My Adventures: Easter and Week 4 of Quarantine

I am afraid if I don't take this time to write about Easter it will not happen and then it will be two weeks and all the feelings and things that go with it will be forgotten. Its amazing to me that events for the most part I can remember, but my feelings about them change as the time between when they happened and the present grows. Anyway, this weekend is Easter. We have been studying Easter or Jesus using the Come Follow Me program the last two weeks. I have really loved my personal study. Probably more so than normal, I asked myself, "So what? So what does this matter to me?" As I have taken time to write down how I feel about the Savior and His sacrifice for me I can more easily see His love. It has been so good to write my testimony down in my Journal. Without church to go to and discuss what I am learning, I feel like I am missing out on some of the bouy I get from those discussions. However, I have had time to read my scriptures in the morning this week (mainly because we I went running, so I read my scriptures before the kids awoke and then worked out instead of the reverse.) Anyway, this helps I wish I could do it all the time, because the discussions that sort of just 'happen' or that I bring up so they happen, happen more easily. Kylee has always had an inquisitive mind and its been going full throttle with resurrection, restoration, and pandemic questions. I love that I have had moments to share my testimony with my family and since we haven't had anywhere to rush to and no where to rush to they can all sit and listen to what I have to say and ask questions. I love it.

One moment, was this morning--Easter Morning. I slept so good last night I didn't really want to wake up like at all. So, I pushed it off as long as I could but I finally got up to pray and as I was settling in the read scriptures Kylee came in. We went into our closet (yes, it is big enough to sit in, its crazy.) Anyway, we read together in the scriptures of when Jesus came to the America's and how amazing it was that all of those people got to come and feel the prints in Jesus's hand and feet. Then I tried to get her to realize even though she can't physically touch Jesus she can know of Him. It was a little bit of a tough concept for her, but we still had the moment to be together. Tia joined us and I had them both watch the resurrection video and Jesus with his disciples on the road to Emmas. It was good too. It was kind of funny to have my closet turned into a little gospel study room, but it was great too.

After the videos, we got everyone up to go do the Easter Egg hunt the Easter bunny left for them. The twins got way more into it than we thought. Abby caught on real fast and Kade stuck with it longer, but the bunny set up a hunt for the babies to get the idea and then further back in the house he set up one for everyone. All the kids had a blast and now we have quite the little stash of Easter candy. It was pretty fun having a hunt in our new house. The Easter bunny hid in some new places and it took a little longer to find all the eggs.

Abby with her egg hunt basket.

Kade and Daddy with there stash.

Kylee getting one on the counter.

The whole crew still searching.

Tia on the hunt.

Kade discovering the insides of Easter Eggs.

After the hunt, we had breakfast. Nothing fancy. We had bannana oatmeal muffins, half plain half with raspberries and smoothies. Then we got ready for church. We were going to have the sacrament before singing time, but that didn't happen today. Our ward held singing time via Zoom. The primary president gave a short thought about Jesus, Easter and how cool it was that last week we got to do the Hosanna shout to start off Easter week. I didn't really think of it that way. It is really cool that on the day of Christ final entry into Jerusalem we shout praises and thanks to Him too. After that thought, they did singing time. The learned Easter Hosana and they enjoyed it. It was shortish and fun. After that we had our family sacrament meeting and then we have video chatted Grandma and Grandpa and had lunch, naptime and a piggy painting party.

Kylee, Me, Abby, and Tias' pretty toes.

We still have planned a video family Easter dinner with my family, a phone call to sing Grandpa-Great our Easter songs, and Grandma Hammond to sing and talk with her. It should be a good fun rest of the day. I have had a lot of candy, so my head kind of hurts and I am probably not has happy as I should be, but its okay I am just human over here.

Me, Gaupo, Abby, and Kade on a walk before family dinner.

Tia, Kylee, twinners, and Gaupo on the walk.

I am so grateful for Easter. Easter means death isn't the end. It mean Derek with live and be part of our family forever. It mean everyone that has died will be resurrected and I can meet and be with them again. It is like Matt in the Children's Friend today said "That will be one big family reunion." It will be and I look forward to the time that happens, but until them I am still so grateful for Easter. I am grateful Jesus went to Gethsemane for me. He went there and because he did He knows how I feel. He knows how I struggle. He knows me. He knows how to help and how hard to let things be or when things just need to work out. He made it possible for me to have hope in Eternal life and that it can be fill with joy. This week was a bit of a rough one. We had quite a few days with weeping, and wailing and honestly it made me so grateful for the atonement. That I don't have to look forward to that for eternity instead I can hope, live, and choose to be the best I can, so that I can have Eternal Life with God in glory and happiness.

Just a note on this week. Its been rough. Second grade is really rough this time around for me. It was kind of rough the first time, but this time is rougher I think. Or at least this week. Kylee had a presentation that she had to record. She worked hard on it and it didn't go as planned. As she and Guapo tried to record it the first time she dropped her cards and she came back okay, but we were having meltdowns trying to record it a second time. Like so much crying, and crying. However, we fed her breakfast, prayed and comforted her. Then we got it one more time. She did really well. It only last about half the time it was suppose to, but you know what I didn't even care at that point. She loved the video the last time, so we just went with it. Her and Gaupo worked on the diorama and it looked good to. I turned it over to him, so it didn't turn out how I would have done it which is kind of hard for me to be okay with sometimes, but its great really. Beside that project, we had some pretty big writing assignments which are kind of big anyway, but then she had to type them because of course it is all online, so that was so long and hard and more tears, but we made it. We made it to Friday she had a math test that involved a little more crying, but we made it and got our work done pretty quickly on Friday and just enjoyed the rest of the day. We needed a chiller day, so we took it. Luckily, or blessedly kindergarten was easier this week. I really feel like Tia is getting some of the things, I don't know how it will go at school, but I am encouraged and we will just see how it all plays out.

Kylee and her diorama of the Arctic Tundra

We have been in quarantine for 4 weeks now, and it for the most part it great to be all together, but I look forward to being able to be around people, go to church, go to the park, and go grocery shopping again (Gaupo does it for me right now). My family and I joined the world wide fast on Good Friday for the current pandemic to be controlled, caregivers to be protected, economies strengthened, and life to normalize. I don't know when these things will happen, but I do know that God hears and answers prayers, but in His time and way. For example, on the last fast Sunday we fasted about the pandemic too, and some of the many stresses I had were school, no white flour, and low amounts of yeast. Well, the next day school went fine, Gaupo was able to get white flour at Sams Club, and I found a package of yeast (like a Sams club package) in the back of the freezer. I was given relief. The pandemic is not over, but those burdens were lightened. God is in the details. He always is and always will be as we turn to him.

I went in the car for the first time in 4 weeks. It still runs. We went to the post office. We all stayed in while Guapo ran our package in.

Written: 4/13/2020
We did end up calling Grandpa-Great and Grandma Hammond and singing 4 songs for them. Kylee also played them a song on the piano. My tender moment was when we were singing to Grandpa-Great and we were singing the song Gethsemane and we sang "Jesus loves me, So He went willingly to Gethsemane." In that phrase my heart just warmed and I really feel like it was the Savior personally reminding me that He willingly went for me. He loves me and my kids and Gaupo. He loves us, so he went and did what had to be done willingly, so that I could return to live with Him and Heavenly Father again.

Virtually family Easter Dinner was fun. It was really funny to hear kid comments that we usually don't get when we just do adults. I kind of missed the calmness in my life when I do it after everyone goes to bed, but it was fun to be a family for Easter. I miss gathering with my family for holidays. Quarantined or not we wouldn't have made it to family for Easter, and I miss that because I love Arizona at Easter and Easter picnics and being with people I love on one of my favorite holidays. So, I loved that we all got to gather and the craziness that was there would have been there in real life too, so it was just fun to visit and be together.

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