An egg-cellent weekend

Pardon the pun in the blog title, but I thought "Happy Easter" was a little too generic for today. :) We did have an excellent weekend, however. Andrew and I, along with his sister Becka, her husband, Jared, and their daughter, Mya, went with us to the City Creek mall for the first time since it opened a couple weeks ago. Yes, I know City Creek is now old news, but we weren't too keen on going when it first opened because of the ridiculous amount of people there.

Of course, there was still a ridiculous amount of people there and probably will be for months, but it was beautiful and lived up to all the hype. I honestly felt like I'd left Utah and was walking around a much bigger city. We went into Tiffany and Co. (still not sure why there's one in Salt Lake, since I don't know anyone who could afford jewelry from that store), Rolex and a bunch of other stores we will probably never go into again, but the sun was shining and it was nice to be outside. Mya really liked the fountains.

Then we walked around Temple Square for a few minutes to see the beautiful tulips, and I got to wear my new colored jeans again. I know it sounds weird, but I've been wanting a pair for a while and after an ill-fated trip to H&M in which I couldn't get a pair of skinny jeans over my ankles (Andrew had to remind me that it's the PANTS, not my body, that are the problem), I was SO EXCITED when I finally found a pair at Macy's that were a) long enough, b) not skin-tight and c) stretchy but not so stretchy that they look like leggings. Yay for finally finding the perfect pants! :)

Then we came back home and dyed Easter eggs a few hours later. Mya was intrigued by the dye, but she only spilled it a few times and had some colorful fingers. She also liked drawing on them with the wax crayon.

We also tried dyeing eggs with silk ties, with the tutorial I pinned here, and discovered that you have to choose silk ties/scarves that are printed on both sides, because otherwise the pattern doesn't transfer. But here's a look at the rest of the eggs. They turned out pretty cool. We're already planning what to do next year!

Can I just say how much I am LOVING the new lens we got? We've actually had it for almost a year, but I've been experimenting more with it lately because I love the soft focus it gives pictures. The first one of Mya looking over the egg cups is my favorite. I need to take more pictures -- but it's much more fun to take pictures of kids. Can't wait until we have our own. :)

Of course, no Easter post would be complete without a picture of traditional dyed Easter eggs.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Andrew and I read the story of the Savior's crucifixion and resurrection in Matthew and John this morning, and I was again struck by how much He loves all of us and how much He wants us to return to Him and to our Heavenly Father. One thing that often sticks out to me is that He healed the ear of the centurion who had come to capture him and take him to be judged. He knew that He was about to be scourged and suffer on the cross, but He had the compassion to heal one of his captors. 

If He can heal those who betray Him, what can He do for me? He is always there and is always aware of me. I am grateful to be a part of a church that bears His team and helps me to draw closer to Him. May you all feel His spirit, especially at this wonderful time of year.