Category: Family Time

Easter Snapshots

I have a glimpse of family life for your reading pleasure? today.

We saw my parents and extended family on Saturday for my Mom’s Easter egg hunt, then came home to welcome Tim and Queenie who spent the night at our house. Richard mowed the lawn for the first time this season on Saturday evening, and the lawn, blossoming trees, and tulips are beautiful. We stayed up late that night talking to Tim and Queenie about their adventures. Queenie will complete her bachelor’s degree this month and Tim is busy helping his friend Josh build a house and has some stories to tell about being a property manager. They made a trip recently to Arches National Park and Goblin Valley, which were firsts for Queenie.

We had a freeze a few nights this week, and Richard protected his apple tree blossoms with a tarp and heater.

We had our middle kids with us on Sunday. Add to the energy and events of Easter weekend the four sessions of general conference, which we watched while eating cinnamon rolls, Chex mix, and peanut M&M’s. We also visited Daniel and McKenna’s newly remodeled house where they will live after Daniel graduates this month.

Although we didn’t get a complete family picture this Easter weekend, we almost had one on Sunday during a video call. Richard played with filters to delight our grandson.

In my excitement to be with my kids and extended family, I oversupplied them with desserts. After our Easter feast on Sunday, we read passages of scripture around the table to complete our long tradition of opening eggs which hold tiny objects and scriptures. Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Richard!

We celebrated Richard’s birthday this week. We love the way he gathers our family on vacations and takes advantage of every minute. I’m thankful for his kind and gentle parenting of our children and his delight in our grandson. He works hard in a difficult field and I’ve noticed that he takes a lot of calls from people who need his expertise. He also gets calls from people who want his advice on ATVs and he’s the navigator when his friends go on 4-wheeler rides. He is a planner and an engineer, through and through. He has a church calling that demands a lot of time and self, and in this service, he shows us what it looks like to keep covenants with God. We love him!

Sanchez homecoming party

My parents are getting settled after their mission. Today they spoke in church about their experiences and then we gathered in their home to enjoy a meal. The young cousins (not pictured) joined one another in the usual arrays to play while adults settled into conversations long overdue. Sunlight reached inside to illuminate a very nice family gathering. My parents are themselves, and more tender and refined because of their missionary service.

The best part of our day

Timothy, Christmas 2004

The best part of each day lately is when Richard and I sit down to watch an annual family Christmas video. We have made these videos since 2003, so if we want to see them all before Christmas, we begin early. They feature our kids’ performances, piano pieces, and sometimes lip syncs to Christmas songs. They end with a slideshow of the year’s photos put to music. They were originally intended for the grandparents, but as the years pass, they probably bring the most delight to us.

We are working on the 2025 installment. There is always a story to tell about family.

Here is a part of our 2014 video:

2014 Christmas

20-83 extra hours

This is a figure I saw this weekend of the number of extra hours of labor that women take on during Christmas time. This seems accurate to me.

I have never wanted to cultivate resentment about the effort it takes to create some extra Christmas magic. When the kids were younger, this meant I tried not to hurry them as we created simple traditions. When they were teens, the magic came from devoting our lives to support their dance and musical performances. When our adult children can’t be with us, I adjust my expectations and send packages.

Whatever is required of us this Christmas, I know that we can take inspiration from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. He showed us how to love and serve.