Easter

Easter is such a wonderful season. I've really been focusing on and studying the Atonement lately. I've been reading The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister. Its been such a rewarding and humbling experience to learn more about and understand better the single greatest act that has ever transpired in human history. 

Being here in the Valley has been different because Good Friday is such a huge celebration. Growing up, I never heard people talk about or focus on Good Friday. I've pondered that a lot this week. I've decided that I'm even more grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints now than ever before. What I mean by that is I'm grateful that we know to focus on the Atonement and Resurrection as opposed to the crucifixion specifically. I would never assume to undermine the death of our Savior and the suffering that he experienced. But his dying was not the unique part of his life. We will all die, but because of his life and his resurrection, we will all live again, as he surely does now. 

We can also never be too grateful for the gift of the Atonement. Christ atoned for every sin, sorrow, loss, temptation. I truly testify that ANYTHING we experience, He has already done so. When we suffer, if we turn to Him, He will truly lift our burdens and ease our suffering. I fear that focusing on the crucifixion will almost misses out on the true miracles of what transpired during the week before Easter. I'm so grateful for my Savior, his perfect life, his infinite atonement, his death and his miraculous and life changing resurrection. I hope we can all remember all year round and not just on Easter. I'm grateful for the sacrament each Sunday to remind me of that great and everlasting Atonement.

Now, on to the Easter festivities. Kayla is obviously too young to understand much more about Easter than picking up eggs but I watched some church videos with Iosepa before we colored eggs and we talked a bit about Jesus and how wonderful He was. We had fun coloring eggs and making traditions. 

Last year, my mom sent Kayla a pinwheel for Easter. We got it out again this year and she quite enjoyed playing with it and blowing on it to spin it. 

Early this morning, we had a little Egg Hunt here at home. We've had a crazy work schedule so we weren't able to attend any of the hunts with friends, but Kayla still enjoyed herself this morning. About halfway through the hunt, she figured out that there was candy inside and would rather open the eggs than hunt them down. We kept having to distract her by pointing out more eggs. She did manage to get a couple pieces of candy in before breakfast. What are holidays for, right? :)

My mom sent Kayla an Easter card that played music and had Bambi on it. She LOVED it. She played with it all day and would bob her head to the music. I so love her appreciation of music. 

Brett's mom bought Kayla this precious Easter outfit. She wore it yesterday and today before church and got so many comments on how cute she was. 

Since Brett works every Sunday afternoon and evening, we always have our big Sunday meal before church. We didn't make any exceptions with the traditional Easter meal so we had a delicious ham, funeral potatoes, rolls, and green beans. The best part about it was that I got to have it again for dinner after church! 

We got Kayla into her Easter dress and took a few family photos before church. Sacrament meeting was wonderful with music and testimony of our Savior. It was truly a wonderful Easter. I sure love this little family of mine! I'm grateful that because of Him, we are together forever and can overcome the weaknesses of  the flesh. 

I fear it was too bright to get a smile from Kayla.

She sure loves her Daddy!

 Happy Easter from our little bunny to all of you!

Haley's Wedding

So, as promised, here is a post about Haley's big day! We were so happy to be able to be there for most of Haley's wedding celebrations. It was wonderful to see Haley go through the Idaho Falls Temple and then be sealed to Jon in the Logan Temple. I know that he is a good man, balances her out and that they are really happy together. I'm excited to see what the future brings for them. 

When I got to town, my mom and I threw Haley a bridal shower with our friends in Soda Springs. It was a great chance to see some wonderful people that I appreciate now more than ever. Its amazing how much influence so many people have on an individual. Many of these ladies helped shape me into the person I am today. 

I was also able to help with the wedding decor. Haley wanted a shabby chic look but was a bit short on supplies. So, I took it on myself to go antique shopping, something I've never done before. Antique shops are an interesting place. I found some really cool stuff I wish I could have brought home......and some really weird stuff. :) I was able to find some doors and windows to make everything come together a bit better. It felt nice to contribute since I'd been so far away for most of the planning. 

The morning of Haley's wedding, I got up at 5:30 to go to her hotel and do her hair. Yes, I'm really that awesome. ;) Their sealing was very early, so our day started off before the sun came up. Her hair turned out beautiful and I even had time to do my own before heading back to get Brett, Kayla and my Dad from my friends house that we stayed at. The sealing was really nice. I love the moments before a sealing when you look around and see so many family and friends all seated reverently in this holy room. There is so much peace that comes with the temple. 

After the sealing, I helped Haley get all prettied up again before heading out of the temple to be bombarded with well wishes, photos, and COLD. It was a pretty chilly morning. I'm not sure Kayla knew what to think of the weather! We took our photos, and then headed to the Blue Bird for a delicious luncheon. Again, it was great to sit and visit with family that we never get to see being so far away. 

That evening, after driving back from Logan to Pocatello, we had a beautiful reception with a yummy ice cream bar for dessert. I got to see and visit with even more family. Too bad there isn't a wedding every time we go home. It was sure a convenient way to squeeze in so many visits in a short amount of time! I am truly blessed with a wonderful immediate and extended family! 

After Haley and Jon headed out, we did some cleaning up and then went back to Brett's mom's house to crash. We all slept a very long time that night, including Kayla, thankfully!  It was a beautiful and memorable day and I was so proud to see my baby sister become a wife. I hope that she is experiencing all the joys that marriage allows. I personally think marriage is a whole lot easier than being single. :)

Here's a few photos from the big day. 

We ran up to hug them as soon as they walked out of the temple

Dad, Jon, Haley, Mom, Corey

Look at our handsome husbands! We Summers' girls did good!

The wedding party

Kayla wanted to help me make the sign for their Thank You picture

Our little family!

My friend Emily, who we stayed with the night before the wedding has the sweetest little boy I know. And Kayla agrees! She loves this boy! While we were waiting for Haley and Jon to do their pictures, we started playing music on our phones and Kayla was dancing to it with Noah. It was so precious how they kept running to each other to hug. I love these tender little moments. Not to mention that our little Kayla has some moves! I'll post a video of her dance skills soon. 

That is a look of joy, combined with bright sun, while on the hunt for her man! :)

The backdrop

Mom, Kayla, and Brett
Kayla was exhausted and really clingy throughout the day but still
cute and friendly!

The girls

Tossing the bouquet!

The cake!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Brett was the babies' favorite! My cousin's daughter Paige
decided she wanted Brett's attention and Kayla
wasn't too sure what to think about that. 

What a ladies' man!

My sweet cousin Tiffani and I!

The Getaway Car. They wouldn't tell us which car they were taking.
Luckily we picked the right one. And hid the keys to the other one,
for good measure. :)

Saying Goodbye to Mrs Dutton!

A Trip Up North

At the end of February, Kayla and I headed up North to Idaho for my sister's wedding (pictures from that to come on another post) and to see family. Brett joined us about a week later. It was a wonderful trip and I loved being with so many of our family and friends for a time. I got to see a lot of people I love, though definitely not all of them, and enjoyed a taste of winter. 

We got to enjoy Haley's birthday with her, my dad, and Jon. Her birthday is the day after mine. We went to dinner at one of my favorite places, Pizza Pie Cafe, and had cake at her place. Kayla got to help blow out the candles!

I met up a couple friends for dinner at Applebees. I love Applebees in Pocatello. It holds so many memories for me of college and friends. Marissa and Lynsi didn't know each other but we had a great time all together. It was the first time I'd seen Lynsi since her mission!

Kayla loved the winter weather! Here she is trying to bust outside. When we left for church on Sunday morning, big fluffy snow flakes were falling down and when I carried Kayla to the car, she stopped and pointed up at the snow saying, "OOOH!" My mom borrowed snow clothes and we took her outside to play but she just kept trying to eat the dirty snow. I loved having a taste of winter though. I have really missed having four seasons since we moved to the Valley.

Part of the reason I came out earlier than Brett was to help my mom throw a bridal shower for Haley. We had a lot of fun and a good turn out of our good friends from Soda. I made the cake out of cupcakes that were brownies on the bottom and strawberry cake on top. They were pretty delicious!

Kayla loved watching Aunt Haley open her gifts. She especially loved the popcorn bucket she got. She played with it most the shower. I was glad I was able to go home long enough to do this with my mom for Haley.

Kayla really loved playing with Grandma and Haley. She warmed up to everyone really well on this trip. I love how friendly she is! Everywhere we go she waves and says hi. While we were eating lunch in this photo, there was a table of older ladies playing cards next to us. They were playing peek-a-boo with Kayla and were loving her friendly disposition. I'm so blessed to have to such a happy baby!

When Brett flew in, my mom and I drove to SLC to pick him up. We stopped and saw Cheri and Camille and her kids for a bit and Kayla loved playing her with cousins!

On the way home, we stopped in Brigham City for MADDOX! I LOVE this place. They have the best fried chicken. We go to the drive up portion where they bring your food to your car. Its one of the places we always try to hit up while we're home. While we were waiting, Kayla got her turn at the wheel. :)

My mom is doing some remodeling on her house so Brett and I got to help her with some painting. I actually love painting rooms and I was glad we got to help out a bit. It was nice staying at my mom's house and getting to attend church with her and watch her and Kayla bond. 

The day after Brett arrived, we were able to go through the Idaho Falls Temple with Haley to receive her endowments. That temple will always hold a special place for us, since we were married there. I love the peace the temple brings. The world is crazy and loud and Satan works hard to distract us, but in the sanctuary of the Temple, there is nothing but peace. I especially love being there with Brett. Since Kayla's been born, we haven't been able to go as much together since we usually take turns watching her, but he will always be my favorite temple buddy. :) That being said, it was pretty awesome being there with my whole family. I'm so grateful for the temple and the blessings it brings. We had a late dinner after the session and headed to Pocatello where we stayed with RaeJean. 

The next morning, we got up early to start decorating the church for the reception. I was so glad Brett was there. He's always so willing to do anything he's asked to help out. He went above and beyond helping with the wedding stuff. He kept working while my mom, Haley, and I got pedicures! We must have pretty toes for the wedding. :) Afterwards, Brett, Kayla, and I headed to Idaho Falls again, this time to have lunch with my dear friend Jackie. It was so great catching up with her. We then headed to Rigby where we visited Community Care and got treats at the Caramel Tree. I love being able to see my old friends at Rigby CC. That job will always hold such a special place in my heart and memories and the people there will always be like family. We then stopped off at Channel 8 to see Brett's old crew. We really loved seeing everyone and only wish we had more time to see everyone we know! 

That night, we headed to Logan where Haley was getting married in the morning. We stayed with my good friend Emily. While there, Kayla found these crazy cool slippers that were as big as her. She could barely walk, but it was funny. I loved catching up with Emily and Kayla had fun showing off her dance moves and playing with Noah. 

After the wedding, we had a nice with visit with Grandma Renee. Kayla just about tore that place down, knocking over pictures but Great Grandma had lots of cookies and Kayla loved that! 

While in Pocatello, we also made sure to hit up Tastee Treat. They have the best soft serve ice cream on the planet. And their cones are huge, as you can tell. My friend Toni made the trip from Rexburg to Pocatello to meet us for lunch at Cafe Rio (oh how I miss that place) and then we took her to get ice cream. It was a great afternoon!

It may not look like, but Kayla did enjoy the licks of ice cream she got. :) 

She loved hanging out with Grandpa Kelly on this trip too. I think she may have remembered him from Christmas but either way, she sure loves him. 

We got to visit Grandpa Nip a couple times and it was great catching up with him as well. 

Kayla had fun playing on the swings at Grandma Jean's house. We also had a lot of great food while we were there. Kayla especially loved the chocolate covered raisins that Grandpa Tom kept sneaking her!

Grandma Jean and Kayla

Grandma Betsy, Grandpa Corey and Kayla

After being in Idaho and visiting lots of family and friends, we headed to Utah with RaeJean and Tom to spend a day with Rachel's family before flying back home. We ate lunch at Cafe Rio :) and had a fun afternoon together. We went to the park with the kids after they got home from school. Kayla was loving this car scooter thing they had. She was laughing the whole way to the park. She had a blast with Paige and Elizabeth, but especially liked Dallin. Poor Jake was sick and slept most the time so they didn't get to play together. 

We had a delicious dinner and then birthday cake for Dallin's birthday. We had a great trip and were sad to leave everyone but I was really glad to be home once we got here. Its nice to be back in a routine but we wish were closer to all our family. 

It was a wonderful trip, as always and we can't wait until we can head Up North again.