saturday it was time, yet again, for family day. We wend to the Big Dam Bridge for fishing, playing in the sand, and fun in the water. It was really hot Saturday and the cold water felt nice. The kids had so much fun digging in the sand and splashing in the water. Chris had a nice time fishing and I enjoyed watching everyone while I soaked up so rays.

Later in the day we went to Pinnacle Mt. State Park. We enjoyed a wonderful evening in the woods and Chris grilled chicken, venison burgers, corn on the cob, yellow squash, and zucchini. What a wonderful meal. Everything seems to taste better in the outdoors. And I was able to get some terrific pictures of my funny, darling, crazy kids.

Oh how I love our family days. I absorb each moment with my husband and kids. I love them each so very much!

Family Day: State Park Adventure

Saturday we opted to go to Woolly Hollow State Park. We rented a boat and oars then took off on our adventure. Chris fished, I read (some), and the kids played around. It was a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed being on a boat for their first time. It was a beautiful day!

Richard took this picture.

Hannah took this one.

Richard had a lot of fun trying the oars. I'm glad he enjoyed it but my shoulders are killing me!! Great upper body workout.

This is the one fish that was caught all day.

Richard was playing so hard he needed a break. lol. He is actually eating a hand full of jerky.

While Chris and I (OK, I mostly took pictures while Chris got the food ready) were getting dinner ready Richard and Hannah played at the park.

It was almost 80 degrees today so too hot to really have a fire. We cooked hot dogs and marshmallows on the grill. The kids were blowing on the fire to feed it some oxygen.

We had a lot of fun together today. I am looking forward to our next family day!

Pinnacle Mountain Hike (Second Round)

In our mission to lose weight and get into better shape Chris and I have been taking the kids hiking a lot. For the second time in a week we took the intense 2 mile hike to the top of Pinnacle Mtn. Richard and Chris went ahead of Hannah and I this time, she was really tired and ornery so I took the hike at her pace. And we got some cute pictures on the way.

Then we met up with the boys. We were only about ten minutes behind them. We let the kids have a quick snack before we headed back down the mountain. Hannah was so excited to see Richard at the top and then to see Dad at the bottom. It was a great workout!



Kites

Last Monday to begin Spring Break I bought the kids new kites. We headed to a field to test them out. They both did really well. Richard had his almost to the end of his string. They had a lot of fun and I had a great time watching them.

Pizza Party

We had some cute girls over a couple of weekends ago and had a pizza making party. Here are all of the kids creating their own pizzas. It was a lot of fun. (Sorry about the yellowy pictures.)