After pictures, missionaries, Easter, oh my!

Monkey's personal playground :D

This sits just to the side of our home, within our fully fenced in yard. Ah, bliss is not worrying about passing cars while my son lives his dream life out of doors at much of the waking day as possible! Even Bear Cub has learned to climb up the ladder and go down the slide all by himself! (With Zoo Keeper Mom hovering close behind, of course!)

Bear Cub and Cuddle Bug's romping room
Yes, you see right. We have one crib, and one pack 'n play. They have reached the point of being too big and rowdy to sleep in the crib together. We have been debating whether we can hold out long enough to move straight to toddler beds.. but we are just not that close! Anyone out there have a spare crib we could borrow for the summer? Pretty please? I feel bad for the twin who gets the pack 'n play, so I at least make sure to rotate them fairly for naps and bedtime.



Monkey's VERY OWN room!

My beach-front property, and favorite room in the house.

I love lighthouses, can ya tell? Monkey and I have a similar aspiration; to get to sleep in a lighthouse someday. He happens to love Pete's Dragon as much as I do, where the love of lighthouses started for the both of us, just about 25 years apart.

I did not have any good shots of our living room taken at the time I uploaded this batch of pictures on to the computer. I have since taken them, but now I cannot find the power cord to connect the camera to the computer! Technical difficulties. Living room yet to come. Maybe I will wait to post that room till we actually have our pictures hung and my nicknacks placed. Who KNOWS how long out that will be. No holding of breath allowed!

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Missionaries

Now, onto another subject all together. This week has been very eventful, in the good way! I tend to use that phrase in a 'trying to not sound so pessimistic but slightly sarcastic' kind of way.. but this time, I really mean it positively! I digress.

Anthony's youngest brother arrived home from his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Indonesia on tuesday, and we were there in the airport to greet him. I have previously only been on the arriving end of such an occasion. It was just as exciting to be on the waiting end. (Well, almost!) Uncle Ashton looked amazingly different since the last time we saw him, as he had lost 80, yes, EIGHTY lbs. since we last saw him! And, since we learned we were expecting again the day after he entered the MTC, it was the twins' first opportunity to meet him. It was a joyous occasion. Then, we all headed back to the home in West Jordan for an overnighter. The next day, everyone had taken off work to spend the entire day with the new arrival. We had a blast. We got home late wednesday night, that being last night. Tomorrow, as soon as Anthony gets home from work, we are taking our bags, filling the van, and heading back down for another three days/two nights with the Park family, celebrating my personal favorite holiday, Easter.

My lil bro Nate's mission papers were submitted to the Stake President this last sunday, so our family is about to be blessed with another uncle serving for the next two years. It is a blessing to be able to write and support a servant of the Lord - and especially touching to read of their experiences, trials and triumphs, and see the hand of the Lord in molding them into who He needs them to be for the people they are called to not only serve, but love unconditionally.

I myself served an 18 month mission to Guatemala City Central. Nine years ago, on February 9th, I began my missionary service, and my life was changed for the good, changed forever. I took residence in The Land of Eternal Spring among the chapines, (Guatemalans), and they took a permanent residence in my heart in the process. This topic is worth a post all it's own, so, I will file that away for a future day.

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Easter Saturday/Sunday

Ever since I was young, I always remember celebrating "Easter Saturday" with the baskets and egg hunts and all, and then having a spiritual celebration of the Savior's resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is a tradition I have brought into my own zoo, er, home. Monkey is at an age that I am really excited to share both aspects of this wonderful holiday with him.

Let me share with you what we use Easter Sunday morning. When I was a young teen, we had a church activity to create an egg carton full of plastic easter eggs - each one of the dozen containing a small scroll with a verse of scripture on it, and a token item to represent it. I was thrilled to find it again just before my parents moved out of my childhood home. Halelujah! The eggs are numbered 1-12, and the story is told as you open each one in succession. One holds three dimes - the thirty pieces of silver which bought betrayal. One holds a tiny cross made of tooth picks and wire. One holds a stone - representing the one rolled away from the door of the tomb by heavenly messengers. And the last, the best, the wonder of it all - the 12th one, of course, is empty. What beauty is found in that emptiness. The Empty tomb is the most absolutely breath-taking scene this world has ever or will ever produce. Matched only by the humble birth, and the yet-to-be glorious reunion of this Earth with her King.

Yes, I love Easter. :D

Do share with me how YOUR family brings the reason for this season into the hearts and minds of your family! I would love to read all the wonderful things you do, as well.

Goodnight, blogosphere!