You Never Know With People

One day, my husband went out to do some Easter fun shopping dressed like this...

and no one gave him a second glance.

You never know with people. 

Easter and General Conference Weekend

Easter fell on the Sunday of General Conference this year.

The Saturday of Conference, April 4, was Vitamin C Day so our Conference Nachos had green bell peppers and salsa and we drank juice with Vitamin C.

A sister from our ward stopped by between sessions and gave us some rice crispy treats as an Easter treat.

That Sunday, April 5, was Caramel Day so some family members had hot cocoa with caramel syrup in it.

There was plenty about Easter during General Conference. Wonderful talks.

I don't know how many times during Conference this time that a speaker would mention a piece of music in their talk (hymn or children's song) or read lyrics and immediately someone in our home would start humming it. Sometimes it was even me. I love that.

We love to emphasize the Savior on Easter Sunday then it's okay to have a little Easter Bunny fun the next day. We usually do an Easter egg hunt for FHE.

For our lesson, Jr. Jr. led us in one more scripture and thought for Holy Week. For our treat and activity, the kids hunted Easter eggs and we ate candy.

Earlier in the day, the boys cleaned and vacuumed the living room without being asked. Thank you, boys. By the time the Easter Bunny came, there were things all over. Eh, more places for the Easter Bunny to hide eggs. We didn't even bother to pick up a blanket that was on the floor. Eggs were just hidden there. Ha Ha. Nobody complained.

Since Monday, April 6, was Carbonara Day, that's what we had for dinner that night before the egg hunt.

Easter Days

April 19 was Hanging Out Day. I got to hang out with Jr. at another UVU event. 

Besides the lunch they provided, the also had a soda bar and candy bar. We got lots of candy. I got a lemon-lime soda with coconut and pineapple flavoring in it based on Jr.'s suggestion. Thank you, Jr. It was yummy.

At the end of the event, they had a Bingo competition. I won! I won! I won! I won a little air fryer. 

I've used it a couple times since I brought it home, both times to make mini jalapeno popper egg rolls. I love those things.

 

That afternoon we had an Easter egg hunt at home. Jet loved it. I'm sure the older kids did as well. It was fun to see Jet didn't need guidance this year like he has in some past years. He was told which color egg to look for and didn't try taking anybody else's eggs.

April 20 was Easter. We went to church and had a beautiful Sacrament Meeting then a brunch in the cultural hall afterward.

We were able to put together an Easter dinner that day. We had ham, scalloped potatoes (from a Season of Family Meal Plans, volume 2, by Jordan Page), pineapple, and resurrection rolls or empty tomb rolls.

I had everybody come help with the rolls and taught them what each part represented.

Roll dough represents the tomb. A regular sized marshmallow represents Christ's body. Dip it in melted butter then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture to represent the oil and spices used to prepare His body for burial. Wrap it up in the tomb/dough and bake about 20 minutes. When you open the tomb, it is empty for He is risen. That's what it represents.

 

It was a nice little reminder during our dinner of what Easter is really about. Because Christ was resurrected, we will be resurrected, too. All the physical troubles our bodies go through in this life won't follow us through eternity. But the relationships we cultivate here on Earth, whether it's going to church together to learn more about our Savior or making a fun treat together, will last. What a marvelous blessing.

Easter 2024

March did not go out like a lamb this year. Last day of the month we got hail.

March 31 was Easter and appropriately National Tater Day since we like to have a potato dish with our dinner. Ham, creamy scalloped potatoes, rolls, spinach salad, and grape juice.

A couple days later the boys had an Easter egg hunt in the living room.

Happy Easter!

 

Easter Fun 2023

Besides celebrating what Easter is really about by going to church and reading about the Savior's visit to the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, we had some Easter Egg fun on different days.

 

We went to a neighborhood Easter party. Games and fun and and Easter Egg hunt. This was Jet's first community egg hunt. He had a blast and at one point opened one of his eggs that had an elephant duckie in it. He was done looking after that. He was so happy to keep playing with that toy. 

For our own family Easter Egg hunt, we got some notes from the Easter Bunny after having a FHE lesson about consequences for our actions.

"Welcome Telfords

I have hidden eggs in the backyard

But first

I needed to make the bunnies were comfortable

So I kept them inside someplace warm

Find a chocolate bunny and when everyone has one

I will explain the next steps"

"The eggs are upstairs in the backyard

Everyone has 16 (except Nichole who has 17)

Pink eggs are wild and you may pick up 3 (except Nichole who can only get two)

Here are your colors

Jr.: Light Blue

Nichole: Purple

Jr. Jr.: Orange/Goldenrod

Lucky: Yellow

Jet: Dark Blue

Wild: Pink

When all the eggs are found ask for the next step"

 

"Last step

There is a bag with your name in it in the garage

Have fun!"

Last time, Jr. complained about his eggs being too easy to find. This year, he took the longest to find his eggs. Look very carefully in this picture and see if you can find the plastic egg that he wasn't seeing. He had to have hints.

 

Lucky's class at school learned to make Easter baskets at school so he brought home a basketful of treats.

Easter 2022

It was a lovely Easter at church. Jeremy missed it because he was staying home with a couple sick kids but they were able to watch Sacrament Meeting online still. I'm grateful for that. We've had so much sickness this school year. I thought we were finally getting out of it (you know- Spring) but four of my kids have missed school because of sickness in the last couple weeks (and I only have four school age kids, the fifth missed church). This is what I get for mentioning about getting out of sick season to some people. I jinxed it. But Easter was still nice.

So like I said, church was nice. Lucky got to sing with the Primary in Sacrament Meeting. I got to sing with the choir. There were a couple Primary age girls sitting next to me in choir so those girls got to sing every time. They did a good job, too.

We had a pleasant Easter dinner (we made some last minute substitutions and that's okay).

Since April 17 was also Blah Blah Blah Day, we made sure to read a book to Jet about the busiest brontosaurus who just wants to talk and talk and talk. "Blah blah blah blah blah." 

It is one of three board books that Grandma and Grandpa gave to Jet while they were visiting. Jet looooves those books. He will bring them to us and have us read them to him over and over and over. Sometimes he will get the matching dinosaur toy out to "read along." Grandma and Grandpa also gave him a new triceratops which he will hold while we read the book about the tricky triceratops. Jet's triceratops will even look at the pictures. It is soooooo adorable. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa. You hit a home run on these gifts.

P.S. I learned how to make a bunny out of a napkin.

General Conference Weekend

General Conference Weekend started with a... SLUMBER PARTY!!! Because it also was the beginning of Spring Break! So Friday for after school snack we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because April 2 was National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Later we ate nachos while watching the new Croods movie. 

For our slumber party, the kids fought. Eventually Nichole and Jr. went to sleep in their own beds. In the morning, we had family prayer together then Nichole went back to bed and Jr. stayed out to sleep in the living room.

A slumber party was also appropriate because Saturday, April 3, was World Party Day and International Pillow Fight Day. The boys rationalized video games because Wii Party fits in with World Party. Sigh.

It was also Handmade Day which was great because Nichole finished decorating her General Conference Journal which she used to take notes during the first two sessions (and the other sessions on Sunday).

During Conference, Sister Joy D. Jones talked about teaching and nurturing children. And guess what. April 3 is Love Our Children Day. I sure love ours.

Jet was so cute when watching us sustain our leaders. He wanted to be involved with that, too.

 

And as we've celebrated many times, April 3 is Fish Fingers and Custard Day. Yes, I made fish sticks and vanilla pudding for us to eat.

Jr. went solo watching the Priesthood session of Conference. He had to eat popcorn all by himself. Jeremy was on his way home so he listened to the session in the car but got to watch the last talk with Jr. when he got home. They both got "chuckles" then.

Sunday, April 4, was Easter. Lots of Conference talks about the Resurrection. Wonderful. 20 new temples announced including one in Burley, Idaho (personal connection) and one in Eugene, Oregon (personal connection). Wow.

Before Conference and between sessions, Jet and I went for a couple drives. Lucky went with us the first time. We drove in the canyon to see if Bridal Veil Falls was still frozen. Not so much.

 

Conference Bingo (actually called Conference Squares) was fun for the kids again this year. The Primary Presidency dropped off activity pages and smarties that the boys were able to use for their Bingo sheets (and get creative with). Jr. used M&Ms.

Since the Smarties were gone by Saturday afternoon, both Jr. Jr. and Lucky requested jelly beans to be used on Sunday (they both had the same idea at the same time- Lucky mentioned it to me while we were on our drive, Jr. Jr. mentioned it to Jeremy while we were gone). Nichole was taking her own notes so she ate M&Ms while she was at it. Jet was given a Bingo sheet and Cheerios. I would put the Cheerios on his sheet and he would take them off and eat them. I was thinking he might copy his brothers as they were putting jelly beans on their sheets but he wasn't interested in that.

 

We got to video call with my parents and a couple of my brothers for Easter and that was so nice. The younger boys enjoyed showing off (sometimes loudly which wasn't so nice). I love family so it was good to have that "face to face" time.

Easter 2020

We got a little creative with Easter this year. We didn't know if the Easter Bunny would be in quarantine or not.
We did celebrate the real reason for Easter, our Savior's Atonement and Resurrection. During at home church, Jeremy shared with us "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles."
For Easter dinner, we usually like eating ham but Jeremy wasn't going shopping that week (we're trying to limit our shopping trips these days) so as I said, we got creative. We had a little bit of ham in the freezer which we used for grilled ham and cheese sandwiches since Sunday, April 12, was National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.

Another day, Jeremy wanted to make onion rings so the kids and I went out for a walk and bike/scooter ride while he was making them.

When we got home, there was a surprise of Easter eggs hidden in our living room. We didn't know if that would happen this year. Apparently it did. Yay.

And the onion rings were so good. I think I ate way too many. They didn't last long enough to make a side dish for a meal, we snacked on them so much.

Catching Up- April

Lots happened in April, too.  Including Spring Break where we were so busy with things around here, we didn't go on any big trips.

We did celebrate April Fool's Day on April 1. I am amazed that no matter how many times I do the jello instead of Kool-aid trick, I still have kids that fall for it. This year, I put the jello in a pitcher so when the boys tried to pour it out, it wouldn't come. I did mugs for Jeremy and me. It's a nice trick because they still get a treat out of it.

In April, Lucky got to go to a friend's birthday party. I love that the friend's older sister (still younger than my oldest) volunteered to run things for the party. What a great sister. So the kids played games, did some face or hand painting, had treats (made by the mom), and enjoyed present opening. Jeremy and I stayed, just in case we were needed for crowd control, but we really just chatted with the mom most of the time since she's our friend. Lucky had a blast.

April 2 was National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Guess what we ate.

April 3 was Fish Fingers and Custard Day. Guess what we ate.

We went to visit our friends in Kaysville during Spring Break and took them cookies to say thanks for their kindness to us last Summer.

My ministering sister brought me daffodils to brighten my day.

Jr. and Jeremy went to see the sage grouse displaying. Nichole and I missed it this year.

We watched General Conference at home and had nachos, of course.  Jr. was able to watch his first Priesthood Session with Jeremy. They enjoyed their time like Nichole and I enjoy our time when we watch the Women's Session.

On Sunday, we had friends over to watch Conference with us.

After Spring Break, plenty more happened.

Our upstairs neighbor texted us to say, "There's a turkey in the backyard." Yep, a wild turkey hanging out in the backyard. We get some interesting birds here.

Jeremy did a couple sculptures for the 15th anniversary of the Tulip Festival and got a commemorative pin. It's the year for commemorative pins.  He also got commemorative pins for Orem's Centennial.

One sculpture was in April. The other was in May, so stay tuned for that.

April 18 was National Velociraptor Awareness Day.  We took that opportunity to start Nichole on the Jurassic Park movies. Tee Hee.

Jeremy received VIP tickets to FanX in Salt Lake City. We got pins there, too. Lucky went with us the first day and dressed up.  Just Jeremy and I went the second day and dressed up.
Lucky did pretty well that first day. We figured he is just the right age.  He stayed with us and didn't run off. He did well in the one panel I cared about going to- Warwick Davis. Since we had VIP tickets, we got a nice close seat.  Lucky and I talked about different movies Warwick Davis had been in and he enjoyed it.  I always liked Warwick Davis before but through his panel I came to like him even more.  He's a great guy, funny, nice, and he didn't say anything that made me cringe or need to cover my son's (or my) ears.

After a while, when we couldn't find activities that Lucky wanted to do, we decided to reward him for being so well behaved. So he and I picked Nichole up from the bus after school and we all went to a park so Lucky could play on the playground and Nichole and I could chat.

The second day, Jeremy made a balloon costume of a cyberman to wear. I went easy and borrowed a Harry Potter robe and scarf from Nichole. We made sure to get pictures with the Tardis. At the end of the day, we ran into friends and got pictures with Jeremy and ZZ.

I was done by the end of those two days. I enjoyed it but I was done.

April 21 was Easter. Church was wonderful and dinner was nice.

For FHE the day after, we had an Easter egg hunt with our upstairs neighbors.

April 26 was National Pretzel Day. We had pretzels dipped in cheese sauce.

We got out and did our short-eared owl survey again in April. We didn't see any short-eared owls but Jeremy and I did see some burrowing owls.

Nichole got free tickets to an orchestra concert so she and I took a mother-daughter evening and enjoyed the music together.

Jeremy was asked to teach at a balloon jam in Salt Lake.  His subject- how to break a world record.

So there was plenty we did in April and now I'm done blogging about it.  On to May.