Easter

Sunday morning Easter treats

I went on a last minute trip to Utah last week.  We left on Friday, the 5th and just got home on Friday the 12th.  We had a wonderful time and I will work on posting the pictures from the trip this week. Here is a glimpse of our Easter weekend.  We had the stomach bug rage through our family the week of Easter, so the Bunny was slow going this year.  We always have our Easter egg hunt on Saturday before Easter Sunday, but this year, the Easter Bunny was just getting out of bed on Saturday.  

So Saturday night we dyed eggs.  It was totally fun!

After Gracie dyed her egg pink she also wanted to paint it, so she painted it orange.

Ryan of course was just thrilled with his childrens' beautiful creations.

Here is Jace's favorite egg that he made

and here Gracie is holding hers.

 

 

Here are all their eggs and some dyed fingers. 

Meet the Swigert Easter Bunny.  He's pretty dang cute if you ask me, especially at 6:00AM on Sunday morning.  So I have an OCD problem when it comes to Easter, and I am not ashamed of it at all. I can't stop filling eggs with candy and/or coins. I always think just another 10, then it will be enough. This year our bunny hid 275 plastic filled eggs outside.  It was awesome!!

 

 

 

He also hid another 75 in the house.  The kids loved it.  But we still have eggs hanging out in the backyard.  So I think 275 was PLENTY.

 

 

Easter morning Jace found a kite, 2Hotwheel cars and a dollar bill by his Easter plate and he was thrilled. I am happy that he is still estactic with only $5.00 worth of goods on the table.

 

 

 

 

The Easter bunny brought Gracie bubbles,  Easter bonnet, and a puppet.  And she was thrilled too.  

After church they found all the  indoor  eggs and the boiled eggs were on the deck outside.  

 

 

 

 

Gracie examining her goods. 

 

 

We were excited to have the Erickson's and Prince's come over again this year for our egg hunt and dinner, so while we were waiting for them to arrive the kids flew their kites off the back deck. It was really fun until Grace's kite got tragically stuck in our backyard tree.

 

When Eryn got to our house Ryan took the kids out our back gate to the open field behind our house and they had a great time for awhile. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we hunted eggs in our dirty backyard. 

 

The kids enjoyed it.  Here you see Eryn, Ammon and Jace. 

Each child had a large egg with their name on it to find.   The Easter Bunny  buried Jace's in his sandbox and he had to dig it up.

 

He was super excited about it.  

Jace playing his harmonica

 After the eggs were found, the kids went inside and opened them to claim their loot.

 

 

The kids we had at our hunt were: Ammon and Lucy Erickson, Eryn Prince, Jace and Grace. The Easter Bunny put harmonicas is all the kids' large eggs, and it was so fun listening to all 4 of them being played at the same time!! 

 

I am wishing that I had thought to have us all pose for a group picture, but I didn't. This is as close as I have. We then all ate dinner together and it was a wonderful afternoon.

 

That evening, Ryan led us in a family Easter devotional and it was wonderful.  I am so personally grateful for the knowledge I have of my Savior Jesus Christ.  I know he lived, that he died and atoned for each of us, then rose again.

 

Happy Easter!!

 

 

Finally my Thanksgiving post - Part I

My family

If you read my blog regularly--not that I post regularly--but if you have kept up--or are related to me and are in the following pictures, then you know that I spent Thanksgiving in the sunshine in Southern Utah. Since it was such a fun trip, and because I want you to meet my family, I will now indulge you with Part 1 of my Thanksgiving posts.

 When all my siblings are together with their children-- and children's children-- there is exactly 101 of us.  We outgrew my parents house years ago and have been having dinner at an LDS chapel ever since. This is us at Thanksgiving this year.  I haven't attended now for 6 or 7 years, so it was great to be back.  I hate being the only sibling living out of the state.  After we ate dinner, we introduced ourselves.   Here you see my oldest sister Danielle introducing her kids and grandkids.



We also took pictures outside.  Here are my parents,  DeLoris and Truman Blake,  married August 31, 1948.  They will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary this summer!  Hard to believe. I feel too young to have parents married 65 years, and they feel too young to have been married that long!

Here I am with 5 of my 6 sisters.  They are some of the greatest women I know. 

L to R--the number represents birth order

Calista (7), Me (10), Debra (2), Mom, Danielle (1), Randolyn (8), Malynne (3) 

A candid shot, and Gracie wanted in on the action.

My brothers and Dad.

L to R: Nic (6), Chris (4), Dad, Jabe (5).

 

 

 

All of us together except my sister Francesca (9), was not able to attend.

 

This is Ryan's family.  They were all so sweet to meet us at the chapel so we could see them too. They drove from Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

Jill was celebrating her 60th birthday in a few days and Nicole made this beautiful memory quilt for her.  She looks like it will be her 40th birthday.

 

That evening the Swigert family went to see the St. George temple, then Will and Jill took Jace with them to see Life of Pi.

Ryan, me, and Gracie didn't go to the movie, but went back to see the temple water fountain, then went to my Mom's house instead.  Gracie does not do well in movies, and it seemed big to fight her through it.

 

 

The next day, Jace got his wish-we went and hiked a volcano.  I will post pictures.

Nauvoo, the land of ice and snow

 

We went to the LDS Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois last week.  We were greeted by lots of snow.  Here is Jace just across the street from the temple by the Joseph Smith and Hyrum monument.  It is about 5:00PM and the sun is starting to set over the Mississippi River in the background.

 

 

While I was doing a session Ryan and the kids went to a few historical sites. They made a rope, visited the pioneer bakery and ate gingerbread cookies and went on  what the kids described as a long, cold wagon ride!! They had a blast. I sent Ryan with the camera and he forgot to use it, so I have ZERO pictures to post.   

 

 

When it was my turn to watch the kids while Ryan went on a session, we went to the visitor's center and played with the toys. 

 

 

I found this on my computer from last summer, and I am trying to remember what  is feels like to wear a short shirt and sandals.  We have been heavily bundled around here for what seems like eternity this year....and there is no end in sight according to weather.com.  It did get up to 30 degrees today, why am I complaining.

And here are the kids playing with the visitor center's toys and the end of a boring post from the land of ice and snow.  We hope when the weather warms up that we have a little more excitement around here.

Our last few days--in no particular order

Here are my cuties enjoying the sled their Dad bought them last week.  We got another 6 inches of snow yesterday, so the grass you see poking through the snow is now buried. 

 

They have had so much fun!!   

Waving hello to their Grandparents and cousins!! 

 

Our house is the one in the middle (right)--white with a black roof.

 

We have  a bowl shaped field behind our house. It is perfect for them to go through our back gate and down the hill on their sled! 

It is now March.  I am ready for spring!!  I don't think Robin and Rue share my same sentiment.

 

Saturday brought a hair cut for Dad, Gracie was all over helping me accomplish that!  We had stake conference. Ryan and I performed, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives." 

 

 

 

 

Sunday afternoon Gracie and I took on a little sewing project.

 

She was very good help and loved stiching the felt, but it took what seemed like a very, 

 

 

 

very,

very long time!! 

 

Finally we got to the "filling it with rice" step. 

 

My back was killing!

 

Gracie putting in the rice-we are still finding rice in our bed!

 

 

We ended up with this little frog named Hippity Hop.  It was Jace's that he started on Friday in Kalona in his "Hop to it" class.  They are studying about frogs and toads. 

 

It would have sat on my kitchen counter in a ziploc bag for weeks if he didn't have a little sister who was bursting to make it!! 

 

And last but not least, behold our family magic show.  Here you see 2 children and 1 dad.

 

 

But with Jace's magic- words and gestures, you will see the girl disappear. 

 

Ta-da, she is gone!! 

Until she decides to reappear!!

 

 

And now you have seen a glimpse of our last few days here in frigid Iowa.