Journal Easter Sunday April 11, 1982 (Kristen 3, Amy 21 m.)

"I've felt so good for a change this last few weeks. It's like a new life in a way. All at once I have a lot more time and I feel good enough to take advantage of it. I spend more time with the kids- reading stories, singing songs, drawing. I'm much more patient, happy etc. I must have really been a grouch. We've started having really nice bedtimes with stories, singing and a small lesson and the kids have started saying their prayers. I've got Kristen making her bed and dressing herself every morning. She picks up the living room every day at lunchtime and both she and Amy help set the table every night. All things we should have been doing before but I was either too busy, tired, or sick.

I'm catching up on my Old Test. reading, I read a book on child raising, and a book on marriage. I've got the first 2 years of our family history finished. I did nearly all the mending, and I made Kristen an Easter dress. It's great to finally get to these things. I feel a real urgency to get certain things done before this next baby comes. I want to get all caught up on my Old T. reading and my Thousand Years books, and my Ensigns. I want to get our family history all up to date. I want to do my own personal scrapbook. I want to work on a family file with articles I've liked on raising an LDS family. I need to do a food recipe file from all the things I've cut out. And I want to do some sewing for Kristen for the Fall. I want to get a lot finished before it gets unbearably hot around here. I plan to spend most of the summer floating around in the pool with the kids and teaching them to swim. Maybe I'll even try sewing out on the patio.

We're enjoying Easter. Mark and I decided maybe we'd try to divide up the secular and spiritual sides of Easter to help the kids understand the difference. So Saturday we colored eggs and took the kids next door to Watsons and came home and played Easter Bunny. Watsons brought the kids back and watched while the kids looked for eggs and their Easter baskets.

This morning we got up and had eggs goldenrod, bacon, cinnamon rolls, and fresh orange juice for breakfast. Then we spent the morning enjoying each other as a family. Then in a few minutes we'll go to church. Afterward, we've been invited to have dinner with Uncle Larry and Aunt Connie - then we'll come home and have family night and talk about Jesus and the resurrection."