Alex and Mariah: May 2011

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Easter 2011

Easter is such a wonderful holiday. The reason for celebrating along with fun activities and wonderful family make it one of my favorites! I got the entire weekend off and it was fantastic! Jackson, Kellsi and I headed to Delta Thursday afternoon. That night we just played cards. Friday morning we went to the sand hills and played for a bit, and then had lunch at the park. Jackson wasn't too sure of the Sand "boons." He kept getting sand in his eyes. But, he loved the park! After the park, my cousins and I had a craft day at my Grandma's house. It was a lot of fun to visit and craft. Later we colored Easter eggs and then Alex made it into town.
Saturday morning was the Easter egg hunt! Jackson was pretty excited! But, as it started Jackson was a little slow picking up eggs. So, Alex "encouraged" (kind of yelled, but he said he was just encouraging :) and Jackson got mad. So, he sat on the ground and cried. Little Stink! He did get some eggs though and even won a prize! Once he discovered the candy in the eggs and his prize he was happy again! After the egg hunt we headed out for our picnic. We went to a really neat place that is an old volcano. It was fun, although a bit colder than I would have liked. Then, everyone went back to Delta for the softball game. Alex loves the softball game and although he didn't get any home runs this year, he did very well! Saturday night we played cards and chatted and then went to bed so the Easter bunny could visit :)
Jackson was so funny when we woke him up. He was pretty excited to see all of his toys and treats! He got a special egg with a special message, but that will be in another post!

Sam at the sand dunes

Sam and Kellsi dragging Jackson to the top!

Coloring easter eggs

Cheese! He laughed and laughed at this egg with a face on it!

I think this picture is so funny. He wasn't mad, but he sure looks angry!

So excited for the egg hunt!

A little sad :(

Give him some candy and the smile is back!

Easter bunny was very generous!

He loves Woody!

Trying out his new Buzz chair

So handsome and all spiffed up for church

Sunday morning we went to my Aunt's ward where they did an Easter cantata. I just love music and feel like it is the best way to celebrate such a wonderful occasion. I am so thankful to my Savior Jesus Christ for the things he suffered so I can be forgiven and live with Him again. I am so grateful for the chance to celebrate His ressurrection and to focus on Him. I hope that I can strive to be more like Him and to take full advantage of His atonement.

Sam's Surprise Sweet 16!

My lovely sister Sam turned 16 in April. So, I decided we needed to throw her a surprise party! It was a lot of fun to plan and the party turned out really fun. Sam, as most people know, is a New York Yankees fanatic! Since we couldn't take her to New York, we brought New York to her. The entire party was New York themed. We ended up having to move the date of the party last minute because of a last minute change to her softball schedule. It was pretty stressful, but it all came together in the end.
Sam showed up with her friend after her softball game. She was completely surprised! About 25 people came so she walked into a full house. After visiting for a bit we split them up into three groups and then they rotated through the games. One game was Cash Cab. Kellsi wrote entertainment and sports questions for this. They all did pretty well and seemed to think it was fun. Another game was New York Yankees. They had to stand on home plate and throw baseballs into buckets placed on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bases. This turned out to be harder than I thought. The last game was 5th Avenue Shopping and was probably the most fun! They had to put on high heels (boys included) and run to different stores. They had to buy a diamond ring at Tiffany's, a purse at Prada, and a shirt at Saks 5th Avenue. The boys were such good sports! They were very competitive and were so funny with the high heels. Only a couple of girls refused to play so overall it was a lot of fun!
After the games we sang happy birthday and then had food. For food we had New York Pizza, New York Hot Dogs, New York Cheesecake, cupcakes, and chips and drinks. While they ate we had a Broadway LipSync. Sam's friend Nicole was hilarious! She was by far the best singer! At the end of the party we gave everyone I heart New York t-shirts! Thanks to my good friend Lisa B, who picked the shirts up for a killer deal while on vacation!

The party was a lot of fun. Sam has a lot of fun, cute friends and they made it a success. I am so lucky to be Sam's sister! She is beautiful, funny, talented, and smart. I just love her to pieces! Happy birthday Sammy Pammy!