A Busy Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny visited our kids 3 TIMES this year. Only Will believes in the Easter Bunny (Ashton and Matthew figured out the truth and told Katie and Calvin is too little to care about anything other than lots of candy.) But their unbelief didn't stop them from having multiple Easter celebrations.

Easter #1: Since Jeremy and I knew we were spending Easter in England we decided to have a family Easter celebration for Family Home Evening one Monday. While Jeremy and the kids finished up dinner, I assembled and hid the Easter baskets. Then we had them wait on the stairs until we said go and they could go search for their baskets. Notice how Calvin is already disgusting, but happy? He sneeked down early and ate a bunch of stuff from his basket.

Waiting to see what was in their baskets...

Realizing that their baskets aren't just laid out like their presents on Christmas and they have to go find them.

Digging through his basket with candy-drool dripping

The kids with their gifts

Easter #2: The Saturday before we left, Cox cousins came down from Lehi, so we had an Easter egg hunt that day.

Waiting to start the Easter Egg hunt

Looking around to see if they can spot anything...

Calvin was a little guy last Easter so this is the first time he could really participate in an Easter egg hunt

After the party we had to go to the farm so the boys could ride the new Kubota

Calvin was having so much fun exploring the farm.

Easter #3: I have no pictures of the third Easter (the actual one) because I was in England. But, they were so, so spoiled. We left them each with a card game, some candy, a shirt, and a church outfit. I thought this was plenty generous since they had already gotten a book, a coloring/activity book, and gardening tools. But then my mom saw what their cousins would be getting; and it was just so, so, so much more than what we left for our kids that she went to Wal-Mart and bought them another shirt, bubbles, slime, more candy, and couple of other things. Needless to say... they made a haul!

Hopefully, they don't think that this is the norm and except so much from Easter next year! Needless to say they were some happy kids!

Pictures from the UK

 Scottish Highland Cows... or Hairy Coos as they are called in the UK. They are so cute. Jer couldn't touch them or he wouldn't be allowed near American cattle for 2 weeks. Sad...

 The UK was a very festive place to be... what with the Royal wedding and all!

Me eating the yummiest hot chocolate ever at the Elephant House in Scotland where JK Rowling wrote much of the first Harry Potter book.

 At Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.

 Usborne Trip Earners

 Me and Jer with Randall and Carol White outside Westminster Abbey. Randall is the CEO.

 Changing of the Horse Guard at Buckingham Palace

 Buckingham Palace

 Outside the Tower of London

 Tower Bridge

 Westminster Abbey. We got there just in time for a nice leisurely tour before they closed for the Royal Wedding.

 Guard at the Tower of London outside where we keep the Crown Jewels. Cameras aren't allowed in the vault where they keep the jewels, but trust me they were spectacular. We saw the Hope Diamond which I believe is the largest diamond in the world.

 Stonehenge.

 This yellow crop was everywhere... it turns into Canola Oil.

 Shakespeare's Garden and House... well, the one he grew up in and inherited when his father died.

Big Ben.

What I've Learned From Being a Mom

Today I was vacuuming oats out of my oven and the drawer under the over because Cal spilt about 6 cups of quick oats which led me to think about how the first time as a mom I had to vacuum up oats I had made the mistake of running over the oats with the vacuum instead of the using the hose.  Just so you know the beater brush on the vacuum will grind up the oats and you'll be left rolled oats and oat dust. Anyway... so this got me thinking on some of the other things I've learned from motherhood... many of which I didn't expect. So here is a list:

• Pay for the more expensive laundry detergent... it is worth it.
• Same with the more expensive diapers and wipes.
• Never dress a child in the morning in an outfit that you need to be presentable at 6 pm.
• In fact, if a child needs to be in a specific outfit or costume do not dress them in it until the last moment possible! This is true whether they are a baby or a 3rd grader... I don't have any experience beyond 3rd grade yet!
• Baby oil removes crayon from the walls.
• Alcohol removes marker from the walls.
• Sometimes you just have to repaint the walls.
• Water based latex paint can be removed from carpet (kind of).
• I know why my mom always wore holy jeans! I never understood why she didn't just buy herself some new jeans when we got our school clothes. Or why Santa brought me a doll, books and clothes; but  my mom would only get useful gifts like vacuums and make-up... why didn't Santa bring her some new clothes so she didn't have to wear holy jeans! I get it now.
• It takes 30 min to get ready to leave for the doctor's office, church, etc. (15 min. to get shoes on and hair re-combed. 15 min. to get kids buckled into carseats and then to make the numerous trips from the garage to the house when you realize you forgot an immunization record, or a snack, or a book, or someone took their shoes off in the 2 min. from the time you put them on to the time they got in the car and the shoes are still in the house.)
• Oh... going back to painting walls... always put two coats of paint on a room where the kids are going to be alot because paint washes off when you wash the walls. I learned this one the hard way after I washed some walls down to the primer.
• Vinegar... it cleans up a wide variety of things and it is safe.
• Playdough sweeps up easily and can provide mom with a few minutes of quiet time!
• Don't take an interrupted shower or bath for granted.
• The control lock on front loading washers is there for a reason... use it! 
• Don't plan on being productive after 3 pm. To think you can get anything done from 3 pm to bedtime is just setting yourself up for disappointment. If it is important... plan on doing it early in the day when kids are happier and more cooperative or after they are asleep.
• I am reminded of Heavenly Father's love for me when at times I very strongly sense the love that He has for my little ones. And I remember... although I'm not so fresh from his presence or as sweet and innocent... I am His child too. And if He loves me 1/2 as much as I know He loves them... well, it's a lot. I remember when I was a teenager or in college and my Grandma Heslop bore her testimony in church and said that she always wondered how Heavenly Father could love everyone, but as a mother and grandmother she understands because each baby that is born in her family is loved just as much as the ones before... and just because she has a new grandchild, she doesn't love the others less. I also remember worrying when I just had Matthew how I could possibly love another child as much. And now, I know... there are no limits on how much many people you can love more than... well, anything else.