more easter

Easter lasted an extra day for us because we didn't get everything in last week and on Sunday. So today we.... colored Easter eggs

had a Family Home Evening lesson on Christ's Resurrection

and had an Easter cake for our Family Home Evening Treat

I found a really great script to use for our Family Home Evening lesson this year. It ended up being perfect so I'm going to save it for next year. Maybe you'll want to use it too. The girls even wanted to dress up in robes like they would have worn during the Savior's life. So that was kind of fun too! I set everything up in the living room and we started our FHE in the hallway so that I could explain to them what we were doing and set a very reverent tone. It worked and the girls were very quiet and respectful. It really helped to invite the spirit.

Here is the script...

we sat in a little circle on the floor and couches with just the lamp light on. I added some props and a little explanation that was not originally in the script but helped the girls understand and visualize things more.
Why We Rejoice: An Easter Program
By Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
See Matt. 26–27; Luke 22–24; John 18–21; 3 Ne. 8–11.
Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen, “Why We Rejoice: An Easter Program,” Friend, Mar. 2005, 10Note: You will need three narrators (or you may choose to have many children act as narrators). If possible, use pictures from the Gospel Art Picture Kit (GAK). The songs below are suggestions. You might consider other songs or hymns focusing on the Savior.

SONG: “Beautiful Savior” (Children’s Songbook, 62–63).

{Added prop...palm fronds...I explained that the people who accepted Jesus waved palm fronds as he rode a donkey into Jerusalem for the last time.}

Eliza: Show GAK 227—Jesus Praying in Gethsemane.

Emma Grace: Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life to pay the price for our sins.

Brenna: He said, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent” (D&C 19:16).

Dad: Jesus’s perfect life, His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His Resurrection are part of the Atonement. The Atonement makes it possible for everyone to live with Him again.

Mom: That is why we rejoice. We are happy, and we show how grateful we are when we rejoice.

Eliza: Show GAK 228—The Betrayal of Jesus.

Dad: Soon after Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, wicked people came with swords and sticks to arrest Him. They took Him to the chief priests, elders, and scribes, who wanted Him to die.

Mom: Then they took Him to a Roman leader named Pilate, who had the authority to kill Him. The people told Pilate that Jesus had committed many crimes and should die.

Brenna: Pilate did not believe them. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent and wanted to let Him go.

{Added prop....bowl/pitcher/small towel...explained that pilate washed his hands}

Dad: The people cried, “Crucify him, crucify him” (Luke 23:21).

Emma Grace: Finally Pilate told his soldiers to crucify Jesus.

Eliza: Show GAK 230—The Crucifixion.

{Added prop....pretend crown of thorns made out of twigs from the tree in our front yard...the twigs bend really easy to shape a crown...explained how they put the crown of thorns on Christ head and how much pain it would have caused and that He would have bleed from it}

{Added prop...rocks with one painted black...explained that the Roman soldiers cast lots}

Mom: Jesus suffered on the cross for many hours. Then Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Brenna: Jesus died. The sky was dark. A great earthquake shook the earth.

Emma Grace: Jesus’s disciples and friends were very sad.

{Added prop...white sheet...explained that Joseph of Arimithea went to Pilate and begged for Jesus' body and they wrapped him in white linens}

SONG: Begin to hum or softly play “On a Golden Springtime” (Children’s Songbook, 88).

Dad: After three days, Jesus’s spirit returned to His body. He had been resurrected.

Mom: Because of Jesus’s Resurrection, everyone who dies can live again with his or her spirit and body reunited.

SONG: Verse 2 of “On a Golden Springtime” (Children’s Songbook, 88).

Emma Grace: The resurrected Lord appeared to many people.

Eliza: Show GAK 233—Mary and the Resurrected Lord.

Brenna: The first was Mary Magdalene. She loved Jesus very much and rejoiced when she saw Him.

Eliza: Show GAK 234—Jesus Shows His Wounds.

Dad: Later Jesus appeared to His disciples. They touched the wounds in His hands and feet. They saw Him eat. They knew He was alive again, and they rejoiced.

SONG: “Hosanna” (Children’s Songbook, 66–67).

Brenna: Just as there had been a great storm in Jerusalem when Jesus died, there was an even greater storm in the Americas.

Mom: Earthquakes, fires, and floods destroyed many cities. Mountains fell down. The sky blackened. Candles would not light. Fire would not burn. No one could see anything.

Emma Grace: The Nephites were frightened and started to cry. Many of their family members and friends had died.

Brenna: Their homes were destroyed. They wished they had repented of their sins. For three days they cried in the darkness. Then—

Dad:—they heard a quiet voice. It said: “I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. … Whoso repenteth and cometh unto me … , him will I receive. … Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved” (3 Ne. 9:15, 22).

Brenna: When the third day finally ended, light returned to the earth. The Nephites rejoiced and praised their Redeemer.

Mom: Some time later many people gathered near the temple in the land of Bountiful. They talked about the changes that had come to the earth.

Emma Grace: They talked about Jesus.

Dad: Suddenly, another voice began to speak. It was a soft voice. The people listened carefully to the voice of Heavenly Father.

Dad: He said, “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him” (3 Ne. 11:7).

Eliza: Show GAK 315—Christ Appears to the Nephites.

Emma Grace: The Nephites looked up and saw Jesus descending out of heaven.

Mom: Jesus said, “Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world” (3 Ne. 11:14).

Brenna: The Nephites went to Him. They felt the wounds in His hands and feet and side.
“Hosanna!” they cried. “Blessed be the name of the Most High God!” (3 Ne. 11:17).

SONG: “Easter Hosanna” (Children’s Songbook, 68–69).

Eliza: Show GAK 227—Jesus Praying in Gethsemane.

Emma Grace: Jesus loves everyone so much that He paid the price for our sins. He also made it possible for us to live again after death.

Mom: That is why we rejoice when we think of Him. That is why we rejoice at Easter.

SONG:“Jesus Has Risen” (Children’s Songbook, 70).

mesa easter pageant

The Mesa Easter Pageant is truly amazing!! I feel so blessed to be able to take my children to this amazing Pageant. It is the story of Christ's life from birth to resurrection. They showed the miracles He performed and the lives He blessed. He has blessed my life so abundently and I'm am forever grateful. The spirit truly testified of Christ that night and we all were blessed to feel it. This is our sweet friend and Eliza's preschool, Mrs Kerri. She is so wonderful!! When we walked away from talking to her, Emma Grace{who also went to her for preschool} said, "Mrs. Kerri is always smiling! I like to smile back at her." Kerri and her whole family was able to participate in this years pageant. It is quite a time commitment. For a month there are practices until 10pm at night. All of the rehearsing pays off! They are able to be taught by the spirit and put on an amazing show.
Here is a picture with one of the Centurion's to show you how amazing some of the costumes were.
To get a seat at the pageant you have to show up at least an hour and a half to two hours before the show to save seats. Everyone brings dinner to eat while they wait. Then everyone{at least it seemed like everyone} goes across the street to Dairy Queen for a treat.

While waiting we also went into the visitors center and went through the Reflections of Christ exhibit{see other post}. The spirit is so beautiful and you feel it so strong as soon as you walk into the room.

easter Sunday

The children woke up bright and early at 6:15 ready to find some easter treats. They started by looking for all of the Easter eggs around the house that were filled with "cookie crisp" cereal {sugar cereal...a real treat these days}. They quickly emptied their eggs into their cereal bowls and ate a yummy bowl of cereal. Brenna and Emma Grace apparently have lost their taste for sugar cereal in the morning but Charlie and Eliza had no problem.

Then the kids remembered that we had left carrots and lettuce outside for the bunny so they all quickly went to the front door to see if the treats were gone. To their complete surprise they found HUGE bunny prints, easter eggs, money, and glitter all over the front porch{thanks Michelle...you're awesome!}. They were so excited!! Brenna said, "So the Easter Bunny is REAL!". It's all so fun and magical when you're a kid! I'm sad for kids whose parents don't let their kids enjoy the fun of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. My feeling is that you can keep it in check by not making it too crazy and by making sure you teach them the TRUE meaning of Christmas and Easter!! But let kids be kids!!!!
The kids then went and found their Easter baskets and enjoyed seeing the goodies that had been left for them. Charlie really only cared about bright colored eggs that had sugary treats in them. But he took a few minutes to look in his Easter basket to see if their were any of those bright colored eggs.

These are the cute pictures I took of the girls before church!! Charlie was trying to pose the same way he sees his sisters pose for the camera....crazy kid. By the way, Charlie is old enough for nursery now and he LOVES it!! After church I asked him if he got to go to nursery and play with the toys and the kids and he shook his head yes and clapped.

The little carrots that you see in the pictures above were sewn by the girls{and me} Saturday night. I wanted an idea for Easter so I {OF COURSE} went to Kristi's blog and looked at what she did last Easter {2007} and I found these cute carrots. So easy!! Thanks for the idea Kristi!! The girls really had a great time making them.

After church we went to the Stapley's for Easter dinner and egg hunt. It was fun to be with their family for Easter. We adore all of the Stapley family!! The Easter bunny accidently left a little something for Charlie at their house. Check it out...the shirt he is wearing...it says, "Chicks dig me".

Brenna and Emma Grace absolutely love being with Madison and Sheridan. I love this picture of Eliza on top of all of them in this "pile up". That is real life!! She is always right on top of all those big girls making herself a part of whatever they are doing.

Reflections of Christ

"Reflections of Christ" is an exhibit currently showing at the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center. The Exhibit is a compilation of photographs depicting various stages of Christ's Life. No description I can give here will be adequate to describe the exhibit or the spirit we felt as we viewed the display. The exhibit's creators have established a website showing some of the photography ... http://www.reflectionsofchrist.org/.

As the website explains, the idea behind the project was to take the actors who were involved with this year's Mesa Easter Pageant and have them depict certain stages of Christ's life. A few of our friends were involved ... Jason Calvi played Joseph, and Jason Barney produced the music.

an afternoon at the zoo

Todd took the afternoon off from work and we took the kids to the zoo. We were there for 2 1/2 hours and we were exhausted. The zoo does that to me. I think it's a combination of the sun, the walking, and getting kids in and out of the stroller every 2 minutes. This time we took Charlie's little car that has the handle on it to push him. He loved it! He was able to get in and out by himself{kind of} and was SO EXCITED{lots of emphasize on excited} about seeing all of the animals. He is the kind of little boy that doesn't care a whole lot about cars and balls but could make animal noises and play with animals all day. So a trip to the zoo is right up his alley!

This is what the zoo looks like in the desert...saguaro cactus!!

The highlight of the zoo for Emma Grace and Charlie is the petting area with all of the goats. We have to convince them that it's time to go! Can you see Charlie's excitement? It was really hard to get a picture of him because he was literally running from goat to goat trying to pet them all.

There is a little area that is for "GOATS ONLY". Charlie could sometimes pass for a monkey, a dog, or a GOAT!! Charlie clearly can't read and we just couldn't tell him that he was not allowed to go in there. The goats that were going in there to get away from Charlie were giving him dirty looks when he would try to come in.

Emma Grace loves animals and is so gentle with them. Animals {I think} feel really at ease with her too. Maybe one day her parents will give in and let her and her sisters get a dog.

Meatballs and Rigatoni

This is by far my most favorite recipe and I it really should have been the first recipe I posted. It's worth spending a little extra time on dinner for these yummy meatballs. And PLEASE don't skimp on the sauce. Make the recipe for the sauce!! No other store bought sauce will do justice to these meatballs.

Meatballs with Rigatoni
2 slices white bread, remove crusts, cut in small pieces
1/4 cup milk
1 pound ground pork
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 small garlic cloves, minced
zest of 1/2 lemon
8 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley(italian parsley), chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 pound rigatoni noodles
Red Hot Tomato Sauce(see other recipe)
parmesan cheese to serve on top

1. Place bread in a bowl; pour milk over it. In another bowl, mix pork, onion, garlic, zest, and parsley. Add salt and pepper. Mash breada mixture to form paste; add to meat mixture. Mix; add egg. Combine well.
2. Heat oven to 350. Form mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.

To form the meatballs, I use the medium "ice cream scoop" from Pampered Chef. There are a handful of products that I like from Pampered Chef and this is one of them. LOVE IT!

Brown meatballs. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
3. Cook rigatoni.
4. Cook Red Hot Tomato Sauce
5. Serve...layer noodles, sauce, meatballs, parmesan cheese. Serve with bread on the side, green beans, lemon water. OOH SO GOOD!!!
These meatballs freeze really well. I triple or quadruple the recipe just so I have meatballs I can get out of the freezer, unthaw and serve quick. YUM!


Red Hot Tomato Sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 twenty eight ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes(or to taste)
1 tbsp basil

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, stirring so that it does not brown, until soft and fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, and cook, stirring another minute.
2. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid. Season with salt, pepper, and red-pepper flakes. Add 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce has reduced and thickened and has a deep, rich tomato flavor. about 20 minutes. Stir in basil just before serving.
This sauce freezes well along with the meatballs.

no training wheels

Eliza's March Fo{u}rth goal was to learn to ride her bike with no training wheels. When we got back from our run this morning. She was ready to try learning. She got all ready! Tennis shoes on! Helmet on! Todd took the training wheels off. After about 5 minutes of trying and of course being very wobbly, she told Todd "I think the seat too low". Todd told her that the seat was just the right height. So then she said, "I think the wheels need more air".

Todd couldn't convince her otherwise so the two of them went and got the air pump and went to work. I think she decided that if she couldn't just get on a "do it" then there MUST be something wrong with the bike. By the time the tires were "aired up", she was distracted by neighbor friends. So that was Eliza's first crack at riding with no training wheels.