Easter / Conference Weekend

The first weekend in April was General Conference for our Church. This is a weekend where members of our church all around the world "meet together" to hear the worlds of our current day Prophet and Apostles. The meeting is held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, but can be watched by all via the internet. (at lds.org)

We had read the story of the people of King Benjamin where the people gathered to hear the words of the prophet and had pitched their tents facing the temple to hear his words. Heath decided he wanted to do pitch his tent as well. It turned out to be great. The boys sat happily in their little tents and actually listened for the whole 4 hours pretty well.  In the past I've tried to have little activities for them, but I think they become too much of a distraction. This time we just snuggled and sat in tents and it went really well.

Conference like usual was so uplifting.  I love conference weekend and always feel recharged and edified after watching it.  Now to try to put all of those things wonderful things I felt and learned into practice right?

After the first session on Saturday we painted Easter eggs. Hannah had fun eating the paint bottles.

These are some of my favorite quotes and notes from this conference:

"Brothers and sisters, many things are good, many are important, but only a few are essential." -Elder D Todd Christofferson


“And in nothing doth man offend God … save those who confess not his hand in all things." Doctrine & Covenants 59:21

-When you are given knowledge, act accordingly.

"Thee lift me and I’ll lift thee, and we’ll ascend together." - Sister Linda K Burton quoting an old proverb

"Balance your life with spiritual experiences that remind and prepare you for continued, daily ministering to others." -Elder M Russell Ballard

"God invites all of his children to obtain his help to overcome and endure the challenges of this life." -Joseph W Sitati

Speaking of the colloquium on marriage and family at the Vatican in Rome, Italy Elder L Tom Perry said, "Pope Francis opened the first session of the assembly with this statement: “We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment. This revolution in manners and morals has often flown the flag of freedom, but in fact it has brought spiritual and material devastation to countless human beings, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. … It is always they who suffer the most in this crisis.”

"In referring to those of the rising generation, he said it is important that they “do not give themselves over to the poisonous [mentality] of the temporary, but rather be revolutionaries with the courage to seek true and lasting love, going against the common pattern”; this must be done.^"  

"No other work transcends that of righteous intentional parenting." - Russell M Nelson

 "When our children are little, we can sing them the lullaby of love unfeigned, and when they are obstinate and refuse to go to sleep at night, we might need to sing the lullaby of long-suffering. When they are teenagers, we can tune out the cacophony of arguments and threats, and instead, perform the beautiful music of persuasion--and perhaps sing the second verse of the lullaby of long-suffering... it won't come all at once. As every accomplished musician knows, it takes diligent practice to make beautiful music. If early efforts at making music seem dissonant and discordant, remember that dissonance cannot be corrected by criticism. Dissonance in the home is like darkness in a room. It does little good to scold the darkness. We must displace the darkness by introducing light."
Wilford W. Anderson - The Music of the Gospel   (I loved this talk)

Unlike worldly fear that creates alarm and anxiety, godly fear is a source of peace, assurance, and confidence...it even subdues the haunting concern that we never can be good enough spiritually and never will measure up to the Lord's requirements and expectations. In truth, we cannot be good enough or measure up relying solely upon our own capacity and performance. Our works and desires alone do not and cannot save us. After all we can do, we are made whole only through the mercy and grace available through the Savior's infinite and atoning sacrifice."
Elder David A Bednar - Therefore They Hushed Their Fears

"Today [Easter] we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known." -Elder Jeffrey R Holland

"All of us need the Savior's atonement to heal us. All of us are lost and need to be found." -Brent H Nielson

"The gospel is a fountain of knowledge that never runs dry. There is always something new to learn and feel." -Gerald Causse

"We are on his errand. Let us learn of him. Let us follow in his footsteps. Let us live by his precepts." - President Thomas S Monson

Sunday Morning was Easter Morning.  On Easter Eve we set out a pair of shoes by the front door. Then we read the scripture reader story of Easter. We talked about the significance of eggs and rebirth and little chicks and bunnies and that through Christ we all will be resurrected someday too. In the morning the shoes were hidden somewhere in the house. As a kid it was always so fun to hunt for my 2 shoes. I remember them being hidden in the craziest of places!   The boys loved it.  After finding our shoes we had a "Kings Breakfast" (a breakfast fit for the king of the Jews) of German Pancakes (made from the insides of the eggs we had blown out of the eggs we painted the day before.) and buttermilk syrup and the kids retold the story of Easter while we ate. 

Grandma had sent us home with  a little box of Easter goodies when we last visited her. The kids LOVED it all!

She gave the boys little chicks that hopped and bunny ears and Hannah got a little stuffed bunny. 

The boys hopped around all day.  They kept asking for rabbit carrots to chew on.

Heath made up a silly song about eggs and rabbits with bunny ears. He was belting it out.

Houston was crawling on the floor at one point and sat up and said, "Ouch, my head hurts." He had been rubbing his forehead on the carpet and gave himself a nasty rug burn. We didn't have any bandaids so we taped a tissue to his face where he was bleeding.  He looked so silly. 

This boys has rubbed his forehead skin off twice now before he has realized what he was doing. 

Enjoying Conference snuggling time.

After conference we made egg bombs. My sibblings and I would do this when we were kids.  We filled our hollow eggs with oatmeal and hot glued a little "hat" over the hole.  The boys drew silly faces on them which I wish I had documented. They were so funny. Then we went outside and threw them at each other.  I think the boys loved having an excuse to throw things at us and each other.