I guess you could say we had a Good Friday Egg Hunt this year, because the Easter Bunny visited Friday morning. The kids found all the eggs in a matter of minutes and they were full of candies, trail mix and little toys.
Between the eight children in the house (and their Dads) the Easter egg treats only lasted a day.
Jackson and Kade ran through the house like bandits finding all those eggs. It was hilarious to watch.
Easter Sunday was busy but fun. By the looks of these almost picture-perfect photos, you would have had no idea the chaos that surrounded this moment. The day before, Neil and I got to attend the Saturday Afternoon session of General Conference and watch Dad Andersen give his talk. Following that, I rushed home to host a combined baby shower/birthday party for Julie and Grandma Bennion. The night ended with clean-up and more pre-prep for Easter Sunday dinner which we hosted for all the Andersens. Everyone is so good to bring food and help with everything, so it really was more fun than busy.
Looking at these photos makes me realize how incredibly fast these four are growing and changing. Grace has very much slipped into the role of "Mother Hen" over her siblings. She is always helping with chores and caring for the babies. I catch myself now and then mid-sentence as I am asking her to do one more thing. It's a habit to always ask her help because she is usually so willing. However, I want to make sure I am not ruining her childhood by slave-driving her. Kade has assumed the role of protector. He can get away with the same risky business, but if one of his siblings start to do something dangerous, he is quick to save the day!
Kathryn is our little peanut who is so stinking cute that she can get away with murder. It is so hard to discipline her because she looks at me with her huge blue eyes and softly says, "I sowee Mom," whenever she is in trouble. Christopher, our number four, has taken on the role of the "neglected child" by default of birth order. Sometimes he sits in his high chair or bouncer just waiting for me to play with him. Luckily, he has three older siblings who adore him and usually jump right in to make him laugh or soothe his cries while I help someone else. When expressing the guilt I feel about this, my neighbor told me, "Children grow on love. Whether it's from you or their siblings it's all the same." I think of that whenever I start getting hard on myself for not giving each of our children the undivided attention I wish I could. However, I am getting better at making a point each day to actually play with him instead of merely filling his needs.
Neil has been working so hard lately. As it often happens, he got so busy with work and family that he wasn't able to train as much as he wanted for the SLC half marathon. Still, he finished with an excellent time at an average pace of just over 8 minutes per mile. He's incredible.
Grace has been taking piano lessons from Grandma Andersen. Some days she loves it, and on other days she endures it. Overall, she is picking it up quickly and becoming quite creative with her music. One afternoon, I found her with her piano workbook open, hopping left to right on a long sheet of paper which she had drawn the notes of the piano on. She sang as she hopped to each note of the song. Lately, she also enjoys making up her own songs and recording them on the clavinova. It's so exciting to hear her very own "compositions" play back as she sings along.
Dad Andersen invited us to tour the Payson Temple with him and Mom before it was opened to the public. It was such a privilege to be inside such a beautiful temple. Neil and I agreed afterward that it is the most beautiful building we have ever been in. The paintings and murals were especially impressive to me.
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