Easter 2026

Wait, first April Fool's day. The moment Erica discovered Winnie the Pooh's real name is Edward Bear (not a prank).

My sister found this book in a thrift store in North Carolina where she lives and sent it to us. My girls love Winnie the Pooh. Now they have a bit of Pooh history.

For April Fool's dinner, we pranked the kids by setting the table with large utensils like ice cream scoops and tongs. They were such good sports and did pretty well.

This is the spelling test Erica's language arts teacher gave her class. Erica thought it was hilarious and had us all cracking up as she told us how it went in class.

That evening we went to our church where our stake put together an Easter walk. Each ward was give an element of Christ's life and made an entire room display on that theme. I loved this ward's primary's drawings of the Savior's birth.

And this room of Christ's teachings and miracles was just so beautiful.

This photo collage of baptism photos got me all choked up.

Here's another photo collage of flowers I've found around town. It's so springy around here!

We finally go Erica a new bike. Justin and I drove all the way to Mount Pleasant to get it and another one like it for James. Best part about Erica's is that it has tubeless tires so no flats for her!

Easter Saturday. Between general conference sessions we went to Justin's parents' house for lunch with all the family. We took a big family picture and then had an egg hunt with all the kiddos.

You are never too old for candy.

Sunday morning breakfast tulips from my garden!

For breakfast we had French toast, bacon, strawberries, and two kinds of juice.

Then it was back to the family room for conference. Erica loaned me her duck lamp to quilt by.

The kids do a good job of getting comfy and keeping themselves busy while we watch conference. I think they are getting more out of listening to the talks as they get older. We try really hard to make it enjoyable. 

Cinnamon rolls help. The first batch I baked Saturday morning did not turn out (the par-baking method doesn't work). This second batch turned out much better but I need a pan that keeps the edge rolls from getting huge and overdone before the middle rolls bake all the way. 

Sunday after conference we went to Corey and Nadine's setting apart for missionary service. They will be serving at the Heber Valley girls' camp this summer and next. 

It's going to be a huge adjustment for them and for us to have them gone all summer. We will be able to see them seldomly when they come home on their P-days but it's not the same and we were all feeling it as we said goodbye. We are so proud of them for serving and I love and appreciate the example they are setting for my kids that in this family, we serve missions.

From there we went to my parent's house for Easter Sunday dinner. After dinner we sent any grandkid that wanted to on a treasure hunt to find their Easter basket. Sarah and Allison and were troopers to hide all the clues but I made a mistake in numbering and Sarah and I had to redo them all. (Good thing I discovered the mistake before they started.)

Looking for the next clue. I had them going all around the yard and in and out of the house.

Oh where could it be? (It's under Kenny's chair)

One of the clues sent them to Grandpa. He hid in the upstairs of the shed and it took forever for them to find him. He was such a good sport.

The baskets were hidden in the backseat of the car and they finally found them after checking inside all the cars parked in the driveway and garage. 

Good job kids! They thought it was a fun activity and more challenging than an egg hunt so I think we'll do it again. AI made up the clues for me; I just gave it a list of items and locations for the clues and it thought up the rest. 

And since these kids are getting so old and smart, I'm going to have to tell AI to make the clues even harder next year.

Lastly, I leave you with the kids in their new Easter finery. They are such cute sports about getting new church clothes. You wouldn't believe the opinions the boys have about ties!

Happy Easter. It is the best holiday. Actually, it is the best of all the days.

"Once he suffered grief and pain 

Now he comes on earth to reign" 

Hymns 196

Interests, hobbies, sports, and signs of spring

No one takes picking out produce more seriously than this kid. He spent more time picking out these bananas than I ever have combined.

 Did you know that stores used to sell candy cigarettes and cigars? Did you know my local grocery store still sells them? Who's buying this?

Erica's hockey season ended with a nearly free Mammoth game at the Delta Center. Henry had a campout so we brought BFF Ellie along.

The whole section is for the city's league so we saw lots of people we knew, including the Picketts that sat right behind us.

The Mammoth lost, just like the game we went to last year. It was really late so it wasn't my favorite night out.  If I get talked into going next year, remind me to bring earmuffs!

See my quilting frame I made with the kids' PVC fort kit? I bought some beach towel clamps from Amazon and here we go. It's taking a really long time to quilt by hand but I feel like Betsy Ross and I know it will be worth it. 

Now I will leave you with a plethora of spring pictures I have taken the last few days while on my walks, at the Provo temple, or in my yard. Enjoy!

Bonus picture: Why have they not torn down the old polygamous house? A bunch of huge houses are being built around it but still it spookily stands.

We are almost to April! Conference and Easter this weekend, Sarah's junior prom, James's piano recital and lots of yardwork in my future. And lots of rain. Please rain!

Easter decorating (I have opinions)

I've been trying to make a better effort at decorating for Easter. It's my second favorite holiday but I don't really decorate for any holiday besides Christmas. I don't find any holiday's decorations esthetically pleasing or my style. Plus it seems dumb so spend money and time on things that spend 11 months of the year in storage.

But I want to make a bigger deal out of Easter and this is one way I'm putting in more effort.

My rules are: no bunnies, no chicks, no cheesy sayings, no crosses, and no cutesy things. That rules out 90% of what passes as Easter decorations in stores and online.  A quick search online for Easter decorations brings up all bunnies. Add the world "religious" and it's all crosses and pocket Jesuses.  I want a Christ-centered, abstract, less on-the-nose but still spring look so think out of the box I must. Here's what I've got so far.

1. Artwork

I have been scouring Etsy for illustrations of Christ's final week. I go to Etsy because I don't like art that everyone else has that they all get from Deseret Book. This is what I have from last year. I bought this frame last week at Hobby Lobby and a lady stopped and asked me what I had planned for it. I explained a I had a watercolor of the last supper printed out and I was going to hang it in my dining room. She put her hand on my arm and said, "Oh that is just wonderful." 

Also from last year. I love how the frame looks like a tomb.

And the addition for this year. Sorry for the glare.

I think I will add a new picture each year until I have all the elements represented.

2. Flowers

I don't love fake flowers but I do love tulips and these ones I found on Amazon look pretty real. Tulips are the first flowers of the season, breaking the winter, the first sign of life. I have tons of tulips coming up in my yard and I'll bring some of those in too in the coming weeks. Vase is from TJMaxx.

I also swapped out the candles (Walmart) for a spring/summer color. Wooden tomb from Amazon.

3. Lamb

Why, why, why are there not lamb figurines for sale? Pagan bunnies galore but no lambs to commemorate the Lamb of God. I had to send Sarah all the way to Africa to bring back this stone carved lamb and she had to search and ask for help in finding it. "A lamb for Jesus!" the Kenyan merchant rejoiced. It stays out all year long. I hope she can find more when she goes back to Kenya this summer. 

4. Eggs

Despite our name, we don't dye eggs; we've been painting wood ones since 2020. Here's the link to the ones I bought last (2.5 inch ones). They've gone up in price so maybe there are better options out there. Six painted and added to the collection every year. We are up to 42 eggs and not all are pictured.

These are the ones we painted this year.

After they are dry, I take spray them with a clear coat.

These nesting eggs I got in Ketchikan, Alaska last summer.

I also have something new planned for Palm Sunday but I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. 

And this garland will go back up on Palm Sunday and we will clip a new felt symbol to it each night during Holy Week.

So there you have it. My interpretation of a bunny-free Easter. Except for peeps and chocolate. Those are okay in bunny form.

Endings

Even though it is the middle of March and 80+ degrees outside, I am having a hard time believing we are done with snow and winter and cold temperatures. It never happened for us so it all feels so weird to see tulips and go without a coat and have kids ask for popsicles. I love spring but without winter it's not so sweet.

Erica found and loved the biggest bananas she has ever seen. She told her whole young women's class about them at church the next day and sent her leader a picture of them when she got home. The best part was she actually ate like 3 of them herself.

Sarah had her swim team awards night. 

She got several awards for just generally being awesome.

I started a quilt and here is the progress. It's for America's 250th birthday! I hope to finish it within the next month or so. I wish I would have started sooner because quilting a large blanket on my lap sounds much too hot now.

At stake conference last weekend we were at a church building we don't often attend and I saw in a classroom these little folding chairs. I had a flashback to my primary days where we had these same wood seat chairs. Nostalgia.

Erica had her last indoor street hockey game of the season. It was a rough game since the ref did not seem to know what he was doing and made some odd calls. Plus a week off and the whole team seemed to have lost their zest for the game or they forgot how to play or something. 

Erica still played hard and had fun so that's what matters. Actually what mattered was the ice cream after the game.

This marks the first time since July that we have not had a child in a sport. Nine months of practices and games! I am so ready for a break.

Erica's primary teachers from last year took her class to the temple. It took a couple of extra months to find an appointment and a time where everyone could go but they finally did it today when there was a half day of school. I love Bro and Sis W so much. They love these kids (and everyone) with all their hearts. They made the kids feel so special and made their final year of primary and "temple prep" their favorite primary year. 

Plus a trip for frozen yogurt. Best day ever. And these girls are so blessed to have Sis W move up with them into young women's.