General Conference and Easter Weekend

Around these parts, our family counts down to Conference. It's as special as Christmas for these littles. Our activities this year included: painting birdhouses (thank you Grammy!), coloring giant posters, and drawing/writing notes. 

In-between sessions we planted our fruit trees. We now have three apple and three peach trees, all of different varieties.

Then, while Patrick went to Priesthood, we took baths and colored Easter eggs.

A few of my notes from Conference:

EASTER MORNING:

We woke up and had breakfast together and then the sweeties went on an Easter egg hunt for all of their goodies. We surprised them with brand new albums we had made from Instagram. We hope to add more pictures of them as the years go on so they will have a nice little compilation someday when they're all grown up.

Afterwards, we listened to Conference again, which was enriching and such a blessing to my soul. It never fails to provide the much-needed refreshment that I seek.

Between sessions we drove over to Nana and Papa's and enjoyed the last session with them.

Nana and Papa created a lovely Easter feast for us and we gathered as an entire family around the Easter table.

It was a beautiful day indeed.

We celebrated an early birthday party for Dad, Mom, and me. While everyone went outside to eat their cake and cupcakes, Patrick and I stayed in to enjoy a few minutes (literally) of solitude. My mom even provided us with candlelight. It was delightful--other than the fact that we look like we're on a Daddy-Daughter date since I was on a tiny chair and Patrick was on a tall bench...

And this, was one of my favorite quotes from Conference that I decided to hand-letter:

Holidays are always amazing--because we can share them with the people who matter so much to us. Family is everything!

Welcome Conference!

This weekend is one of my top two favorites of the whole year...General Conference Weekend!!!!

A few days ago I put together little Conference Kits for my Beehives and the ladies I visit teach. They turned out adorable! And we made a road trip that night out of delivering these kits to 16 houses!

I hope my sweet Beehives will love Conference this year and "Make the Most" out of every talk!

To find the link for this darling idea, visit this site.

General Conference starts in 45 minutes--I'm so excited!! I've been looking forward for so long.

Here are the cute little activities I picked up for my sweeties the other day. (There's an activity for each session of conference and then cute little notebooks for them to record the questions they have and the answers they receive through words and pictures.)

My sweet little darlings writing down their questions...

Welcome Conference!!!!!

Messages from Heaven.

It's a windy cold afternoon, but Spring is in my heart.  How could it not be after a marvelous Conference weekend?  I will never cease to be amazed at the miraculous nature of words from our Savior coming through our living prophet---to us.  And then, even more miraculously, the messages are personalized in our hearts individually by the power of the Holy Ghost.

I received every answer to prayer that I have been longing for.  How truly blessed we are to have Conference twice a year.

Snatches of our Conference.

Easton counted down to conference about 8 weeks before it started.  He was so sad every time I told him how many {eternal} weeks were left before conference.

This year the boys did their little "penny listening" for key words and then used their money for the Conference store as well as a new surprise activity...building "temples" out of castle blocks-----

We also started a new tradition this year---homemade gourmet caramel apples....

Delicious.

There were so many grand and beautiful talks that spoke just to us.  It was such a great follow-up to the Relief Society meeting that I was able to attend in the Conference Center the week before.  My journal is filled with bits and pieces and snatches of the words spoken, feelings felt, and impressions from the Spirit.

And the very first thing I wrote was that my boys get to serve their missions at age 18!!!  We are ever so excited.  As President Monson led up to the announcement, I looked over at Patrick and saw tears filling his eyes.  My eyes must have showed a questioning look because he turned to me and said, "They're going to change the missionary age," with the most serene smile on his face.  My mouth opened in surprise and I looked to the screen as the announcement was made.  

My heart jumped for joy. 

Now I know why we were inspired to put Easton in kindergarten this year.  I made the decision hesitantly because although I knew he was ready intellectually and Tate needed some extra time with me, the nagging thought of him having to wait a whole year before his mission kept popping up in the back of my mind.  We prayed and fasted about the decision and just felt like we needed to go forward in faith knowing that the Lord would make everything all right.  And He has.  I never expected my prayers to be answered in this way.  And Easton is so extremely excited already.