Easter in Alamogordo 2013

Once again, we were really missing our families when this holiday set in, but we tried to make up for it by holding all the same traditions with friends. First an Easter picnic and egg hunt up in Bailey Canyon. Lots of fun families from the ward were willing to join us and make it special. The adults pretty much sat around and enjoyed the weather and the kids played like crazy. Reed had an especially good time this year. Gathering and hoarding little brightly colored balls full of candy was right up his alley!

We filled up with fried foods at Big Daddy's Diner in Cloudcroft before we headed back down the hill to Alamogordo.

Then Sunday after church we had a potluck Easter dinner at the Spencers with more ward friends, plus Sofia and John. Totally good food and another fun time :)

I'm glad I could give my kids all the fun things my parents gave me as a kid at Easter time....but I hope they're also getting the most valuable thing my parents gave me - a testimony of Jesus Christ. I'm blessed and grateful to know that He is who He said he was - the Son of God and the Savior that our Father promised to send. I believe that He is mighty to save, as the scriptures say, and I've learned that following Him makes us happy and keeps us safe - which are really the only two things I want for me and my family :)

Hanna's 6th Birthday

Well, she's another year older. I wish she didn't have to be! Those first five years were SO great...I'm just so glad she's mine! I hope we did enough to show her how amazing she is and how much we LOVE having her in our family. Here are a few of the festivities that took place to mark Hanna's 6th birthday - starting with breakfast in bed! (We had to do some of this ahead of time because our Stake Temple Day was on her actual birthday so we were going to be out of town in Albuquerque - this was on Thursday morning).

That evening it was time for her date with mom and dad...First, out to dinner at Chili's (Hanna had the same thing she always has - Mac n Cheese), then off to the Mall to get her ears pierced!

After school on Friday we all headed up to ABQ, got dinner at McDonald's, checked into the hotel and went straight to the pool! All seven of us went for a good swim - way fun. Saturday morning started with a waffle breakfast at the hotel and a few presents for the birthday girl!

Then off to Nancy's house so the kids could play while mom and dad did a session at the temple (thank you Nancy!). After a quick lunch and a lovely visit we hit the road so we could get home in time to have birthday cake before bed :) ...and to our surprise, Hanna had a package waiting for her from Aunt Lisa and cousins Ashley and Renee - some fun princess books, a very fashionable scarf, and real glasses for dress up! Hanna loved them so much that she wore them to church the next day and school every day after that!

The celebrations ended when mommy brought donuts to class on Monday - and what a lucky mommy! Look at that beautiful six-year-old girl!