Easter Day

This was just a lovely Easter. As you can see I had to make two posts about it becasue so much greatness went on!

Sunday after breakfast we got ready for church (2:30 church so we had a long time to prepare). I did Ava's hair in curlers again, and to keep her still this time we pulled out her new play-dough. She was a little unsure at first, but now loves it! After her nap we went out and took some pictures. Ava wasn't in a great mood and did not want pictures taken. We got a couple decent ones so we (I) can remember what her dress looked like this year.







Church was wonderful. I just love my relief society. We have the GREATEST teachers. I leave every week uplifted, inspired, happy, and ready to start fresh. This week focused on how the Savior can help us heal, and how MUCH our Heavenly Father loves us. The spirit was so strong, and I felt my Savior's love for me so strongly. I am so grateful that Jesus atoned for us, and knows exactly how to help us heal when we are down whether it is from sin or sorrow. If you can feel how much you are loved by Them, there is no way you can have a bad day. If you ask to feel His love, you will. That is something I learned on Sunday that I need to do more. Feeling loved can change your sadness into pure joy.

During the lesson I began to ponder my love for Ava and realized that is how much I am loved and looked after by my Heavenly Father. He loves every little thing about me, just like I still love Ava even when she makes a huge mess right after I have just picked up all her toys. He is willing to help us pick up our messes over and over, and will still think the world of us while he is doing it. He wants to comfort us when we fall down and scrape our knees. He wants to hear all about our days whether they were happy or sad. He loves to hear our voice. He loves every single thing about us because we are his children. Although it is probably not even comparable, thinking about how much I ADORE Ava helps me begin to see how much we as Children of God are loved EVEN though we are not perfect. Doesn't that make you happy? Isn't Easter great?

After church we went to the Downing's for dinner and another egg hunt. Lucky Ava got 3 this year! We had lots of fun and dinner was delicious as usual :) It is fun to see the family growing and having more LADIES added to the Downing household. That was pretty much the end of our Easter weekend. We had lots of fun, ate way too much candy, and at the end felt very uplifted and blessed.