Easter Sunday

I got each child a new outfit and a giant Twix egg. But the big kids still wouldn't get up for all of church. (Mary came for sacrament meeting but her anxiety overwhelmed her.) Sometimes I feel like pulling my hair out but I know it wouldn't do anything but make me bald. I have to trust the people are doing their best.

I sang in a double quartet, a very lovely version of "How Great the Wisdom and the Love." After church I tried to get the kids to pose for a picture but they had all already changed! Cameron redressed for me, and then Mary, but not at the same time. So I have pictures of those two, just not together.

We had ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Hallelujah, a little piece of Texas has made out west in the form of Blue Bell ice cream. That's what we had for dessert.

Cameron took this picture!

My Cam and I. Mary took these.

He is such a handsome little dude.

The Twix egg.

FAVORITE picture of my Mary!!! 

She really is that much taller than I am, probably by 5 inches. So beautiful. Bryce took these.

Happy Easter from the Jones ladies!

These song lyrics by Matthew West have been on my mind lately. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ--his suffering in the garden in Gethsemene, his pain on the cross, and his glorious resurrection--death is conquered and we can be cleansed from sin. Adding to that, he suffered for our pains, sorrows, injustices, and disappointments; he gave that gift to us all. He asks that we forgive . . . as we have been forgiven.

It’s the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don’t deserve

It’s the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just too real
It takes everything you have just to say the word…

Forgiveness
Forgiveness

It flies in the face of all your pride
It moves away the mad inside
It’s always anger’s own worst enemy
Even when the jury and the judge
Say you gotta right to hold a grudge
It’s the whisper in your ear saying ‘Set It Free’

Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible

Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

It’ll clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what it’s power can do
So, let it go and be amazed
By what you see through eyes of grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you

Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

I want to finally set it free
So show me how to see what Your mercy sees
Help me now to give what You gave to me
Forgiveness, Forgiveness

A Million Pictures of Spring Break

Tyce had a bunch of obligations at home, Bryce had a ton of work to, and Mary utterly refused to ride in the car for 7 hours--so only the twins and I went to Utah for spring break. All in all, it was a lot easier only having the boys because there was no competition for the cousins' attention. The worst thing is that I ended up without their medication and Bryce had to FedEx it to me. We had a rough day waiting for it to arrive. And then guess what....after I gave the boys their pills the next day I LOST THE BAG. Seriously, I have no idea where it went. I even checked the trash. That was the worst $35 Bryce ever spent. Ugh. They were very busy the other days and so we were able to stave off some of the difficult behaviors.

Highlights of the trip included: me working out with Judy at Curves(!), the boys and I seeing the movie Rio 2 and getting smoothies from Jamba Juice, the whole family going to the super awesome Natural History Museum on the U of U campus, playing at Liberty Park, and having our annual Easter Egg Hunt.

One thing I really enjoyed was talking to my mother-in-law. Now that she's retired she's as busy as ever, just with household things. She is organizing her family history and has scanned over 10,000 photos of her kids and their growing up years. Next she's making books for each of them. That is the most overwhelming task I can imagine and I admire her taking it on. In looking at the pictures she told me stories that were so cool, just of regular family events but they were fascinating to me. The twins saw Bryce's school pictures from preschool till high school and Harrison exclaimed, "Can you believe that you ended up marrying this cute little boy?"

We came back on Saturday night, the day before Easter. It was a great little trip.