Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We had a great Easter this year. We spent Easter Sunday with Brad's family, but our festivities started earlier in the week.

On Saturday, I decided it would be fun to make colorful cupcakes for our Sunday school class and Brad's family for Easter. I did the cheater way using cake mixes, but it made the process so much less work and, therefore, much more enjoyable. I made rainbow cupcakes and topped them with my favorite rainbow chip frosting. I don't bake very often, but I may start doing things like this more. They were delicious.




It was also well past the time for Connor to get another hair cut. After the last one a few weeks ago, I've been putting it off and putting it off. I finally got up the courage to torture my child. Brad helped. Brad had to physically (and forcefully) hold Connor's head still while I went at him with the clippers. The poor kid was crying so hard, he was bright red and sweating. But we got the job done. I didn't take an "after" shot because I was rocking a sobbing child. Just look at the family Easter pic below if you want to see.


After church in the morning, we drove an hour to Brad's parents' house, took our family Easter pictures, did an Easter egg hunt in their backyard, and ate dinner with Brad's family (Brian & Brenda, Brandon & Jenn, and Cami; Jeppson grandparents; and Aunt Orma-Jean).

I tried for 2 hours to photoshop flowers into the dirt behind me. I suck at it. Maybe my sister-in-law Jenn (who's brilliant) can help me out. This is more real anyway right??

The Easter egg hunt with Connor was a blast. He really liked finding the eggs, but wanted to hold all he found in his hands instead of putting them in the basket. He loved the candy (what kid doesn't?) and loved all the things the Easter Bunny put in his basket this year - a ball, pop rocks, bubbles, water balloons, crayons, and a toy car. We opened everything and played with them that day, and we've been doing bubbles every day since then. He requests them by name (bubbo) and when asked what bubbles do, he says "pop pop." Love it.


Notice all the eggs in his hands... he had a hard time picking up new ones.



Even with all the talk of the Easter Bunny, gifts, treats, and festivities, I hope we all remember the real reason we have to celebrate Easter. Just under 2000 years ago, our Savior Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, was crucified on the cross, and was resurrected 3 days later (Easter Sunday). In doing so, he gave us all hope. Hope in one day returning to live with God, our Heavenly Father. To live in the presence of our Heavenly Father, we must be perfect. There are no exceptions. Because, being human, we are imperfect beings, we would never have any hope at all of making it there on our own. If we come unto him, and repent of and forsake our sins, after doing the very best we can he will mercifully take our sins upon him and make up the difference. We can become perfect through Jesus Christ.

Typically Christmas is more celebrated than Easter. But if there was no Easter (meaning if Christ had not chosen to go through the Atonement) there would be no Christmas. There would be no reason to celebrate his birth if he did not fulfill his life's mission and the purpose of his miraculous birth. I know Jesus Christ is who he said he was - the Savior of all mankind. I know he was resurrected and now he lives with a body of flesh and bone. He lives! If we come unto him, we can be perfected through him, be resurrected ourselves, and return one day to live with our Heavenly Father who loves us. Happy Easter everyone.