Easter Sunday Funday!

9:00 am church is kind of a drag for kids on Easter morning.  I'd love to say my children are so spiritually righteous that all they think about is going to church and celebrating the resurrection of Christ, but they were much more interested in peanut butter cups.  Normally we like to have the hunt on Saturday to avoid the conflict between a sacred Sabbath and a sugar filled holiday. But alas, it rained on Saturday night.  It almost rained on Sunday too, but we dodged that bullet this year.  So even though the kids woke up to bright beautiful candy filled eggs all over the house, they were forced to exercise a great amount of patience during our 3 hour block at church.  This lapse in time also required a great amount of faith.  Who knew if the eggs would still be there when they got home?! 

 Pretty sure there's nothing cuter than my Cannon boys in their skinny suits.  It's a toss up between the suits and my Cannon girls in their navy polka dots.  Love these cute little kiddos of mine.  They hate it when we take these pictures but I still love seeing the ones my parents took of us in our "Sunday Best."  It's a childhood rite of passage.  They'll get over it.  

Church was wonderfully spiritual.  I loved the hymns we sang and all the lessons we heard about Jesus Christ.  Such a wonderful time to celebrate our Savior and the life he led here on earth.   

When we got home, we were relieved to find the eggs were still hidden around the front yard. Everyone jumped back into their pajamas, put their bunny ears in place, grabbed their baskets and headed out the front door.  

Let the hunt begin!!

Liza had no idea what was inside the eggs but she sure had a lot of fun seeking them out and putting them in her basket! 

Our bunny can jump really high!

Unfortunately, we discovered that while we were at church the squirrels found and opened quite a few of our eggs.  They really like peanut butter cups but not so much the jelly beans.  I cant help but chuckle when I think about their tiny little hands opening up what seems to be the largest and most colorful "acorn" in history!!

All the eggs on the ground were for Liza and George.  Sadie and Jack's eggs were in far more challenging areas. 

Pick a winner Jack!

Good news is, there aren't any squirrels inside the house (that we know of), so all the indoor eggs were still intact. 

Cute Sadie! She still believes in a fluffy bunny hiding eggs around the house and yard.  I'm guessing this will be her last year of such imaginative folly and it kind of breaks my heart!

  

You have to work hard to get a Cadbury egg! 

Cliff hanger, both Jack and some John Grisham.

They love opening all their eggs and sorting the candy into different bowls.  I learned from my own childhood that it's best to put all the candy together at the end of the hunt so we aren't stealing treats from other people's baskets or claiming victoriously that one found more eggs than another sibling.  We are Switzerland and so is our chocolate!!

Liza wasn't allowed inside the sorting room because she finally figured out what was inside all the eggs.  MUCH too good for babies!! 

Muleshoe Bluebonnets

I've already taken some individual pictures of Sadie in the bluebonnets and now that Liza is walking I though this year would be a good year for her.  My camera isn't cooperating at the moment so most of these were taken with the iPhone. Most of the bluebonnets were under water this years with all the rain we've gotten.  We did find a beautiful patch on the way to Muleshoe bend on someone's ranch.  Liza was not really a fan but we made her stand in the field anyway.  These fields of blue take my breath away every year.  I was determined to make Liza love them as much as I do!  

She loved Daddy in this one! 

Siri in this one. 

And Sadie in this one.   

But after a while this photo shoot really started getting on her nerves.

  

We took turns holding her to calm her down and even got a few smiles. 

But this is how it really went down. Maybe next year she'll appreciate them more. 

Boys and bluebonnets.  They're with Liza on this one.  Couldn't care less!

Eno Anniversary

For our first wedding anniversary, I was 8 months pregnant with Sadie and not feeling particularly "romantic" and the least bit sexy for my husband of a mere 12 months.  We decided that because I was heavy with child, we should do something relaxing.  The San Diego symphony sounded like a good plan.  We got all dressed up (in whatever would fit!) and headed to the downtown theater.  The first movement of whoever they were playing was beautiful but it was so "relaxing" and warm in there, we both fell asleep.  Poor Chase had been studying like a mad man for his upcoming finals in law school and I was just tired from growing eyeballs, fingernails and hair follicles. We were both exhausted and woke up when the music finally stopped playing.  Upon awakening we groggily stretched in our uncomfortable folding chairs, cracked our backs while struggling to stand up and eventually stumbled out like a couple of drunk sailors. That first anniversary set the bar REAL high for future anniversary dates.  The subsequent years have involved simple dinners at restaurants or maybe a movie.  Nothing fancy and nothing ever too planned.  We learned the hard way.  

So when this anniversary came up we both had to keep reminding each other that it was fast approaching. We had just moved back into the house and were still putting away boxes.  The last thing I had time for was an anniversary!!  So the night before, I went downtown to see a friend's baby at the hospital and asked Emily (who was driving) if we could stop at REI.  I had an idea!!

I ran in, bought an Eno hammock and announced to Chase when I got home that we were going to hike to the greenbelt and snuggle in a hammock for our anniversary.  He was down, just like he always is.  It was the perfect date with my most perfectly agreeable mate!

The nice thing about Lost Creek on a cold evening in March is that there isn't another person around for miles.  We had the whole place to ourselves! 

We hiked down the steep hill and past this beautiful meadow (one of my favorite meadows in the history of meadows liked by Abby) and finally arrived at this still watered creek.

We had to document this moment with pictures because this place is usually SWARMING with people!  I don't even remember what we talked about in that hammock but it was an hour of uninterrupted Abby and Chase time with such a perfect view.  

After about an hour, we started to realize why we were the only ones around.  IT WAS FREEZING!  These Eno hammocks are pretty amazing but they aren't at all what I'd call "insulating."

Thank goodness we brought a blanket!

So I've said this before and I'll say it again.  I really do feel like in heaven there was lottery and I bought a ticket to win this guy when I came to earth.  The odds weren't in my favor because just about every other female spirit in the preexistence wanted to win him too.  And the chances of such an incredible spirit ending up with a "blah" one like me were pretty low.  But for some reason, I got him.  He's mine.  I certainly don't deserve him.  I'm reminded of this every day when I watch him with our kiddos and see their adoring faces light up when he walks through the door.  My face probably lights up the brightest, not because I can finally hand the screaming baby over, but because my very best friend is HOME!!  This year has been a tumultuous one.  And through it all, he has been my rock.  Everyone sees my happy face at church or social gatherings but this guy sees the tears, the mouth guard, the tampons, messy hair and smeared mascara.  He loves me through it all and I can't tell you how reassuring and safe that feels.  No matter how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking, he loves me for who I am.  And the best part is, I love him too. 

Happy Anniversary to my Chase and to me.  From a classical nap in a San Diego theater to watching the sun set over a chilly illustrious creek.  11 years with this guy and I'm still trying to figure out how I got that golden ticket.