Hoppy Easter...and more!

Easter weekend was absolutely gorgeous. We had tons of fun at my parents house having an Easter egg hunt.

It was so fun this year because Amaya was walking.  She's the oldest grandchild on the Clark side so the Easter egg hunt was basically just for her.  Unfortunately, all the adults (including me) ate her candy when she wasn't looking. Bummer.

My brothers pulled Amaya around the yard on this sled which she thought was hilarious.  She waved at us like she was riding a parade float. Maybe she will fulfill my lifelong dream of being a pageant mom.

Easter baskets

Amaya has been dying for a stroller for Baby Abby for months.  She likes to pretend household objects are strollers; things like laundry baskets, the diaper genie, or her baby's seat (below). I snapped the before picture on Saturday while I was Skyping with Dallas.  He told me I should just go get the stroller for her, I said that she had to wait and he said, "I feel like she is one of those starving kids in Africa and I can't give her food because it's not Christmas yet." haha. Thankfully Amaya only had to wait one day.  She's put some serious mileage on that stoller since Sunday.

Another great thing about any holiday? The candy! Amaya is chomping down on her first Peep and Oaklie is going to town on her Ring Pop.

In all seriousness, Easter is my very favorite holiday.  The beautiful spring weather this past weekend made me think about what a beautiful day it must have been when Christ was resurrected.  I am so thankful for Him and for His infinate Atonement, death, and Resurrection.

The photo below is by one of my favorite artists, Mark Mabry.

We had a wonderful Easter, but I can promise you that Easter next year will be ever better because Dallas will be home! Below is a portion of his Easter email.

Well, i wish i could write and tell you about all the exciting stuff has been going on and how busy I have been but I was raised not to lie.  I can tell you that I am staying busy with working out, reading, sleeping, watching movies and skyping.  There are pictures attached to show you all of these things. 

Also, in about 250 pages I can finally say that i have actually read the entire standard works. I still will have to probably take about 10 more classes on what the prophets were trying to get across in the Old Testament, but I have learned a lot and that is one thing that is a plus about deployment is that you have a lot of time to study the scriptures... I hope you all have a great Easter and that all is well at home. As bored as i am here, i do still think that there is a purpose for all of us that are here and I do not regret us being here. This was the goal of the united states in the beginning of the war. well at least i think it was. Each and every day the iraqi people continue to impress me on how much they have grown.

Since it is Easter, I would like to share my feelings with all of you about our Savior Jesus Christ. I am very thankful for the knowledge of him, for his Atonement, and for his Resurrection. In Carissa's easter package to me she wrote a note and added a scripture that I believe really sums up Christ role and importants in each and everyone of our lives. It is 1 Corithians 15:19-22. I love the phrase at the very end of verse 22 "in Christ shall all be made alive". That is very comforting for me to know that even if I am here in Iraq that it is such a small part of eternity and if I do my best and apply the Atonement in my life that i will live forever thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.

I really love my husband.

"I am one stomach flu away from my goal weight." --The Devil Wears Prada

We have had the stomach flu this week and after 4 pounds I can tell you it is NOT WORTH IT! Monday morning I got Amaya out of her bed, fed her and Oaklie breakfast, and went into their room to get their clothes for the day, only to find my rocking chair covered in puke. Apparently Amaya woke up in the night, vomited on my chair, then went back to bed.  Not a drop on her pajamas.  I guess she didn't want to be a bother.  We've been sick on and off all week.  I've been thrown up on more times in the past week than most people experience in a lifetime.  Fingers crossed we're almost all better!

Dallas sent me this:

Literally, he sent me this picture via Skype and told us to get feeling better. Aww..thanks Dal.

PS This is my 100th post.  Not bad considering my blog is only 2 1/2 years old.  I think I was supposed to include a witty list of 100 things, but I think I'll pass.