Busy Family and Easter Holiday

Last week felt so busy.  Eric and Rubie had Monday off school as a make-up snow day and Friday off of school for teacher in-service.  Monday we had a meeting at B.B. (Brain Balance) to make sure that we are doing our home exercises correctly.  It's one thing when we are doing the exercises in the Center versus doing them at home.  There are so many distractions at home, mostly Samuel.  He wants to participate by doing my part of helping Rubie.  It's quit hilarious but totally distracting to Rubie and takes her away her focus.  Tuesday was karate, Wednesday evening the youth missionaries came over for dinner and a lesson, Thursday was Belt Promotion.  Eric is now a brown belt and Rubie a blue belt.  Eric is so ready to start the black belt training program.  And we want him too.  It's just a matter of finances right now.  Scott is going to let him do a karate camp this summer and I get to sign him up for it this afternoon.  We will have Rubie put karate classes on hold until we are finished with Brain Balance.  I have mixed feelings about that because doing karate is good, but I think it is the structured class time that develop her left brain and she is working on the right brain development now.  Also on Thursday morning was the 3rd grade devotional at AHS.  I was so proud of Eric.  He was the very first student to speak and introduce the theme of their devotional.  He was also placed front and center on the stage.  He is such a good boy.  I appreciate he hard work to be obedient and helpful and do what is right.

Over the weekend we celebrated Easter.  Saturday we went to Farmington's to Mom and Dad's.  Tai and her boys came, Joe is on AT right now in North Carolina.  Ben and Cassie and their family joined too.  We had a great egg hunt with over 400 eggs for the kids to find.  Instead of filing the eggs mom had "Grandma's Easter Store."  And boy did she go all out.  She was worried about having things that all the kids would like and conscious that Rubie can't have candy and Eric can't eat certain candy because of the spacer in his mouth.  She did have buckets of candy and treats to choose from, but she also had puzzles, balls, games, crayons, coloring/activity books, pencils, erasers, cars, trucks, bubbles, fancy pens, notebooks, juice boxes, crackers, cookies, I contributed lego figures, masks, stickers.  It was AMAZING.  She is going to have Easter goodies left over to give the kids throughout the year.  All of the kids loved it and had a blast.  I had some games for all of us to play.  We enjoyed "Easter bunny, easter bunny where's your egg."  Pin the tail on the bunny, and charades.  We had lots of good dinner to eat too.

Because of all the celebrating and goodies on Saturday I just did a small basket for each of our children.  They each got a new shirt, something from Seagull Book (a necklace, and a tie pin) and some toy or game.  Earlier in the week we had a big order come from Children's Place with new church clothes and other shoes and play clothes.  We were all well taken care of.  The children sang a beautiful song called "Gethsemane" in sacrament meeting.  It was a nice meeting and our Sunday School lesson was nice also.  About how the Apostles are Special Witnesses of Jesus Christ and help us understand the Atonement.

We are looking forward to going to Bryce Canyon together and with the Tuletts Thursday thru Sunday and then a week of Spring Break.  I hope the weather is nice so we can spend lots of time outside.