Happy Easter!

We very much enjoyed our Easter weekend as a family. We love watching the kids through all of their excitement, fun, and learning, even though both Jeremy and I think holidays are a lot harder now than they used to be. Just this morning I said to Jeremy: "When I was younger, I just remember holidays being fun and relaxing. I guess that's because my parents were doing all the work."

I guess so.

But really, the work is worth it to see our little charmers full of life and fun. They were both quite excited about the impending visit from the Easter Bunny. Clara fell asleep right away, as she is wont to do, but Jonathan was just too full of anticipation to fall asleep easily. At one point he came out and said, all nervous-like, "Where's Clara?" We went in and found Clara hidden in her bed. She was lying on her back and had the covers tucked up to her chin, and she had put her pillow so it was almost entirely covering her face. I told Jonathan she was there, readjusted her so she was on top of her pillow, and left.


This morning, we asked her why she fell asleep like that. Her response? "I was trying to look like a bed so the Easter Bunny wouldn't see me and she'd be surprised." That's right: she was trying to pull a fast one on the Easter Bunny. Clever Clara.


The EB was pretty light on the candy this year, since one of our children (I won't say who it is, but it isn't Clara) is an absolute fiend for candy. Seriously. He's like an unstoppable rebel force out to conquer all the candy in the universe. Or, perhaps more accurately, he's like one of those truffle-sniffing pigs who can find truffles hidden anywhere in the dank of the forest. The boy can find candy, and then he will eat it all, so we thought we might as well limit his options. Neither of them seemed to think the offerings were light, though, so all said it was a good time.


We also truly enjoyed our time at church today. Both of the kids had meaningful lessons on the Resurrection of Christ in their little classes, and Jeremy and I were able to teach an Easter lesson to our Gospel Principles Sunday School class. We were both touched deeply by the Holy Spirit both as we prepared the lesson and as we shared it with the class. I'm grateful for this special day where we can take time to reflect on the miracle of Christ's life, death, Atonement and Resurrection. I know the Savior lives, and that he loves us. Everything I have in my life that has brought me goodness, peace, and joy stems from my faith in Christ. I'm grateful for that knowledge.

In addition to these realizations and memorable moments, I will say that we also very much enjoyed this year's Easter dinner. Jeremy and I worked hard to make a ham steak (buying a whole ham seemed silly for our little family, particularly since we only ate about a third of the ham steak), monkey bread, deviled eggs, asparagus, fluffy strawberry salad, and creamed new potatoes and peas. Hard work makes food tastes even better, I think, and we enjoyed sitting down to the fruits of our labors. Clara was also gratifyingly hungry and appreciative. Jonathan was also there. I think he was full of candy.




And I will admit that one of my favorite things about the day was wearing matching Easter dresses with Clara. I matched us last year for Mother's Day and this year for Easter, and I figure I'll keep having us be twins once a year until she thinks I'm too dorky. I might only have one more year left! I am pretty dorky--something that will no doubt be easily discernible by our discriminating girl!



Also, you may notice that I look a bit, well, large-ish in these pictures. Though this may be a surprise to some of my dedicated readers, we are having another baby in September! We have a lot to celebrate these days...


Happy Easter!

That's what friends are for!

Three of the most dreaded words uttered in our house these days are "Let's play friends!"

I know what you're thinking: they sound innocuous enough, but when you are lazy parents like we are sometimes hearing the words "Let's play friends!" just sends a bit of a chill down the spine.

So the game goes like this: one of the kids (usually Jonathan; it's kind of his special game) comes up to you carrying a handful of small toys or stuffed animals. These are the "friends." Once you've been handed a "friend" (or usually two or three friends), you then spend the rest of the game (duration: unknown) talking to the other friends. It's kind of like living in the movie Avatar but without the perks of living on a magical planet, riding mystical creatures, or being able to destroy mercenaries.

Rules to consider:

1. As the adult, it is your responsibility to come up with topics of conversation. Acceptable topics include: favorite foods, names of "friends," hobbies and interests, etc.

2. At no point may you directly address the holder of the "friend." For example, if you somehow accidentally address Jonathan instead of Sky High or Dog-dog or Monkey or Crispin's Crispian, you will be swiftly rebuked--usually by having one of the friends thrust directly into your face with a stern admonition to "talk to mine friiieeeend!"

3. The game has no ending. You may need to grab a snack or use the restroom or tear out chunks of your hair, but the moment you turn around, a little boy will be standing there holding the little friends and waiting to tell you about his favorite foods. Again.

Once, Jeremy made the mistake of saying to Jonathan, "You know, Buddy, sometimes I don't want to talk to the friends. Sometimes I just want to talk to you!" To this, Jonathan responded by thrusting out his lower lip, widening his eyes, then darting away into his room to have a good cry into his pillow.

But now that I've written all of that and shown that charming picture, I know you're thinking what I'm thinking: that little face is impossible to resist. We play a lot of "friends" at our house.

My love is like a red, red rose

So I've been staring at the computer for the last 20 minutes, trying to think of something to write about. Then, five minutes ago, Jeremy came home from teaching his evening class. I said, "Dude. What should I blog about?"

He said, "You could always blog about your love for me."

Silence.

The silence, of course, was not because I thought it was a bad idea. Rather, I was contemplating all of the many wonderful ways in which I could express my undying love for him. That's not quite the way he took it.

"I see that doesn't inspire you," he said.

Pause.

"Maybe I could write about National Poetry Month.... No. That's pretty boring."

He left to heat himself some dinner.

Then, like a potato exploding in the microwave, it hit me: I could combine my love for Jeremy with National Poetry Month. Perfecto!

So here, in honor of Jeremy, my undying love for him, and National Poetry Month, I offer you my favorite love poem: Shakespeare's Sonnet 116.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.


Fantastic! True love, idealism, and beauty--all in 14 compact lines.

And since I'm no poet:

I love you pretty well, JB. I do indeed.