APRIL

April 8

The Baby-Animal Festival at Cross E Ranch did not disappoint last year, so we just had to go again. This time we invited our friends Johnny and Tessa Murdock and Johnny took so many photos of us. He and his wife are in the Videography and Photography business. So he just takes tons of pictures and I like to take pictures, so between the 2 of us I have far too many pictures to prove how much fun we had at the Baby- Animal Festival. 

The main highlight of our visit was feeding the baby goats. I got to feed the runt. She was so cute. 

 Gosh then we were able to play with them for awhile. The kids were laughing so much at the baby kids trying to jump on their backs.

 The bunnies were also very adorable.

 And so were the chicks...

 More goat planking.

And feeding...

 We had the time of our lives.

 This is Tessa. Johnny's wife. She too has become a really good friend.

 Bean pits for the kids to dig in.

April 12-
With Academy a month away from finishing. We took on remodeling the rental bathroom in our basement. My sister moved out the first on March and we were having new renters moving in the first of May. And that bathroom was just the worst.

Here are the before pictures of it....

 And we tore out the shower and the tole floor to bring it up to date.

To count a date night in we went to Lowes until they closed and then went home to work on it together. I scraped the floor of it extra grout/cement. A week prior to this I had started tearing out the tile in the shower. I have the best video of Fynn helping me tear things down. He loves to work. Especially construction stuff.

 Jesse started mudding the bathroom...

 and he also cut the tub and shower panel inserts installed. The shower was just so gross so we thought a tub would be much better for the rental. Cleaner and family friendly!

April 13- CYRUS' BAPTISM DAY!!!

Mosiah 18 " As ye are desirous to ... bear one another's burdens,... and comfort those that stand in need of comfort... if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord?"

Oh what a special day!
My heart was so full of love that day. There's something incredible around the experience of your own offspring entering into the waters of baptism.

There's something special about hearing your husband give the most heartfelt and spiritually in-tune confirmation and blessing to our 2nd son.

There was a love on that day that was very special. The Holy Ghost bears a witness of it.

 There is something so sweet about these 3 boys loving on each other that day.

Grandparents coming to support!

 After the baptism we went into the room where Jesse would perform the confirmation. I remember the Spirit being so sweet and tender. I've since then asked Cyrus about his favorite part of his Baptism Day, and besides the party we had after, he said that he was felt the Spirit when he was receiving the Holy Ghost. He said it felt warm.

The Bishop asked me to share my testimony and I bawled my eyes out.  Ugh. Not spiritual tender  bawl my eyes out.. No... it was ugly cry my eyes out. Hopefully it wasn't as embarrassing as it felt. lol

We decided to have the dinner party at the church since our house at the time (and still) is under construction. While we were eating dinner, most of the kids were running around in the gym having a good time. Cyrus came back into the room with his hand covering his forehead and he said so calmly to me "Mom my head hurts" and then uncovered his head. I (and 2 other moms beside me) gasped. He was so calm and the size of the goose egg just revealed  shocked me.  I then realized I didn't want to freak him out by my instant reaction to it. I tried to remain calm and within seconds we had a glove full of ice and had it on his forehead.

 The poor thing. On his baptism day he got knocked on the head pretty well. We were all a little concerns about him having a concussion the way his calm demeanor about it was. Ryker came into the room and explained that the kids were all running around in the gym with the lights out and Ryker's foot came in contact with Cyrus' forehead. A total  unfortunate accident.

 Gosh I just felt so bad for him.

He eventually perked up and was doing great. Sporting his new gash on his forehead and all.

 A client of mine put together this Balloon Arch for me. It's nice to have clients that I can pull out some trades.

 The party was a success. I do remember not as many people could stay for the food, so we had far beyond our means. But that's ok because I sent home several left overs to just about everyone that was there.

April 18

Traditional Easter Egg Dying!

 Always left with dyed hands as well. lol

 So pretty!

April 20- Spring Soccer Season Started!

 April 21- EASTER

Probably one of my favorite Holidays!
What I wrote on that day...
"This Easter has felt much holier to me. I have studied and read the Holy week everyday this week. Really thinking about what went on and what it would have been like being there. What did it feel like to see Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem?
How was it that Christ really took upon him all the sins of the world?
How might Pilate really have felt trying to tell the people that Jesus was innocent?
What about Simon carrying the cross for Jesus?
If it weren't for Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, Christ wouldn't have had a proper burial.
How might Mary of Magdalene feel being the first one to see the resurrected Lord?
What did the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus feel after spending time, talking and eating with the resurrected Savior?
And Thomas? Waiting 8 days after the other disciples had seen Christ again to finally see and touch His resurrected body?
I have felt a bigger sense of LOVE for my Savior from imagining and realizing what it could have been like to be there. I have been overcome by the spirit and have wept a couple of times this week from the spirit testifying to me of the truths from the scripture acounts.

 We also did something kinda crazy. We bought chicks! I had a scavenger hunt all put together and their end prize they walked into the basement and found these chicks just a chirping away. Oh man were they just so excited.

 Just look at these faces. They tell it all.

How did I get so blessed with these 4 boys?

 in my thought I wrote: "I look at these 3 boys and feel even more love and gratitude for my Savior. Because of Him I have such a peace about His plan I wept during Sacrament Meetting as we sang "I know that my Redeemer Lives" because I really feel that it is true! He LIVES!!!"

 That night we invited Mike and Heidi over for an Easter Dinner and then made Resurection Rolls with the boys! They had a blast!

April 27- Spring Flag Football Season started

April 28-
I took these pictures this day because Fynn finally decided that wearing a tie was okay!

 And he's just down right adorable!

 And I'm not sure what Ryker is doing in this picture, but they sure were treating those new chicks as little pets.

 A continuation on the basement. The whole downstairs also really needed painting. And we were just a week or so from our new renters moving in. We painted the ceiling, walls and baseboards. We spent many hours down there jammin' to Backstreet Boys. And somehow amidst Jesse's academy we were able to get it done. The downstairs looked so good that they upstairs got neglected. lol