Holy Week + Easter

I always get a kick out of food displays that look like a person, place or a thing!

If I tried creating this, it would have been an epic fail.

It adorned Grammy's Easter buffet table perfectly for her party.

A highlight are the kids scrambling to collect as many eggs as they can.

Checking out their spoils.

If you thought the kids were ruthless, watch out for the adults!
Tied together and on a mission for some golden eggs stuffed

with some greens!

The golden eggs are a real "treat"!

This was our 3rd year for celebrating Holy Week.
Each time it tends to go differently, but at the end I sit back and
think, it was worth it!
The kids start to anticipate the daily events and ask what night are we
making lamps, or counting our coins or going to the cemetery.

They are remembering!!
Hopefully they start to remember the accounts of Jesus more than our activities,
but it will take some time. 

Last year we had all the time in the world.
Because, well, the world had shut down!

We had to combine quite a few night together to make it work with 
practices and church activities. 

Which honestly, it is good to simplify sometimes.

Each night I write 4 scripture verses down and put them in Easter eggs with 
a piece of candy. 
I hide them around the house for the kids to find.
They think its the greatest thing and go running wild trying to find their egg.
It's a good starter and gets them excited to start our lesson each day!

We read the verses then discuss what they mean and what happened each day leading

to Jesus' final days, Crucifixion and Resurrection. 

Waving our palm leaves on Palm Sunday.

Lane had to leave to his presidency meeting.

He was super sad to miss out on the donkey rides, wink wink.

We built sugar cube temples after discussing Jesus cleansing
 the temple then went about teaching.

Casey either looks unamused, or silently critiquing our inability
 to build a quality structure!

We invited the Goodman's over for our Passover dinner!
I am glad that it worked out to have them since Grammy did her party
earlier in the month.

Valerie, haha!

She was trying the lamb. 

It's an acquired taste:)

10 plague candies.
I found the best gummies that look like real boils!!

Claire was our Pharaoh, and Randon was Moses.

Let My People GO!

Go Moses, go Moses.

After we read the book about Passover and correlated the Last Supper to Holy Week,

each person got to make their own oil lamps to take home!

Each family got a Resurrection roll kit to make Easter morning. 

I copied this idea from Stephanie.

She has all of the best ideas!

The Easter Bunny came amidst  all of the Passover hangover!

Love the filled poster.

 We were scheduled to eat Sunday dinner with my family.

Unfortunately, there was a massive stomach bug
going around, so it got cancelled. 

It was a quiet evening with Grammy as our guest.
 Ham, scalloped potatoes,
rolls, salad, carrot cake and the game Clue as our entertainment!

 

 

 

Her Special Day

The big day was finally here.

Lindi Lou Goodman was getting baptized!

I feel like we dodged a bullet with the uncertainty of the corona virus.

Just a year ago the 8 year olds getting baptized could only have
 immediate family members in attendance. 

We were lucky that it played in our favor.

We were able to have a private baptism, not shared with the stake, with ALL

of our family members invited to come. 

It made it extra special.

I love how her invitation turned out.

Soft and feminine. 

That cute face helps a little, too:)

We arrived early to get these 2 dressed in their jumpsuits.

Set up her display table.

It dawned on me to see if Christopher and Jael wanted to join us through zoom

5 minutes before it started!

I'm glad they were already prepared.

They were set up waiting for the link, oops!

It worked!

Another perk to a private baptism was that Lindi got to pick the program!

She asked Aunt Valerie to play the piano.

Grandma and Grammy said the prayers.

Aunt Stephanie was the lucky one picked to give the talk.

Of course she couldn't have picked a better person.

I loved her analogy of baptism.

She said it's like cotton candy.

It's yummy and sweet, and looks pretty on the outside. 

But once you start eating it, you get sticky and messy.

Kind of like life.

When we find ourselves sticky and gooey from the cotton candy,

we have things like wet wipes to make us clean again and fresh again.

Heavenly Father gave us the ability to repent to make ourselves clean again.

The Holy Ghost can also help us to stay clean. 

She had a bag of cotton candy and a package of wet wipes for her to take home.

I wish I could share her whole talk.

It was beautiful and perfect.

The spirit was as strong as ever. 

Next was the actual baptism!

Dunk-a-roo time.

Lane and Rusty were able to be her witnesses.

All of the primary aged children sang, I Am A Child Of God.

Love that Casey snuck this picture.

She was confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We did not have a luncheon planned afterwards
(we have a tiny house to host 60 people).

I ordered cookies from Sassy's bakery as a take home treat.

They were darling!!

We were grateful for all of the love and support!
Her day couldn't have gone any better.

We tossed around the idea to go to the lake afterwards.

Oh ya, did I mention we bought a boat?!

We went with it and it turned out to be a good time!

A crowded good time at that.

It was still Spring Break for some, and the weather had hit the 90's for the first time.

We were lucky to get the last parking spot for boat trailers.

Poor Jesse and his girls had to park on the highway and walk down to the docks.

It was my first time driving the boat solo, off of the trailer, picking people up at the dock,

and putting the boat back on the trailer. 

The crowds did not help my nerves, but I did it!!

 

Lindi's Baptism Pictures

I can't heart eyes these pictures enough.

Stephanie nailed it with her photography skills.

I was bummed when we realized the gates
 were locked to the inside of the Gilbert temple grounds.

Didn't matter.

They couldn't have turned out better.

 

It is GREAT to be 8!

For months this day has been anticipated by this sweet girl.

The day finally came, she officially turned 8 years old.

We dropped Della of at preschool then treated ourselves to a pedicure!

Olive got to hang with us on her special day.

Never had I heard so much giggling going on. 

We picked up Della then ate some lunch at Kneaders.

I asked what she wanted.

"That place with good grilled cheese, grapes and a cookie".

Then things got real.

She officially graduated from little girl to practically a teenager with her 
new pierced ears!!

Don't tell her this, but I really wondered if she would actually go through with it.

She can be hesitant when it comes to things like this.

There was a moment of hesitation when it came time to sitting in the chair.

I said sorry, it's happening.

 I already paid for it!

With one nudge and a few blinks of an eye, she was hole punched and sparkly!

Dad came home from work and she opened up her presents.

For dinner she picked Zushi.

 

What a day! 
With the more to come the next day.