Easter: A Day of Peace (and a little pestering...see previous post)

Today was a dream Sunday. The day seemed to last long. There was time for everything. Time for church. Time for naps. Time for family. Time for games. Time to read family scriptures. Time to bond with our children. Time to talk with grandparents. Time to read. Time to clean up. Time to discuss Jesus and gospel topics with our children.

Sundays don't usually happen this peacefully at our house. It truly felt like time was standing still. It was a beautiful day. I'm not sure why we received this blessing, but oh, it felt nice.

(We did have a little bit of pestering of siblings, but when don't we?? However, a friend at church happened to mention a good remedy for the pesterer of siblings...make them do jumping jacks. Usually the pesterer just needs some exercise or something to do. Jumping Jacks get the body moving and the blood flowing. And around these parts, the jumper can't help but laugh while jumping. It seems to turn their mood upside down (from a pesterer to a delightful child). Go figure!)

Here's our picture from Saturday's egg hunt:

Words...

gullible: THE word for the week at the Hancock house, of which too many of us exemplify, to which others of us like to point that fact out.

Sure: "Mom, did you know that when Dad says, 'Sure' it means 'Yes.'" - Jenna

Tember: an act of pretending something that you want to remember. "Let's tember that this is that and that is this." (Still don't get the word...not to worry. You just have to know Jason. It's his word. He's said it for years...probably at least 3-4 years. He can't seem to remember the word "pretend." He has mixed up "remember" and "pretend" to make the lovely word, "tember." Use it in the place of "pretend" and you'll know how to use the word "tember."

Jumping Jacks: the repetitious act demanded by your parents when you can't seem to stop pestering your siblings. How many have YOU done today? Let's just say that certain Hancock children have done too many to count...today.

Spring Break Report (March 23-27)

The beginning of Spring Break found us wishing for the sun and getting lots of rain. Chad was still suffering from jet lag. (It took him about a week to feel back to "normal" and be able to stay awake in the evening.)

Gratefully, we had planned a trip to Great Wolf Lodge for the end of the week. So, the beginning of the week was spent "earning" the trip. The kids had to earn 50 points to "buy" their "ticket" (My neighbor, Sheri, made some "official" Great Wolf Lodge tickets). Earning the points, involved doing specific chores. The kids worked really hard (from a parent perspective: it was glorious!!!). On the Wednesday before the departure, everyone had earned their ticket. (Swoosh!)

We had a GREAT time at the Lodge. Chad had to work all Wednesday, so we didn't get there until 8:30pm. It was a HUGE hotel with an indoor swimming/waterslide park. They had little refrigerators in the hotel room, so we were able to bring our food. Our neighbors, the Hutchinson's, were also there, which added to the fun! Spending time with our family was priceless. We definately made some good memories!

We (ok, Chad) had this brilliant idea to bring our toaster and bagels to eat for breakfast. (Chad can't live without his bagels. Ok, he can live, just not as pleasantly.) The only problem: Julie forgot to pack the toaster! Raw bagels just aren't the same as lightly toasted bagels. Chad sacrificed and ate his first breakfast bagel...raw, cold. When we came back for lunch, Chad decided to drive to the local Walmart (about 10 minutes away) to buy a cheap toaster. The $6 toasters were gone (ugh!). He had to buy the $14 toaster (ugh!). Then, he got caught in construction traffic (he was in the same spot for 25 minutes!!). When he got back to the hotel, all his stresses were washed away as he ate his freshly toasted bagel with melting strawberry cream cheese. Some things are just worth the trouble. Now, we own a "travel toaster." Chad will never have to live with raw bagels on the road ever again.

April Fool's Day - a little late

It's time for me to play "Catch-up" on the blog...again.

On April Fool's Day, I sort-of lost my luster when Trevor's curiosity got the best of him. I had been hiding the Family Fun Magazine with the new ideas for April Fool's Day. Trevor had been warned to stay away from the magazine (he likes to browse it too) until after April 1st. Well, he just couldn't resist when he saw the magazine calling to him the night of March 31st. Temptation is a terrible thing!

We still pulled off one good "April Fool" with our grilled cheese sandwiches. We took them to a couple of neighbors. Our favorite response was: "Hey, why did you put frosting in the grilled cheese sandwich?" (The cake and frosting did have the appearance of a grilled cheese sandwich. Here's some pictures. See what you think:

Jenna must have learned about April Fools at Preschool. For 2 hours (yep, no exaggeration), I heard, "Mom, Do you want a cookie?" To which I had to reply, "Yes." (If not, she would repeat until I said, "Yes.") Then, she would giggle and burst into "April Fool's." Ha, ha! Tee, hee! Jason and I were excited when the boys got home from school so they could be the recipients of Jenna's joke.

Spiderman...Spiderman...Does What Ever a Spider Can...

Who needs Spidey when you've got Jason. I think the pictures tell it all:

Yeah, he made it to the top, went down the slide, and came back to climb. Again and again...

Mormon Holiday

Chad has lovingly deemed General Conference Weekend as the "Mormon Holiday." Mostly because regular Sunday meetings are cancelled...especially the "extra" Sunday meetings. You also get to stay in your jammies all Sunday...if you want.

There's just nothing better than sitting in your PJ's, watching and being uplifted by GA's while you build blanket forts, play legos, and color the apostle's ties with your children. That's where you'll find us at 9am-11am and 1pm-3pm tomorrow (ok, maybe 9:15 and 1:15...oh, the power of the DVR to rewind real time tv! This little luxury has become a necessity for my sanity. And no, we don't fast forward the music!).

We also can't seem to listen to Conference unless the TV's volume is at an all-time high. Maybe it's that we secretly want the neighbors to hear it. Maybe it's that we want to hear it, no matter where we wander in the house. Possibly it's the only way for the spoken word to sink deep within our souls. Or maybe it's just that loud so we can hear it over the ongoings of our children. I'm pretty sure it's the last "maybe."

Anyway, I was grateful for the messages of today and am looking forward to what I will learn tomorrow. Feeling the Spirit in your pajamas while surrounded by family and the apostles (on TV) is the tops.