Easter was so much fun this year. It’s my favorite holiday, along with 4th of July, and I worked harder than normal to make this a really special time for our family.
My parents decided to come celebrate with us since they had to cut their trip short a few weeks earlier. It was so great to have them here, especially since they have spent several Easters with us over the years. We also joined up with the neighbors, one of my cousins and with Matt and Johanna. We saved most of the fun traditions for when JoMatta and my parents were all together.
April Fools day was just a few days before Easter. Jeremy pranked the boys by freezing their cereal into a solid block of cereal ice. So clever!
The boys and I made these beautiful crosses. The inspiration was to try a mosaic with things we had. I loved the way the each turned out!!
Grandma Nana did an experiment to make gummy fruitsnacks with the boys. They were pretty good.
We got to decorate Easter eggs together! Grandma brought a super cool egg decorating machine and special egg markers. It was one of my favorite time decorating eggs ever!
I was really proud of my eggs! They all turned out very beautiful.
My family is so artistic!!
We took my mom to the Spanish Art Village in Balboa Park. We knew she would love it, and she did. We all just wandered around for about 45 minutes and then got a treat.
The cherry blossoms were in bloom within the Japanese Garden, but we didn’t want to pay $30 to see them. So we got a picture far away from them.
For our treat, we went to Snow Way, a little snow cone hut in North Park that serves all natural syrups for your snow cones. I think this was our last time there before the place had to shutdown.
We also had Hot Cross Buns!! Our friend Carol made them for us. They were so yummy. I also had her make some for all my piano students to eat as they learned how to play . (I’m not sure why Tanner isn’t thrilled for this picture.)
Carol also made us these adorable cookies.
The baseball kid on game day! This was such a great thing for him. Tanner got to make new friends, remember how to follow a coach, experience failure and triumphs, work through anxieties about game day, and have fun with his team.
Tanner had a big audience on Easter weekend. Nana, Papa, Mom, Cousin Shauna and Niel all came to cheer him on. Then we went to Taco Stand for lunch, where Matt and Johanna joined us.
After Taco Stand, we came home for our traditional Rice Krispy Sculpting Contest. Nana, Papa, JoMatta joined us. The activity is where everyone has to sculpt anything to do with Easter and spring. Sometimes we have the judges determine awards for the sculptures, but we didn’t do that this year. We just had a really fun time out in our yard getting messy and creative.
Tanner’s baseball and hot dog for the baseball game.
Somebody’s tree.
Jeremy’s sculpture of Jesus’ hand.
My sculpture of Jesus descending out of heaven.
The rice krispies got too heavy, so He literally descended, lol.
Johanna’s bunny rabbit.
Uncle Matt’s tomb with the rock rolled away.
Grandma Nana’s easter eggs and the nails driven in Christ’s hands and feet.
Somebody’s flower. Maybe mine?
The little doggie Callie came for Easter, too. She was so adorable.
The kids got in a good game of street hockey before dinner. Tanner accidentally wacked Jeremy in the eye with his hockey stick, so he had a black eye for the next few days.
For dinner we did our traditional Last Supper, aka Feast of the Passover. The food was super yummy. Tanner and Dallin actually listened to my Powerpoint about it again (3rd year using it). They even added commentary and questions! The boys love learning about the customs during Christ’s life, how the families ate the Passover every year. The food that Jesus ate during his last supper with the apostles was the Passover meal. There is symbolism in each menu item, reminding us of God’s love, the sacrifice and faith of the Israelites, and Christ’s protective and healing sacrifice as the Lamb of God.
It was really cool to have everyone there to enjoy the meal with us, but I admit that it was kind of a lot for Jeremy and me to host the Passover the day before Easter Sunday. So I don’t recommend doing that again.
On Easter Sunday morning, the first thing we did was let everyone look for their Easter baskets. We hid them all on the main level.
JoMatta found their basket really quickly.
Jeremy found his too, about the same time I smelled something smokey. I figured it was coming from outside.
Then Tanner found his basket. I kept smelling smoke, or something burning. I started to look around the kitchen.
And that’s when I remembered that I hid Mom and Dad’s Easter basket in the oven, forgot about it and then turned on the oven to get ready to make German pancakes. I flung open the oven door. Smoke billowed everywhere and then Easter basket was, um cooked through bottom.
I was pretty embarrassed, but not very surprised that I did something that spacey. Luckily there wasn’t anything very valuable in their basket. They were happy to hold a basket that could fit Callie in it for a cute picture.
Dallin was the last to find his basket. Hiding it under the inside of the ottoman, up in the empty cavity of the cushions, was all Jeremy’s doing and pretty brilliant. Note to self- hide baskets inside furniture, not ovens!
We had a yummy breakfast spread of German pancakes, Easter eggs, and charcuterie board. 
The kids had fun with the doggie.
Then we took a nature hike through Ivy Canyon. We saw some of the ivy blooming and enjoyed the perfect weather. We rested at the tree logs for a little while before heading back. It was a really nice way to enjoy the morning. (Btw- there was no real church because it was General Conference.)
When we got back to the house, it was time for an egg hunt with the neighbors. I love egg hunts because they represent how eager Peter was to run and find out where Jesus was on Easter morning. The eggs represent new life, new beginnings. As we seek diligently, we can find renewal and rejoicing through Jesus Christ.
Everyone contributed eggs to hide, and several parents helped hide them in the little park on our street, which the boys call Funderland. Tanner and Dallin thought that most of the eggs were way too easy to find and misunderstood our instructions to leave the easy ones for the little kids. They were a bit upset when they didn’t have that many eggs. We eventually got it all sorted out.
Easter dinner was complete with fish and honeycomb, our traditional food because that’s what Christ ate when he was resurrected, proof that he was fully alive, spirit joined with flesh, never to die again. The fish was salmon and tilapia, along with quinoa, asparagus, and green salad.
We visisted and also had some special songs to sing. Dallin sang while Tanner did sign language to Jesus Has Risen. Johanna sang “His Hands.” I sang “All Creatures of our God and King.”
A special thanks to Nana, Papa, Johanna and Matt joining us for Easter this year. I am so thankful that we have holidays to help us remember how blessed we are. This was a much needed time to celebrate life. I love Easter and I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.