So it begins....

In July 2013, we were asked to meet with President Maughan in the Stake Presidency. We didn't know him well. He was in a different ward. He asked that we be part of a three couple team to head the creation of the Stake float for the Days of '47 parade. The idea was kind of overwhelming but doable as we weren't mainly in charge. I attended the float preview party and some other meetings with people that build floats for a living. We continued living a normal life with the idea of the float somewhere in the back of our minds. Then in November 2013, shortly after Scott broke his foot, President Maughan visited us again. He asked us to be in charge of the whole float project and the other couples would be minimally involved, if at all. This became a much bigger task for us! Scott accepted the call with enthusiasm and I reminded President Maughan we were still considering moving. He said "ok" and we forged ahead. Things started to really weigh on our minds about this now. We had to have a design submitted for approval by March 1st. We got to work and this is what we came up with:

This is our second rendering of the concept:

Thanks to Ann Kofoed, our ideas became visible. Now comes the harder work...

Our Easter Best

Love the bowtie!

Egg Hunt and More...

I love our tradition of coloring Easter eggs at Grandma's in preparation for Saturday's hunt. This year we missed half more than half of the kids but did our best to color the DOZENs of eggs Grandma hard boiled. Watson's hair style is courtesy of Stratton in this picture. Stratton is his hero.

Watson was super excited to find more eggs than anyone else. Luckily, he didn't focus on that very long but just enjoyed running around with his favorite people, cousins. He and Stratton made a good time and worked well together.

The hunt for eggs is always a little tricky. The Easter bunny at Grandma's makes sure to mix in real eggs with candy filled plastic eggs. It's a little bit of a challenge to find them all but the kids do every year!

We always search for baskets inside Grandma's house. That bunny is tricky! Luckily, her house is small and the parents, kids, are persistent. 

Easter Sunday best, and vacation relaxation attire for the Hoopes' girls, captured on film.
Although I love these traditions that are fun, I do love to reflect on the miracle of the Savior's sacrifice and Atonement. Families couldn't BE if it weren't from Him. We couldn't be made whole if it weren't from Him. He is everything. I hope that remembering that always is a tradition I create with myself and my family.

Ahhhh, Spring!

It has been one heck of a whirlwind around here since February. Everything has been not normal with home improvements and house selling. But, Watson and I did squeeze in one Easter craft. We did marker watercolor easter eggs. They turned out colorful and fun. It was great to be just a little artistic together. Next year we will be back on track with some of our Easter activity traditions. But, look at that face...isn't he the cutest? Love him.