Easter Week: Day 2, Cleansing the Temple

Here are some promised activities for today and some from yesterday since I didn't list any. These are mostly for preschoolers (since most of you don't have teenagers yet):

• Go on a nature walk with your children. Instruct them to find a variety of objects that are significant to the Easter story. For example, have them find a branch to signify the palm branches cast in the Savior's path as he rode a donkey into Jerusalem; a thorn to represent the crown of thorns Jesus wore on his head; a piece of wood to signify the cross to which Jesus was nailed; a rock to represent the stone rolled away from the open tomb; and so on.



• Choose both a Resurrection hymn and an Atonement hymn to learn during the week.



• Make a story line of pictures to display on your wall, mantel, or bookshelf as a visual reminder of the Easter story. Each day add a new picture that corresponds with the events of that day; or display the entire Easter story in pictures at once. Try using pictures from the Gospel Art Kit or pictures from various issues of the Ensign.

Celebrating Christ's last week on earth

Easter is my favorite holiday, I love it more than Christmas!

I love it because it is in the spring and I so look forward to spring after a cold and dreary winter (esp in UT).

I love it because it symbolizes the Savior's Resurrection and the hope of new life.

I love it because Easter is always close to my birthday (I've even had Easter fall on my birthday a few times and I was set apart as a missionary on Easter Sunday 2002).

I love it because there are tulips everywhere on Easter and I love tulips!
There has been a lot of discussion on how to make both Christmas and Easter more Christ-centered. With that in mind I found this wonderful book last year:I bought it for $10.78 at Sam's Club. (They may have it at WalMart for that price too, the UT WalMarts that is :) It is worth every penny. So many wonderful activities for children. Last Easter Charles and I put together an Easter skit with 6 of our nieces and nephews. They loved it, we loved it!Definitely a new family tradition!

We also read the Easter story in plastic eggs as we ate our Easter dinner. I HIGHLY recommend buying this book!

Here is a brief preview of some day-by-day activities to celebrate Easter week:

Day 1-Palm Sunday, Jesus' Triumphal Entry. Scripture reading: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-36.

Day 2-Monday, Cleansing the Temple. Scripture reading: Matthew 21:12-18; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48.

Day 3-Tuesday, Parables and Teachings. Scripture reading(spread out over the next 2 days): Matthew 21:19-26:16; Mark 11:20-14:11; Luke 20:1-22:6; John 12:37-50.

Day 4-Wednesday, Rest in Bethany.

Day 5-Thursday, The Last Supper and Jesus' prayer and Agony in Gethsemane. Scripture reading: Matthew: 26:17-75; Mark 14: 12-72, Luke 22:7-65, John 13:1-18:27.

Day 6-Friday, Jesus' Trial and Crucifixion. Scripture reading: Matthew 27:1-61; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 22:66-23:56, John 18:28-19:42.

Day 7-Saturday, The Jewish Sabbath. Scripture reading: Matthew 27:62-66; Luke 23:56.

Day 8-Easter Sunday, Jesus' Resurrection and Appearances. Scripture reading: Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-12; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-23.

Okay, that's just the scripture reading but maybe I will post some activities everyday this week.

Happy Palm Sunday!

On your marks, get set, run for a cure!

This morning the 3 of us ran the Rex Lee Run 5K. Azure wasn't too happy about it but she survived. Thank you to the Birks who let us borrow their jogging stroller!

It was pretty cold but luckily didn't snow during the race, only afterwards. I didn't do too bad for not training at all and having to stop a few times to calm Azure down. (Oh and by the way Azure was feeling lots better so that is why we decided to run with her.)

After we had finished, we saw my cousin David who had also ran the race, it was the first time he had seen Azure so it was good to see him.

T0day we also said goodbye to Evelyn who was here visiting for her Spring Break. We are always glad to spend time with her!

The joys of motherhood

I thought we were in the clear for passing up all the winter sicknesses, but alas Azure caught something sometime last week (or the week before). I guess that happens when you stick EVERYTHING that you see in your mouth.

Fortunately it's nothing serious like RSV, it's just your common cold: fever, runny (and i do mean runny) nose, a slight cough, and crazy knot-like lymph nodes. So, as you can guess weaning hasn't been going very well since I need to keep her hydrated and she's still having issues drinking out of the cup. And I also didn't want to deny her extra antibodies to fight off the virus.

I realized after holding her for an extended period of time that she

wiped off her snot on my shirt and I found several scratch marks

on my chin and neck from "frusterated sick attacks". You gotta love this!

All in all she hasn't been TOO irritable and has been having fun learning to climb up the stairs and continues to pull herself up onto everything.

Close up of those two teeth, she still just has those bottom two.

Musically Inclined

Okay, most of you know I don't watch TV and neither do I get addicted to shows but I have been watching American Idol (not religiously though) mostly just because I like singing and performing. So, I've been thinking about what songs I would sing if I were on and here is my list.

Come on Eileen (Save Ferris version)
Does he love me I wanna know? (NOT the Cher version)
Bubbly, Colbie Caillit
I've got my love to keep me warm, Ella Fitzgerald
Who will save your soul, Foolish Games or You were meant for me, Jewel
Fotographia, Nelly Furtado and Juanes
Tell Him, Lauryn Hill
Fallin' or If I ain't got you, Alicia Keys
Any man of mine, Shania Twain

I'd like to know what songs you would sing?

Quirky Tag

Martha tagged me awhile ago and I never got around to it and I need a new post, so here are some of my quirks.

1) I tremble when I get really excited or when thinking about a potential exciting conversation and shake my hands. I've done this ever since I was about 4 or 5 and most times would do it with a pencil in my hand. My dad I think noticed it first and thought I would grow out of it, but I still do it to this day! It's pretty embarrassing when I get caught in the act because to others it looks like I'm crazy, really!

2) I constantly crack my right pinkie on the side of my face. It's really crooked after years of doing this.

3) I also crack my hip usually before going to bed by kicking my leg up into a kickboxing move.

4) When talking about things that are in close proximity to me I usually point to it.

5) I also "wag" my tongue when I'm excited too.

I tag Julie b/c she likes to be tagged and anyone else that would like to.

Moving on to solicited advice

To prepare for our Hawaii trip in 10 weeks without Azure I have started the process of weaning. She was nursing about 5-6 times a day with 2-3 solid food meals. This past week I've read a lot on weaning and decided to cut out the "unnecessary" nursing sessions which translates to nursing solely for comfort.
We've dropped down to about 3 nursing sessions now: in the morning, nap time and bedtime. I'm grateful the Lord has answered my prayers and fast about this and that it's going more smoothly than I anticipated. In all honesty though, this is hard on me emotionally. It means Azure is growing up and that our special bonding time is coming to a close. I know that we will be able to bond in other ways but I will miss offering her that comfort when she needs it.
Yesterday she fell trying to balance herself on the wall and bonked her head. When I picked her up to console her she immediately tried sucking on my chin!
Before I had Azure I wasn't sure how I'd feel about nursing. And when she was born it was tough, as it usually is for every new mother. I had lots of mixed feelings and looked forward to the day when she would be weaned! Now that that time is nigh I am nostalgic. Nursing has been one of the most precious experiences of motherhood thus far for me.
So, I'd like to open a forum of discussion and solicit your advice on what has worked for you in the weaning process (bottle or breast) and invite you to share your stories/memories on ending this stage.