Easter Portraits

Portraits by JC Penney.

Happy Easter 2011!

"I have a funny face for you, Mommy!" -Hannah
Why is it so hard to get one good picture of three kids?

Okay, we got ONE good one.

Happy Easter!

Easter Pictures?

Last week we had the kids' pictures taken at JC Penney in their Easter clothes. Yes, I know it's July. We're a little slow.

You can see them all at the Thompson Family Tree.

Easter Traditions

Saturday night egg dying
Finding hidden Easter baskets in the morning - Andrew's in the drawer of the coffee table

Logan found his basket behind the dining room door
Hannah's basket was behind the couch Both Nana and the Easter Bunny gave Hannah My Little Ponies. I thought she would just love them, but she was more interested in the Little Pony purse.
The Easter bunny likes to bring us "outdoor" gifts like sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and sand toys. The beautiful wrapped Easter gifts, "breakfast foods," and treats were from Nana and Papa. Thanks!
Dressing up all matchy-matchy for church. Enjoying a yummy Easter feast with friends.
I was dreaming of a beautifully laid table with pastel tablecloths, matching dishes and glassware, fresh spring flower arrangements for centerpieces, and handmade placecards but...
that wasn't exactly in the budget. So we had to make due with the red apple vinyl tablecloth I already had and mismatched dishes and plastic cups. (sigh) At least the food was yummy.

The Kids' Table - what a group!

At the Easter egg hunt, Andrew seemed fairly satisfied with his stash this year. At least I never heard him complain that it was "the worst Easter ever!"
Hannah didn't really get the egg hunt concept, of course, but she did look dang cute sitting in the grass with her new Easter basket, handpainted by Nana (thanks Mom)!
These last three pictures were from my friend, Meghan. So sweet! Her camera is much better than mine, obviously.

One of my favorite talks this last General Conference was an especially powerful message from Elder Holland. It seems very appropriate to share this time of year:

"Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. "

--Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Easter Baskets, Traditions, and Paybacks

Holidays as a parent are a lot of fun! They always make me think back on my own childhood and the fun family traditions we had, and then continue some of these traditions with my own kids.

My mom and dad handmade and painted these Easter baskets for the boys. My siblings and I had similar wooden baskets that they made for us when we were growing up (see picture above; I'm the oldest one, on the far left). The Easter Bunny would always come while we were sleeping and fill our baskets with "breakfast food" (like Pop Tarts, juice boxes, and applesauce cups), some candy and a small toy. He would then hide our baskets for us to find in the morning. I always LOVED Easter breakfast as a kid!
This year, the Easter Bunny hid Andrew's basket in the oven, and Logan's was hidden in the front entryway. And yes, they also enjoyed Pop Tarts and chocolate bunnies for breakfast!Bryan's sister, Chris, and her hubby, Davie, flew out to spend some time with us for Easter this year. We have really had a blast with them! What fun people! When I was growing up, we always had a Thompson family Easter egg hunt with all the cousins after church.Our little family Easter egg hunt wasn't exactly a success this year. Logan sobbed the whole time because he wanted the green egg that Andrew found and Andrew shouted, "This is the WORST Easter ever!" because, quote, "I didn't get enough eggs!"

Umm...This seems like a good time to apologize to my parents for all the times when, as a kid, I was ungrateful for their efforts to provide a great time and make some nice memories as a family. Paybacks, I guess, right?! HaHaHa!