Idaho Trip

We went to Idaho last weekend so that Jared could bless his nephews new daughter.  It was a very quick trip but full of excitement.  Saturday morning we surprised the boys by taking them to the museum to see Sue the T-Rex.  Brandon was thrilled; when he saw Sue he ran up to Jared, who was buying tickets, shouting his excitement; the cashier and other guests in line thought that was pretty amusing.

 The museum was a lot of fun, but when we asked him what his favorite part of the trip was, he was quick to reply that it was playing with Cooper and Lexie.  They had so much fun racing each other, playing hide-n-seek, and climbing trees.  They also really enjoyed playing inside with the many wonderful toys provided by Grandma and Grandpa.

Grant was so happy to have a turn holding baby AliceAnn; can't say that I blame him, she is darling!

Jared gave AliceAnn a beautiful blessing.

 Ryan (Jared's nephew), Violet, Cooper, Lexie, and AliceAnn

 On our way home Brandon had to make a potty stop, so we pulled off at the nearest rest stop in Ogden canyon.  I was thrilled when a very long train passed right by the rest stop.  Don't worry, the boys were excited too. :)  As a child I went on a lot of road trips with my family.  We frequently stopped for breaks at the rest stops or anywhere else we could find.  Some of the best parts of our trips were the stops along the way.  I truly believe that getting there is half the fun, at least it was for my family.  So when we took time to play at the river, explore the nearby woods, and watch the train, I felt like I was passing on a family tradition, a really good one. :)

I love how enthusiastic boys are about throwing rocks and sticks into any body of water. :)

It's not worth it unless the rocks are the size of your head. :)

Easter Day Celebrations

I LOVE Easter, it is such a colorful holiday and so full of hope and promise!  Our tradition involves hunting for the Easter basket in the morning.  We had church at 9:00 so we all got dressed before we went hunting for our baskets.  The boys were thrilled with the treasures they found inside.  The Easter bunny brought them some bouncy balls, glow sticks, toothbrushes, coloring books, scissors, and curly straws, as well as lots of candy.

Grant was thrilled with his pudding. :)

Both of the boys thought the curly straws were the greatest things they had ever seen.  When Brandon's primary teacher asked what the Easter bunny brought him the curly straws were the first thing that came to mind. :) 

 After church on Sunday the Easter bunny door bell ditched us and left an egg on the door step, the egg had a scavenger hunt inside, we followed each of the notes in the other eggs and they led us back outside to a new bike and a helicopter.  The Easter bunny clearly went over board, but he felt it was very important for Brandon to finally start learning to ride a bike, and if Brandon was getting a bike, Grant certainly needed something wonderful too.  Silly Easter Bunny!
The boys were very happy with their bonus Easter surprise.

 Brandon had a few goes on the bike before we needed to have naps.  It took some practice to figure out how to pedal, but by the next day he had it down,
 After naps we went to Grandma Johnson's house for Easter dinner and another egg hunt.  Easter at Grandma and Grandpas house was wonderful.  I LOVE their house.  I love the memories I have there.  Their home is beautifully landscaped, so peaceful, and natural.  Their home also backs onto Mill Creek, so we get to enjoy a creek, waterfall, and the occasional deer and ducks.  I was hoping maybe we would get to see deer or ducks while we were there and no more than a few minutes after arriving a duck walked up from the creek to visit.  Yeah!  I was especially happy because Grant likes ducks so well. :)

That's my happy boy. ;)

 Nope, just kidding, there he is.  Here are all the younger grandkids and my boy make up the only great-grandkids, we were missing the other six great-grandkids.
 Let the hunt begin.  Scotty was in charge of helping Grant, and Taylor was in charge of helping Brandon.  My brothers are such cute uncles!

 

My mom and sisters on Hagen's bridge.

 Me and my boys. :) Love them!
 We were trying to get the perfect spring family picture, when a duck swam down the creek and then flew away - thus the surprised faces. :)
HAPPY EASTER!

Easter Party with the Brosnahan's

We had an impromptu party with the Brosnahan's; decorating sugar cookies, decorating Easter eggs, watching the 10 Commandments, and enjoying a pizza dinner.  It was so fun to watch the kids decorate the cookies and work so hard to pipe on the frosting. :)

Super yummy and pretty cookies.

Easter party with the ward play group

It is always so much fun to get together with good friends!  We had a great time making bunny ears, eating treats, and playing a jelly bean cake walk game.  However the favorite part of the night was of course the Easter egg hunt.  The Easter bunny was pretty creative with its hiding skills, but the kids were up for the challenge.  Fun day!