Easter Sunday

Easter was lovely.  It truly was a beautiful day...in so many ways.  Springtime is such a vivid reminder of  God's love.  Not only do I feel His love through the perfect weather and newly sprouted blossoms and greenery, but through the smiles and laughter of my loved ones that surround me.  Today, not only did I get to hear laughter, but singing also!  Grace and Eve sang a duet in Sacrament meeting at Church while Aaron accompanied them on the piano, and it was wonderful!  I felt so full of love and gratitude as I watched and listened to my daughters sing of their love and belief in Jesus Christ.  I was touched as their sweet voices sang the words, "Then, when that blessed day is here, He’ll love me and he’ll say, “You’ve served me well, my little child; Come unto my arms to stay.”*  I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ...for His birth, Atonement, and resurrection...and all that is made possible through Him.

*“When He Comes Again,” Children’s Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 82–83

Egg Hunt at Grandma/pa's

 The Saturday before Easter we had a blast hunting for eggs in Grandpa and Grandma's backyard!  Grandma and the Easter bunny were quite busy making this a super fun occasion for the kids.  We had a delicious lunch, dyed hard boiled eggs, and went crazy in the backyard finding candy-filled eggs everywhere! We are so lucky to live so close to Grandparents and Auntie Sarah.  They are so much fun!

Backyard Campout!

This was an awesome way to camp!  Hardly any planning required. No need to pack.  No worrying if the kids are wandering into other people's campsites.  No hike to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  If you forgot something...no problem, just walk in the house to get it!  And even though it wasn't quite as exciting as the "real thing," we still got to enjoy most of the best parts: sleeping in a tent, roasting (or BBQing) hot dogs and marshmallow, gazing up at the stars (although there were far fewer visible than if we were in the mountains), and being together!  I loved doing this!

Children's Museum

 Just wanted to share a few pictures of the fun time we had at the children's museum over Spring break.

Coastal Hike

Over President's day weekend we went on a fun family excursion to the coast.  We started with a family-friendly hike not too far from Half Moon Bay.  It included some beautiful beach scenery, tide pools, as well as some really cool and mysterious looking woods (the girls referred to them as the "creepy" woods.) After exploring this adventurous trail, we then drove south on Highway 1 to one of the girls' favorite places: a beach that they lovingly refer to as "pebble beach" because instead of sand, it is covered with tiny smooth stones of different shapes and colors. (We discovered it a few years ago on another family hike, and they haven't stopped taking about it since!)  You could truly sit in these pebbles for hours just running your hands and feet through them, and examining their uniqueness...they are that cool!

I love my family.  I love their wonder and awe of nature.  I love their sense of adventure, and excitement for anything new.  And, I love the beach, even when it's frigidly cold!