Easter week-end

The Friday before Easter, Charlton and I were very busy.  We spent the morning at Moms Morning Out preschool.  It was my turn to stay and watch the kids, so Charlton and I had a good time together.  Afterward, I took him to his favorite story time.  The librarian is very animated and clearly talented when it comes to children's behavior and education.  Charlton loves the songs they sing, the books they read, and stories that are told. As soon as we finished with the story time, we had a little time to go and do some last minute Easter shopping before we had to pick up the older kids from school.

On Friday night, my half-brother's wife and daughter flew from Toronto, Canada for a very special Easter present.  My sister-in-law, Ana, and my niece and nephew got baptized three or four years ago.  Since then, I've been trying to help my sister-in-law attend the temple.  She is a very busy lady working full time at her own construction company, teaching at a community college, and studying to receive her Masters in Construction Management.  Add to that being a wife and a mother, needless to say, she rarely has time for anything else.  Nevertheless, these past few months I've tried to help her gain a testimony of the temple.  She has a pure and strong faith, and she felt she needed the temple to calm and guide her.  On Saturday morning, Elijah, Ana and I attended the temple.  Ana received her own endowment and made covenants with the Lord in His house.  It was a beautiful event, and I will always cherish  my experience as her escort as something special.  I know that when I'm in the temple, I feel so comforted and at peace that at times I don't want to leave.  You can truly see the contrast between the world out there and the peace in the Lord's house.  I hope Ana attends the temple often in Toronto.  I know it will bring her true joy.

 

On Easter morning, we prepared a very tasty breakfast, shared gifts with the children, and got ready for church.  At church, we were touched by Easter messages and songs.

For our Easter dinner, we had invited another family to join us. After a delicious dinner, Elijah and I hid the eggs all around the back yard.  This year, we read and talked about the Easter story through out the week proceeding Easter morning.  We also added a new activity into our egg hunt.  Amongst the candy-filled eggs, I hid 12 numbered eggs that had inside a little symbol found in the Savior's last week.  After the egg hunt and before the kids dug into their candy, we had them find the numbered eggs and beginning with #1, we opened them, discussed what we found and how it related to the Lord's last week, and then read a scripture corresponding to that item.  I had read this idea in the Ensign, and my friend Hillary send me this link with the details.

 

When we opened the last egg and we all saw that it was empty- the symbol of the empty tomb, thus the resurrection of our Savior- it really brought the Spirit into our hearts and the true meaning of Easter entered our mind and soul.