Easter Weekend

Easter was wonderful!  We were able to go to St. George and spend some wonderful warm weather time with my family.  We were all there together and had a great time enjoying each others company.  Nothing compares to a weekend like this!

Challenges, bubbles, and blessings

 

Over the kid's spring break, Elli and Carter went to Florida to spend time with their dad.  It was my first time being apart from them for a whole week.  I was nervous but they did very well.  They went to Disney World, played like crazy and especially enjoyed the plane ride. I only got 3 tearful phone calls which was very nice, as usually just one weekend has that many!  I missed them terribly but when it was time to come home they were a little sad to leave all the fun and come back to reality.  I was very ready for them to come home however, and was sad they had a hard adjustment back.  Saturday was hard, but sunday I pulled myself together, quit being selfish and immature, and actually enjoyed my sweet kids.  As I was playing bubbles with them outside listening to their laughter everything was instantly better. Then as all 3 were laughing and playing Elli says, "This is better than Disney World!"  Again, everything felt ok.  

I truly am grateful that all three kids have good other parents who support and love them as we do.  I am thankful that our relationships with our ex spouses is generally positive and we can work together well.  I know it is necessary to encourage their relationships with their other parents and I do my best to.  Sometimes it is hard, I wont lie.  But it gets easier through time, especially with Steve by my side to help me keep perspective. It's really amazing how something that seems so impossible, hurtful, and heartbreaking at times, can, in the end, help us see God's love in his unique plan for us. I doubt it, I question it, and I miss key points of the gospel in my moments of despair.  But in the end, I always return to that same spirit that has always been there for me.

April Fools

I am not a big fan of April Fools.  I fall for jokes way too easy and end up feeling stupid.  I don't like messing too much with the kids but thought it would be fun to do a silly dinner.  I made jello in clear glasses that looked like juice.  It took Elli a good few seconds to figure it out.  Very entertaining.  Unfortunately she told the other two before they could try.  We had meatloaf "cupcakes" with mashed potato "frosting".  They didn't fall for that though.  It was too obvious. I set the table with random plates and silverware.  The thought that was just dumb and not even funny, except that dad had a baby spoon to eat with. For dessert I scraped the frosting out of 3 Oreos and filled them with sour cream and gave them each one.  Carter had eaten nearly his whole thing before realizing it was different and Elli was half way through hers.  Bailey was saved and hadn't even taken a bite.  It was good I didn't use toothpaste like I planned cause it made them mad enough!  Before bed the kids always want a snack, usually graham crackers and mild in a bowl or cereal.  I froze water about half way full in a bowl and put their cereal on top with a tiny bit of milk.  I laughed so hard watching Bailey try to figure out what was going on. She tried to push her spoon in, picked up the bowl looked at the bottom of it, turned it around, tried again.  It was honestly a full minute or two before she looked over at me laughing my head off and knew I had done something to mess with her. 
By the end of the night they were tired of my little jokes but I think we all had fun!