Easter 2014

Happy Easter!

I am finally getting around to posting pictures from Easter! It's been a little crazy around here the past few weeks , but it's also been a blast!

 Ah, if you only knew how hard it was for me to get these two to pose for just ONE Easter picture! You'd think I was always sticking a camera in their face by the way these two acted when they saw me coming...Oh wait... ;) That's what owning a nice camera will do to you; turn you into annoying paparazzi. Oh well, I got my pictures so I'm happy.

It was just me and the boys the Saturday before Easter. Michael was working and my family had already left so I wasn't really in the mood to do the whole "dye the eggs" thing. My aunt Patti had brought the boys these silly face stickers so I let Collin put faces and hair on plastic eggs instead. It was sooooo fun and I love how they turned out! 

 Collin was pretty proud of them too. I have a feeling this will be a new tradition. The best part is, it was mess free! And the boys could actually play with them.

We had done a special FHE that week on the true meaning of Easter with the Resurrection eggs. We explained how each item in the eggs represented Christ and how they related to Easter. Collin really got into it this year which made it really special. And then Sat. night (to help down play the Easter Bunny) we watched a few church videos about Easter as a family.

We did some fun things too. Like, planted magical jelly beans that grew into suckers overnight. Michael didn't really get what this had to do with Easter, but Collin was over the moon! Every 5 min he asked me if they had grown into suckers yet :)

 

Just so you know, this picture of the suckers is one I stole from the internet. It just looked prettier than my 5 little dum dum suckers ;)

 The boys got trains and cars in their Easter baskets (two of their favorite things) so they were happy. And they happily shared with one another which made me happy :) 

I love watching them play together.

 As I was taking these pictures it really hit me how big Tate has gotten. I just kept staring at him in disbelief. He's a little boy now! The expression that kids seem to grow overnight is no joke because I swear he wasn't THAT big when I put him to sleep.

I might be a little sad to see my baby disappear, but his new growth spurt brings new adventures and lots more fun! Especially since he's getting to where he can actually play with Collin and not just destroy things :)

 Our Easter egg hunt was also much more entertaining this year since Tate was old enough to participate. Collin found some competition and we realized that we might need to have another Family Home Evening on sharing with others :)

 Is this not a beautiful spot for an Easter egg hunt?

(These were taken at Grandma Ponder's house. We spent a few hours with her on Easter Sunday.)

Ah, yes, the true reason my kids act the way they do when I pull out my camera. It all comes back to their father! This is Michael's reaction to my command to "smile" I live with a bunch of nuts!

 But I sure do love them :)

Boo Ya!

Introducing, the boys Easter gift from Grandma Peeler and the newest member of our family...BooYa! 

No, really, that's his name. 

I have no idea why Collin decided on that, but somewhere in his 3 year old mind it made perfect sense to name your fish after a verbal expression of victory. (I was rooting for the name Spartacus)

Oh well, after a few weeks, BooYa is starting to grow on me :)

All Good Things Must Come to An End

Uncle Logan introduces Collin and Tate to the world of gaming. It's starts way to young!

My family left today after being here for 2 1/2 weeks. Which means I'm sad and have to look through all the pictures I took while they were here :) Most of them I already posted but here are a few I had overlooked.

Collin had fun pestering uncle Logan by following him everywhere and even using him as a pillow at one point.

 Grandma took the boys on at least one walk a day. And although you can't see it in the picture below, my dad has a 2 pound bag of M&M's at his feet. Now you know why Tate is so happy in these pictures.

And of course there were multiple ball fights. 

Tate's version of a ball fight is to grab the balls and then tackle you with them. 

Oh, and did I mention my dryer died? Actually, "died" doesn't accurately describe it. Let's just say there was a major bad burning smell and a scorching hot hunk of metal in my laundry room that was one load away from a house fire! So I got a new one and the boys took the huge box off my hands.

General Conference weekend was so relaxing and fun! I love listening to our prophet and apostles speak. It also means extra family time.

And

This is a special treat we ONLY get on conference weekend. 

Our favorites are Peanut Butter Chocolate Drizzle and Oreo.

Look at all their flavors!

Yummy!

Our other Conference traditions are Saturday morning we have cinnamon rolls (not homemade) the canned Pilsbury cinnabuns are good enough for me, and Sunday morning we have pancakes and bacon. Mmmm bacon. Can we just pretend it's conference again THIS weekend? :)

Collin licks frosting off his nose. Some people are just born with talent.

 We always have so much fun when my family comes. Why can't they just live right down the street so we could do this every weekend? 

I'm including this last picture to bring a little cheer into our now very lonely day :)

Where Earth and Heaven Meet

The Ft. Lauderdale Temple is finally here!
I was so excited because we actually got to take our boys through the open house! Collin is still young but I'm hoping he remembers. He loves the Orlando Temple and always asks if we're going to drive by it so to be able to show him what the inside looks like was extra special. I know everyone feels the spirit differently and I think Collin might feel it the same way I do. Every time I go to the temple I get really giddy and a little hyper. (very inappropriate I know) But it's a place that makes me feel free from worry or stress! It's a feeling I've never felt anywhere else. And as inappropriate as it might be, I'm hoping Heaven feels the same way. Like you just have so much joy you can't contain it.

All in all. both boys did great during the tour. I was actually very surprised. Michael and I both had an interesting experience though. As we were leaving he mentioned feeling a little disappointed in himself because he hadn't really felt the spirit during the tour. He didn't know if it was just because he hadn't fully prepared himself for the experience or what was wrong, but one thing he did know, was that it definitely wasn't how he felt when he entered the Orlando Temple. After hearing that I told him it had been the same for me too! I knew it was a sacred building so I did feel like it was special, but it was different. And then, Michael said, "Well it hasn't been dedicated yet, maybe that has something to do with it." I think I have to agree. It was a testimony builder to me of how important and amazing temples are! I've always felt the spirit so strongly when visiting the Orlando Temple that I think I took it for granted. Visiting a temple that hadn't been dedicated yet, helped me understand how strong the spirit really is in the Lord's holy house and how special it is that we get to go there.

I am so thankful for these holy places. They really are a little piece of Heaven on Earth.

 Don't laugh at our family picture. The sun was incredibly bright and it we were starving! But I wanted proof that we actually went.

 My aunt and uncle and cousin road down with us,

As well as my parents and little brother. It was a fun day!

 After the temple tour we got some lunch and then decided to take the boys to the park before heading home.

I was like the playground paparazzi! 

It was a fun trip and a great experience. And I gained so much respect for families from that area who sacrificed every month to drive all the way to the Orlando temple until now. 3 1/2 hours doesn't seem like a lot until you drive it. It's an all day affair. Not to mention gas prices being so high! They're the true saints ;)

One Picture

Yes, I know most of my pictures are in black and white, but this one is actually in sepia so there ;)

I guess there's just something about a picture that's devoid of color that is so attractive to me. Maybe it's because I'm not distracted by the different colors and can get lost in the picture itself. Whatever the reason, I LOVE how this picture came out. 

The sepia coloring doesn't work with just any picture. So I hardly use it. The lighting in the picture has to be just right or it looks a little off. At least it does to me. But when it does work, the results are amazing!

I also like this picture because it captures Tate's personality. He likes to explore and be independent, but he's always looking to Michael and I to tell him it's ok first. Love that little guy :)

How to Torture Your Family

Well, after our fiasco a few days ago, I now know that if I ever want to torture my family (and myself) all I have to do is make them take a family picture. You would never know it, but the picture above was snapped just mere seconds before Tate went ballistic and Collin had a full fledged melt down because I wouldn't let him put his hands near my face for the picture. The fateful day ended with Michael dragging a crying Collin home. 

(we took the picture in our neighborhood thankfully) 

We could hear him crying a block away! Oh man, if I had video of the moments that followed that picture I would probably be laughing hysterically right now. Or maybe that memory is still too raw and I'd be cringing. It almost makes me wonder if all that stress was even worth it, but then I look at this picture and I'm so glad we did it. It just might be a few years before we do it again! And maybe a decade before I actually pay a professional to take it :)

Here are a few more I managed to take.

 My dad and beautiful mom. She's the one who snapped our family picture. She was super patient with us, but I do believe I heard some snickering from her when things started going south. :)