Easter Weekend

For Easter weekend we headed up to Island Park to spend just under 48 hours with my inlaws at their cabin. Emily and Collin were so excited when we pulled up on Friday night and found at least 4 and half feet of snow. She had thought her dad was nuts when he told her to wear her snow boots and pack her winter coat. She was so excited to get to play in the snow. We made Easter nests that night so that the Easter bunny could leave treats while they slept. It is one of my favourite childhood memories and was so excited to do it with my children. Mel and Landon were happy to finish off the leftovers for us. (The nests were made like rice crispie squares but I used cornflakes as I couldn't find any chow mein noodles.) Collin went right to bed but Emily had slept on the way up so we couldn't get her to sleep until 10 pm. It was fun to stay up and play card games and joke with Mel and Vauna. Emily was up bright and early to let me know that Easter Bunny hadn't come. She was sad that it wasn't next to her when she woke up. I told her that we had left the nests downstairs and i would get them. Sad thing is that the Easter Bunny had forgotten until he/she was walking the nests back upstairs. The kids were clueless to this fact and were excited to see their books and few treats. They were mostly excited about the fruit roll ups. :) Landon was nice and brought up the PS3 so that I could workout. (Yes my workouts are a video game version and I love it. Plus I've lost just over 10 lbs over the last 8 weeks.) The kids were excited to show Grandma and Grandpa how they excercise. :) It was really cute. We headed into West Yellowstone to do some grocery shopping as I had forgotten the food colouring for the eggs and a crucial ingredient for dinner. :) Grandma and Grandpa bought Emily a little doll with snap on clothes and Collin an airplane. The kids were excited to play them all the way home. I was excited to get a phone call from my sister Naomi to hear about her successful trip to go ring shopping. I am so excited for her and can't wait to meet Gary! We headed back to the cabin and sent Collin off for a nap and Emily for her "quiet time." The adults all got out books and sat and read. Emily brought down her new Tinkerbell book and read for a few minutes with us. Then she kept raiding Grandpa's saltwater taffy stash that we had to hide it. :) She has a serious sweet tooth! I realized I was missing an opportunity to nap so I went to my room and took a 2 hour undisturbed nap! It was heaven! Mel, Landon and Vauna got everything set up for eggs while I made the bread dough and stuffing for the "cowboy calzones" I was making for dinner. (I have a new cookbook and LOVE it!) When I was done I went and got Collin and the kids decorated eggs. Landon and Mel got in on the fun as well. After we were finished I took the kids outside for a walk. Collin thought jumping into puddles would be lots of fun. So after a couple of minutes we headed back to the cabin and Emily asked to walk on the snow. The snow was rock hard and so I lifted the kids up, climbed up and we went for a walk on the snow through the cabin's backyard. Emily quickly noticed some tracks. Saturday morning Mel had told us the fox we had see in the backyard was there due to some rabbits who have a home somewhere in the backyard. Emily had found the rabbit's tracks. She followed them through the yard and they ended right at the front door. (I am serious! I did not set it up. It must have jumped off the snow onto the cleared pathway.) Emily quickly ran into the house and asked Grandpa if he had seen the bunny and if it had come in the house. Mel and Landon not knowing about the tracks told her that yes the Easter bunny had run into the house, hidden all the eggs, and some treats. Emily's eyes were sooooo big! She quickly got out of her boots and jacket. She organized Collin, explained that they needed to find the eggs and then she was off. Collin only had eyes for the chocolate but he did round up his share of the eggs. It was funny to watch him find an egg, pose for Vauna and then put the egg away. He is so funny. Emily had to hide the eggs two more times after she found them so she could find them again. We put a stop to the game once she started hiding them under the cushions. We were a little worried that someone might sit on one. The calzones for dinner were really good and really filling. Emily crashed just after dinner and the rest of us watched the movie RED. I really love that movie. Mel and Vauna hadn't seen it. After the movie Mel and Landon played games while Vauna and I read. Mel and Landon thought they were really funny and kept teasing Vauna and I. We ignored and eventually they gave up. It was pretty funny though. :) The next morning we woke up, tidied up our space in the cabin, played a couple more card games and then headed home. I was to sing with the ward choir in the Easter presentation and Emily was supposed to sing with the rest of primary as well. We were just 10 miles out of Idaho Falls when our front tire blew. They are only a couple of months old so we were not very happy. Plus somehow part of jack was missing and the lug wrench was gone. I put a call into my brother in law and our good friend Jared Stein hoping they had some family nearby. Jared had an uncle nearby and as Landon talked to Jared, Nic texted Landon to say that he had left church, was stopping by his house to pick up some tools and would be there in 45 minutes. I quickly texted him and let him know that Jared had called his uncle and someone was on their way. I seriously have a wonderful brother in law. As we waited a young man pulled over. He had a jack and a lug wrench and helped us change the tire. He told us that a few years back he had been stranded in a snow storm and had to wait a long time for help. He had decided he would always stop for someone pulled over the side. He was a really nice guy. Probably not even 20 yet. He had just pulled away when Jared's uncle pulled over. (We had tried to call him but he didn't have a cell phone.) Landon thanked him for coming and we got back onto the road. We had to drive 50 mph back to Pocatello. Because of this Emily and I arrived with only 10 minutes left in sacrament meeting so neither of us got to sing. Collin was going nuts from the extra hour in his car seat so Landon kept him home to sleep. (He slept for 4 hours.) I taught Emily's primary class for a friend and it was fun to spend time with her. We had dinner that night with Nic and Rita and their family. I love the Easter season and the opportunity to talk about my Saviour and his sacrifice with my children. On our walk home from church Emily was explaining to me that Jesus had died but he had come back to life and we would see him again. Then she stopped, tilted her head and told me that she will get to see Sis Corbett one day because Jesus loved her too. It was totally unexpected and brought tears to my eyes. As I heard an hour later about the passing of Bill Bloeming, I heard Emily's voice speak the simple truth. I am grateful for the sacrifice of my Saviour and this time of year when we remember it.