Randomness on an Easter Sunday

Seriously, this is totally random. And it has nothing to do with Easter. But we're home as a family enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon. And I wanted to catch up on just a few things we've neglected to share...

First, here's a wreath Karen made to welcome Spring. It's made of pussy willow branches. The flowering part of the plant feels like the soft fur of a bunny's tail. She wanted it on our front door but we had no way to secure it. So she settled for a closet door in our family room. I was impressed! :)

Second--a day in the life of Luke. He turned 18 months a week ago. He's quickly learning how to gain some attention in the family. He has a huge smile...

Knows how to give the cutest looks...

And then finishes with a little dance on top of the kitchen table. :)

Third...James lost his first tooth! He was enjoying a lifesaver Popsicle for the Family Home Evening dessert when it popped out. He was very excited.

Fourth: General Conference. We learned a little secret from the most recent Ensign magazine that some candy and a few select words will capture the attention of the young audiences. And it worked like a charm for us. Karen put together a bowl of candy and we came up with about 6 key words the kids could listen for. Whoever heard the word first got a piece of candy.

It kept them well-engaged. We changed the words each session. One of the words for the Sunday afternoon session was service. Dallin H. Oakes was the first speaker. Topic: Unselfish Service. We had to put a limit on the pieces of candy each child could have about 2 minutes into the talk. :)

Here's cute little Peter listening. And can I just insert in here how much I LOVE watching conference at home. I don't know how young families did it prior to satellite and the Internet! Kids stay in their pajamas, they're comfortable, they can take snack breaks or bathroom breaks at anytime, and Mom and Dad can relax. And everyone hears the Prophet's voice in our home. It's wonderful.

With all the trees near our home we can't get a good signal for the satellite so we've learned to live without. But Karen had the brilliant idea of hooking our computer to the TV. This also helped the kids be more involved since we didn't have to crowd around a tiny computer monitor. Plus, the more "lively" hymns gets our kids up and moving.

And finally...contagious laughter among the Christensen kids. Luke knows how to indulge an audience (and the older siblings know if they laugh they'll get a show). It's a win-win situation. I don't recall if this was a late snack or a poor excuse for dinner. But the entertainment was worth capturing.