when easter falls on conference weekend

We kicked off our "Conference Campout" on Saturday in Grandma and Papa's backyard.  

I loved watching these two walk around hand-on-hand as they decided on where to pitch our tent.

The kids were super helpful in pitching the tent and getting settled.

Kevin was cracking me up with his tall camper socks.  He said,"All I need is my old scout shirt.  I'm sure my mom has it is in the house somewhere." 

Brooke then found herself the perfect reading spot...

Hanging out with Papa...

Then the cousins arrived and major tent hopping began...

Colby has never really wanted to hold Emery, but something changed this weekend and he kept asking to hold her. Maybe he was nervous before, but it was super sweet to see them together.  Emery definitely is the center of attention with these kids and she seems to love it.

First ever homemade campfire pizza night.  There was definitely a learning curve to the whole process, but it was so fun and everyone was in on the action.  I made all the pizza dough the night before and was pretty worried when it wasn't rising a whole lot, but it turned out really good!

A few pics of the deliciousness..

My favorite was the margherita pizza...

Chef Kevin, killing it :)  This is such a classic Kevin picture. 

Little Chef, always wanting to do whatever his Daddy does...

The weather was perfect, the food was yummy, and the kids played together for hours. 

Love this picture of Melanie and Emery matching in their purple tones.

We went to bed late, then woke up at 3 AM with an eager Colby who wanted to go check if the Easter bunny came.  He had the hardest time going back to bed and told me repeatedly that he "felt rested".  He drifted off probably around 4:30, then Brooke was up an hour later.  This is very unlike my kids, but I guess the excitement of it all was too much.  Kevin told her that she had to wait until the sun was up, at which time Colby was finally in a deep sleep.  And I just felt like a wreck all day. 

The Easter bunny came...

He brought my kids new pajamas, sidewalk chalk, growing kits, jelly beans, peeps, and a few other goodies :)

We had Rhodes cinnamon rolls, which were extremely delicious!

Then it was time for "the hunt."

Trying to get a picture of all the kids was tricky with Emery on the move, but I was able to get a few :)

My sweet babies, sick of pictures and ready to find some eggs!

Apparently we partied too hard!  It's a lot when Conference is the same weekend as Easter, but we love our traditions and we loved the chance to be uplifted by messages from the Prophet and his Apostles, spend time with family, and turn our thoughts to the Savior.