Farewells

Easter weekend was full of farewells for our family. First to Jeremiah's brother Jonny who lived with us for the past 3 months. This was the 3rd time he'd come to live with us in between school breaks at BYU-I so that he could work for Jeremiah & earn some good money. Callie & Jack were sad to see him leave, although Callie was glad to get her room back to herself. Ellie's been in there & while I am all for children sharing rooms, I think it sucks to have a baby sharing a room. Bedtime was a real challenge because we'd have to do Ellie first & then if Callie wasn't quiet she'd wake Ellie up. And Callie & Jack are not easy-going bed-timers! So finally I was just putting Callie to bed in Jack's room on the floor in a sleeping bag & moving her into her bed once everyone was asleep. Plus naptime meant no toys or anything else from the bedroom. So it's a relief for me. And Jonny was so awesome & moved Ellie's crib back into her room while I was out grocery shopping before he left. I was so surprised & grateful! Here's Jonny with the kids as he was leaving:

Secondly my brothers left Monday morning to go to Provo so they could check into the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Wednesday. It wasn't sad saying goodbye to Jonny for several reasons. Not that I don't love Jonny, but I'll see him in a few months probably, we can talk to him anytime, and if you've ever had an extended house guest you know it's nice to have your house back to yourself. But my brothers will be gone for 2 years & the only contact I'll have with them will be through weekly general emails. It's crazy to think that when they get back Ellie won't know them except through pictures. And most likely we'll have another baby too! My sister Chelsea moved to KS and although I probably won't see her very often, it's nice to know that I can talk to her anytime & there's always the option (if money allows) to get in a plane & visit each other. But even though it's a little sad, I'm extremely happy & proud of them for serving missions. It's what Heavenly Father wants them to be doing.

Easter Sunday

Callie & Jack had asked every morning the week leading up to Easter if it was Easter & if the Easter Bunny had come. Callie was up bright & early Easter morning hunting for baskets (a tradition Jeremiah brought to our family). She'd found Jack's & Ellie's baskets & had gone through both of them. Although she'd replaced the contents, there was definitely evidence of tampering! She'd already taken the wrappers off all the bubble tape (a much requested item) so she could see what color the gum on the inside was! We had to have her re-hide Jack's & Ellie's baskets & suggested places for her to look for her own. They had fun hunting for the eggs we'd colored the day before too. The EB kept the baskets simple this year. Ellie got a book, Callie got a package of rings, & Jack got a new Transformer. Callie & Jack got Silly Putty (they love it!), they all got a few cheap dollar store items, & some classic Easter candy inspired partly by The Berenstain Bears: a chocolate bunny, jelly beans, & Robin's Eggs. Oh, & the bubble tape. Which was gone in a few hours. Which is why I had no problem with it!


Jack was seriously excited to see that the EB had brought Silly Putty!



Callie had been wanting a pack of rings for months. That Easter Bunny sure knows what they like!

Robin's Egg lipstick (how do you like that Liz?)!

Little Happy Spot

I'm so glad Ellie's not as crazy as the other 2 yet! Because it's impossible to be angry with a baby, today she was my favorite!

(she'd just finished eating a Kiss that I don't even know how she got or from where)

Oh, & here's my favorite from tonight:

After being sick for the past couple days & feeling like junk & taking care of the kids & doing bedtime by myself because Jeremiah’s been working late, I’d had it with the kids. I was saying our family prayer & as I said, “Please bless Callie & Jack to be more obedient so they don’t make their mom so sad” I started to cry a little (Pathetic! I know!). As soon as I said “amen” a moment later they both started crying & asked why I was crying. I turned the question around. Callie said, “Is it because it was such a wonderful prayer?” I stopped crying then because I started laughing. Thank goodness for bedtime!