Easter Weekend- Part One

All of BJ's family got together for Easter weekend up in Clovis, California. We had a blast together, hanging out, cooking, playing outside, playing games, celebrating the holiday and watching movies. I had been daydreaming about Ellie's first Easter for a while; impatiently waiting to see her hunt for Easter eggs and tote around her very own Easter basket. Clovis was an idyllic backdrop for the occasion. BJ and I fell in love with this Idaho-feeling, California-weather town. There's something about the idea of raising a family with some open space around you that seems very Little House On the Prarie. I wish there was some way we could get ourselves up to Clovis for good, and then maybe we'd have chickens, and land, and a swimming pool in our backyard too. But as luck would have it, I think we're Orange County-bound for a while, and I'm o.k. with that option too.

These photos are from the Easter egg hunt that we were invited to on Saturday. These folks in Courtney and Jeremy's (BJ's sister and brother-in-law) ward host this event every year. They are the "salt of the earth" kind of people. We were the last ones to leave. It was a happy night. Ellie was mesmerized by the whole thing.

Ellie's basket became so full and heavy, and the ground was so uneven anyway that we carried her basket for her. She loved opening her eggs and looking to see what she got. Her favorite found treasure was a clear, rubber, bouncy ball with glittery stars inside. It entertained her and the boys (aka my husband and his brothers) for most of the afternoon.

BJ's mom is known as "Sweetheart" to her grandchildren, and for good reason. She spends oodles of time playing with Ellie, and Ellie adores her. I was deep in conversation with my sisters-in-law and a friend we had just made, so JaLayne roamed around with Ellie showing her the chickens and chirping birds. Ellie got an absolute kick out of the game of chase that the lamb and dog were playing. While JaLayne was holding her I was able to take some pictures. I didn't want this outing to end.

Oh... Clovis. I wanna go back.