Easter!!

Oh the weekends, gotta love the weekends. We had a great Easter weekend here in Arkansas. The weekend started on Friday night by going to "First Friday" down at the Bentonville square. It's one of the few things I like about this place, haha, but we will probably only go to a few times seeings how I don't really go outside once the humidity starts up. "First Friday" is basically a mini carnival. There are games, food, entertainment and people selling stuff. The last time we went was a few days before Hayd came into the world so we were excited to go again; any excuse for fried food. We met up with some friends and had corn dogs and funnel cake for dinner.

Saturday morning we decide to have Hayden finally start solid food. We wanted to wait closer to 6 months to start him on solid food and I definitely needed someone there to take pictures, so we thought this Saturday would work. We skipped rice cereal and went straight to fruit. Since he was wearing monkey pajamas, we thought it was very fitting to start him with bananas. The next few pictures sum up the experience.

The bowl was a fun toy

"What the..."

"Guys, I'm not so sure about this..."

"Not, again..."

"The spoon coming towards me like a train is so hypnotizing."

This is my face when I eat bananas too... like mother like son

He is becoming very aware of the camera now but he survived his first solid food.

Today was his third day of bananas and he did really good. Every time he saw the spoon he opened his mouth and 99% of the food stayed in his mouth. Maybe he'll like fruit after all.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping for Hayden and I and golfing in pouring rain for Todd. That night Hayd and I dyed eggs. 

Easter Sunday was good, sad and a testimony builder all in one (but I suppose that is what Easter Sunday is suppose to be about). A young father in our ward lost his fight with cancer yesterday. It was made known at the end of sacrament meeting that this man had been on life support for the last few days and would be taken off on Easter Sunday. Him and his wife had a beautiful daughter about the age of 3 and a brand new baby boy. He was suppose to go to Texas to finish up some cancer treatment but upon arriving, things took a turn for the worse. It broke my heart to think of his wife losing her best friend and their young children losing their father. During Relief Society our RS president shared with us some words from this amazing woman. At the end of her remarks, the RS president told us that while she was telling her kids about what was happening, one of her kids asked "Why can't they wait till after Easter? That's so sad to do it on Easter." She responded that this is what Easter is all about. Our Savior Jesus Christ died for all of us and broke the bands of death on that first Easter morning. He died and lives again so we may all live again. I'm so thankful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge I have that this life is not the end and that families can be and are eternal. This little family may be physically without a husband and a dad for this time, but one day they will all be reunited. This news definitely made us all remember what Easter is really about and to remind us what is really important in our lives. I am so thankful to my Savior for the opportunity I have to repent so that I may live with all my loved ones and Him and my Heavenly Father again someday. Saturday, a man from a baptist ward knocked on my door and asked me "Do you think if you died today you would go to heaven?" I boldly said yes, but was reminded then and on Sunday that I need to live my life and do all that I can so I can partake in all the blessings that await me and all of us.

Probably one of my favorite Easter talks was from Elder McConkie, his last conference talk. I hope to be like him...

"I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.

God grant that all of us may walk in the light as God our Father is in the light so that, according to the promises, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son will cleanse us from all sin."

(Elder McConkie, " The Purifying Power of Gethsemane)

The rest of our Easter was filled with food, sleeping and friends. 

Hayden doesn't like grass

From our family to yours, We hope you had a wonderful Easter!