Easters 2016

We had a lot going on the week before Easter Sunday this year. Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Bob were using our home as their base for their Spring Break Tour of Friends and Relatives. I went on brisk walks with Grandma Peggy, we shared a few meals, and Grandpa showed off for the boys. Friday afternoon Grandma and Grandpa came with us to Brian's work for an Easter Egg Hunt without the eggs. We met Rob, Claire, Ian and Moira there since it's Rob's workplace too.

There were A LOT of people there. Most brought cute baskets to collect the not-eggs in. I forgot, of course. They handed all the kids grocery bags to use anyway.

And they're off! Notice Colin has already stopped to pick up treats. Emil was too busy running.

Look at all the stuff he could've picked up. Meh. Some other kid can get those pesky Laffy Taffy, Emil will keep looking for something specific and then not get anything.

On the other hand, everything makes Colin happy. Even fruit snacks!

Bridget's age group hunted inside. Afterward they gave the kids cookies and frosting. 

Then the cousins came! Colin loves babies - he's always pointing them out to me and trying to make them laugh. Baby girl cousins are his fave.

One of Colin's treasures was a stamp, which he used on everyone's hands. Like we'd all been to the same awesome concert.

Moira found her nose and Grandma Peggy cheered and cheered. Grandma is a pretty easy audience.

This is how my Dad laughs. We talked about how his grandparents laughed and I loved hearing about it. Now Bridget will be able to remember her Grandpa's laugh. :) And there's Uncle Rob (his hand has been stamped, notice.)

Very late Friday night, Allyn and her girls, Emma and Lilja, joined the party. On Saturday we went to the Women's Session of General Conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

We picked up Claire and went on to City Creek where we did not wait for a table at Cheesecake Factory, but found what we wanted at the food court and also Aunt Julie and Megan. Unlike last year, we were plenty early, so we went on a little tour of the statues and paintings in the Conference Center before the session started. Afterwards Allyn and I did some secret Easter shopping and Grandma, Claire, and the girls went to Claire's Boutique. Again, we skipped Cheesecake Factory and went to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream. Tradition! 

Easter morning was quick, but fun. It took the kids longer than it should have to find their baskets. For some reason Emil got a harmonica (which he calls his "'Merica"). Brian taught him the first four notes of "Happy Birthday" and I have never seen Emil so happy. Ha! We ate uncolored eggs for breakfast (some stuff fell through the cracks, y'all) and delicious cinnamon rolls that Allyn made in the middle of the night after our trip to Walmart for brown sugar. I loved going to church with so much family! Some of my older friends got Allyn and me confused, which was also fun. At church I'm just me - no one there really knows what a big family I come from and how I have so many sisters. For the first 18 years of my life, my identity was all about being one of six girls. Weird. In a good way. :)

After church we got dinner on pretty quickly because I'd done so much of it ahead of time and we had a Honeybaked Ham that didn't need to be cooked. Winner! Dinner was amazing.

Bridget tailed Lilja and Emma like a true little sister. She LOVED having them here. And Bridget changed her clip-on earrings six times on Easter Sunday. After the delicious dinner we had coconut cake (of course!) and then Grandma, Emma, and Lilja hid eggs for THE HUNT.

Allyn and Lilja made that pendant banner on the fence three years ago when we had a party here for Aaron and Lori. Since I cleaned out my fabric closet a few weeks ago, I found it and decided to use it again. Everything is more festive with a banner.

Unfortunately Moira had a 3-Alarm Diaper right when it was time to hunt, so the kids had plenty of time to scope out the eggs.

For some reason Emil was dressed up like a fireman for this occasion. 

And Colin wore the bunny ears. For obvious reasons.

Emma is my favorite in this photo. These boys are NOT MESSING AROUND. They will find the eggs. They will eat all the candy.

See? I just noticed Moira in this photo. Hahahaha!

Moira ran out the door and right over all the eggs in her quest to get to the trampoline. Her Mom and Dad re-routed her. What a beautiful dress! She cracked open her eggs, ate the candy and threw the "shell" back on the ground where it belongs. :) I love babies on an Easter Egg Hunt.

For some reason Emil did not have his act together for the collecting of treasures. Again. Could be the suspenders. Could be the too-small flip-flops. 

Colin, on the other hand...

He did have the binoculars. And the bunny ears. Pretty big advantages.

Notice Grandpa Bob helping Bridget (the tallest kid hunting) getting eggs out of the tree. That's what happens when your tall cousins hide the eggs.

Once we'd found all the eggs, it was time for trampoline antics.

I've never seen a baby more interested in the trampoline than Moira. So cute!

Look at her face! She loves it.

Did I mention Grandpa Bob likes to show off? He does have jazz hands, Jen!

My Mom and Allyn. :)

...and Lilja.

Grandma and Grandpa had to leave right after the trampoline tricks to get back to their regular life. Allyn and her girls visited relatives on Monday. I truly do not remember what I did on Monday. I think I might have swept the floor? Who knows. On Tuesday while my kids were at school, I took Allyn and her girls to the Provo City Center Temple and we met Brian there. Emma and Lilja did baptisms and Brian, Allyn, and I did sealings. It was a little crazy there, they've only been up and running for a week, but it was my favorite. Once again Allyn and I tricked some people who thought we were the same person. Ha!

They stayed at my house long enough to say goodbye to the boys when they got home from school.

Maybe I'd have my stuff together if I had a couple of awesome teenagers like Emma and Lilja to help me. I think I've cracked the code on Allyn being so amazing. I love it when my siblings come to visit, but I always have this ache when they leave. And I always have to think about when I'll see them next to get me out of my funk. July!