Madison's 9th Birthday

I can hardly believe that nine years ago today, I was holding my brand new, beautiful girl. Oh, she was so small and cuddly to hold. Now, she is nine. We celebrated her birthday yesterday since we were still on spring break. My most favorite bakery in the world, Wal-Mart, made her this super cute cake. Isn't it adorable? We thought so. We gave her an iPod nano along with an iHome, and now there is constant music coming out of her room. She loves music.

Easter

We had a very relaxed, enjoyable Easter, which is just what we needed. We were going to take a trip to Steamboat Springs for the break, but decided to put the extra money towards the cement for a patio in our backyard. I am so happy about that decision! The kids now have a decent place to play basketball.

The Easter Bunny always hides the kids' baskets in the oddest places. Madison found hers on top of the roof! Once all the baskets were found, we let the kids loose to find all the eggs. The children were delighted to find a large swimming pool that the bunny left in the camper. This was another reason we decided to pour the patio, we needed a place for the pool. We will be staying nice and cool this summer, although it's hard to believe that Vernal is capable of becoming warmer than 49 degrees.

Later that day, we went for a picnic at Docs Beach. Of course we took the four-wheeler because that area has some fun ATV trails. We roasted hotdogs and built egg trails so that we could race our eggs. Then Tyler and the kids lined up all the beautifully decorated eggs and shot them with their rifles! Oh well, at least I don't have beautiful eggs sitting around to rot.

Grandpa Coon's Funeral

The very first time I met Tyler's Grandpa, I thought to myself, 'Now that is a cute Grandpa!' And he really was adorable, inside and out. He passed away at the age of 88 this past Sunday. He lived a good, long life. His body was starting to shut down and we knew he was ready to let go. But still, there is an empty part of this world now that he is gone. We are so lucky to know that we will see him again. Spencer asked me when he was going to be resurrected so that he could pop in and say hi.

He was a very good man and we loved him thoroughly. His influence made us better people.

Such a Thoughtful Friend

Yesterday was a very long, busy day. Tyler's grandfather, Everett Coon, passed away and it was his funeral. The services were very good, the flowers beautiful and the kids, why they were perfect! But it was still a very long day. When we came home, we found this adorable basket on the front step. My sweet neighbor Elizabeth had made it for us. It is filled with numbered eggs to help us countdown to Easter. Inside each egg is a reverent reminder of the reason we really celebrate Easter. My kids love the daily activity and always learn something new. Today, there were 3 dimes to help us remember how Christ was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver by someone who loved Him so much.

I love this holiday. It helps us remember the significant event that changed us all. I especially feel Christ's love through the kind acts of my sweet neighbor, my adorable mother (who brought us a plant when she found out about grandpa's death) and many others who treat us so kindly. You touch our lives deeply. Thank you.

Happy Easter.