Easter 2014

We had such a great Easter weekend. Saturday we woke up at about 8:00 and hurried to get ready to go over to our neighbors 8:30 egg hunt...

The boys had fun running around and getting as many as they could. It's about impossible to catch a good picture...

 Then they went home and I took off for my 8 mile run. Luckily it was a nice day!

Then we all went to Gunnar's soccer game at noon, then came home and colored our eggs.

They had been so excited for this and Gunnar had been begging every day for the last week or so to "paint our eggs."

 They made some really pretty ones this year!

Then one of Gunnar's little friends from soccer had invited him over for another egg hunt, so he and I went to that...

Then we just hung out the rest of the day.

Sunday they woke up to find their Easter buckets and lots of eggs hidden around the house...

They are so funny, they still get so excited about new Webkinz!

After they found all of the eggs, it was time to start getting ready for church. Which let's be honest...never happens very happily!

 Especially when they have to wear shirts and ties.
But they looked so cute!

I tried before we left to get some pictures of them, but that was a complete failure. So I made them stay dressed after church until I got a few good ones.

 Anyway mass was really nice. They had an Easter egg hunt afterwards, but the boys just wanted to head home.

Not long after we got home, Grandma and Grandpa Harry showed up and stayed the rest of the day till about 8:30 last night. It was such a fun day having them here. I loved listening to Gunnar talk Grandma's ear off while she sat out on the tramp with him. Ashton was out front helping Lars and Grandpa Harry fix a sprinkler pipe for a long time.

Anyway then we made our yummy dinner...

I decided to write up our menu :)

It all turned out really good. Then we all hung out for awhile longer and I cut Grandma's hair, then we had our yummy dessert...

And after a few more pictures, it was time for them to head home.

I saw one of my neighbors outside later and she said..."It must be Easter! You're wearing a dress!" haha...so true...I don't remember the last time I wore a dress!


Just looking back...

At these cute Easter boys...

 I love these two so, so much :)



Lent...

Wow it seems like it was just Ash Wednesday and now it is almost Easter...the day after tomorrow.

I love Easter and I actually love Lent as well. This year especially it just has made me really slow down and think about what it is really all about. I feel like I have taken more time to pray and I just really feel so peaceful and so close to God. During Lent we as Catholics can "give something up", and I always do (this year it was Facebook and chocolate)...I chose those things because for me they are the biggest sacrifice. It has definitely been hard, but as the weeks have gone on it got easier and especially the no Facebook has actually been nice. I miss keeping in touch with all of my friends that way, but it can become such a distraction that I put it before more important things.

Anyway besides giving something up, Lent is so much more. It is about fasting, praying and giving alms & more this year than ever before I have felt like I've followed through on all of the above. I was able to go to a Lenten Retreat that my church had last weekend and finally made it to the Stations of the Cross today for Good Friday. Anyway I am just so grateful always for my faith, but above all for the sacrifice that Jesus made for me and for all of us so that we can live again with Him.

I am looking forward to Easter and time spent celebrating with family :)

 

Spring Break 2014

The boys had their spring break from March 31 to April 4th this year. So the break started with Gunnar's birthday on that Friday.

We knew that since we'd done our big Mexico trip, we wouldn't be able to do another big trip for spring break. So after asking the boys what they wanted to do, which was of course see Hunter, we asked Nana and Papa if the boys could ride back to Price with them on Sunday and spend a few days, then we would go get them later in the week.

They were so excited to go on Sunday, especially since Hunter rode with them. And luckily they left early enough that day to miss the big snow storm that came in later in the day.

I missed them as soon as they left, but it is always nice to have a little break and get some stuff done at home.

Lars and I actually went skiing on that Sunday afternoon and it was terrible. It was a very wet blizzard all day, so the snow was sticky and slushy and I did two runs and then went to the lodge.

Anyway the rest of the week until Thursday morning, Lars worked and I got caught up on my scrapbooking again, took a friend to lunch, went for a couple good runs and enjoyed sleeping in. Oh and he and I did some clothes shopping for him, since we never get a chance to do that and he is SO hard to shop for! (I'd much rather have been shopping for myself however :)

The boys had a lot of fun doing tons of crafts and melty beads for hours. Hunter of course wasn't on his spring break yet, so Nana and Papa had to entertain them a bit more than usual! And Ashton called us saying he was "so bored" a few times. But for the most part they had a great time as usual.

We left for Price on Thursday morning and stopped off in Layton to shop a little more for Lars (which by the way I am never allowed to do when we are headed there!), then got to Price that afternoon and stayed till Saturday morning. We all went to the wave pool on Thursday afternoon...the boys love it. I of course didn't swim, but it was fun to watch them :)

They wanted to go again the next day, so Lars took them again while Nana and I made apple pies. Then we all had a big dinner that night.

I didn't take too many pictures, but here are a few from the weekend...

 I am so grateful they got to go spend some time there and had a great time. It was not nice weather here the whole week, so if they'd been home they would have been bored and fighting!



My baby is 6...

I'm not sure how this happened, but Gunnar just turned 6 years old! I do know that it happened way too fast for me. Like usual he couldn't wait for his birthday to come and was so excited to be 6! And as usual I kept telling him I was going to keep him 5 forever.
Well he won.

One last picture with my 5 year old...

 I got up and got on the treadmill and the whole time prayed that the boys would sleep in at least till I got upstairs and had time to make Gunnar's breakfast to take to him in bed. He had specifically requested this...

"A toaster waffle cut up and put in the shape of a 6 with strawberries in the middle." Easy enough :)  And luckily they were both still asleep when I came upstairs after my run and and I got to sneak in with Gunnar's breakfast tray and wake him up...

He was so excited. For weeks all he could talk about all day were details about his birthday. A few days before his special day, he came into my room first thing in the morning and got into bed with me and jabbered non-stop about his birthday. I finally needed to get up to go to the bathroom, then he did and when he came back into my room and I was up getting dressed he said "Wait Mom, let's get back in your bed and keep talking about my birthday!"
He is so cute :)

So after his breakfast in bed, he came out and opened one gift.

 The one he's had at the top of his list and talked and talked about. Disney Infinity for the Wii.

He was excited to see that we got it for him!

And so was Ashton of course :)

Then we had to get Ashton off to school and Gunnar had fun figuring out his new game while I got ready for the day and finished up decorating his cake.

I had baked these cupcakes the day before to take to his class on his birthday...

Then it was time for him to go to school, so I took him then came back home and finished up a couple other things, then Grandma and Aunt Kelli and Tianna showed up and not long after Nana, Papa, Shelley and Hunter arrived.

So they got to hang out at the house while Lars and I went in to Gunnar's class to celebrate with him.

He had filled out a little "All about Me" packet that he was supposed to read to the class, but he got super shy when we got there, so Lars and I took turns reading parts of it for him and showing the pictures on it to his class.

 He loved having us there and he and his class loved the cupcakes!

When we finished up school was over, so we all went home and the boys played with Hunter while we got stuff ready to take to the park.

As usual on March 28th (with the exception of last year when I actually planned an indoor party) it was Windy and Cold! But we toughed it out just like we did here for his 2nd birthday...

 and here for his 4th...

Couldn't break the every other year tradition of standing out in the cold!

But the one good thing always is that the kids never care! They run around the whole time (half of them not in jackets) and never complain. And it's all about the kids anyway :)

So after we got there and everyone showed up (he had invited 7 of his friends)...they ran around and Hunter had them all playing capture the flag, then we did presents...

 Along with his Infinity game, we got him some little portable soccer goals and the Frozen movie...

 After presents we did cake and ice-cream minus the blowing out candles :(

But our Gunnar always the good sport didn't care...

 He requested a Skylanders theme this year, so this is what I came up with...

Then they went and played awhile more before all the kids got picked up.

A few more pictures...

 They all got a Skylanders mask :)

And treat bags...

 Cute Amalia came and was the only little girl...I don't think she knew what to do with all those crazy boys running around!

 Kelli and her boyfriend's daughter Tianna...

This picture makes me laugh...somehow my Mom's hair is not being affected by the wind!

 Cute cousins...

Me and my cute birthday boy...

  Another successful party :)

That night we all went out to Kabuki (Gunnar's choice)...it was fun!

 Such a great birthday for this little boy that we adore :)