Happy Easter!

It sure was a nice and relaxing Easter weekend! We enjoyed spending time together as a family and participating in our Easter traditions. I think the only thing that would have made the weekend better was to have warmer weather. (Winter finally arrived this past week.) We still had a wonderful weekend though, despite the cold temperatures. We started off by making some Easter goodies and delivering them to ward members which we did between sessions of General Conference. Then we colored eggs while Daddy went to the Priesthood session.

The girls were very creative.....

When Dad came home we had ice cream sundaes which are a Perry family tradition, dating back to when Mark was a kid. You can't go wrong with ice cream.

This morning we woke up to a blustery and very chilly day - it was 19 degrees! It was hardly the weather for an Easter egg hunt but we figured that if the Easter Bunny could handle it, then we could, too! The girls literally jumped out of their beds before seven and were anxious to get outside and find their treasures!

Emma and Samantha weren't too phased by the fact that they were wearing their pajamas along with their heavy coats and gloves.

Hooray for the Easter Bunny for finding his way to La Grande! The girls were tickled with their discoveries.
We spent the rest of the day watching General Conference and snacking on the Easter goodies. Mark cooked a turkey so we had a delicious Easter dinner and then listened to the Tabernacle Choir concert on BYU TV. It was amazing and a perfect way to end our holiday! And....thanks to our very nice neighbors who helped the Easter Bunny find his way back to our house for a SECOND time! :) The girls were sufficiently spoiled!

Conference Weekend

I love General Conference. I look forward to it every spring and every fall.
It's wonderful to be able to stay in my home with my family and listen to the messages that have been prepared for us. I feel particularly blessed this weekend -- I feel uplifted and spiritually fed. Every talk was amazing and hit home to themes that have been on my mind lately. I love that a good deal of the talks given centered on family relationships -- how we can learn from one another, how we can look to our parents and how we can teach our own children. I was also grateful to hear a few of the Brethren talk about the Youth Programs of the Church. (I sure hope that my Young Women were listening and have recommited themselves to Personal Progress!) Most of all, I was drawn to Elder Ballard's talk on Mothers. I am so grateful for the mothers in my life, including each of my sisters and sisters-in-law. What a blessing it is to have so many wonderful examples to look to and to share my joys and burdens with! I love you!