General Conference, Easter Weekend, and General Authorities

General conference just might be the most highly anticipated weekend of TV watching we enjoy all year long!

Well, most of us anyway. 

Everyone stays close together and close to the tv all weekend long.  There is so much to learn and such high hopes for the temple announcements!

Not pictured, our five sweet missionaries who joined us for the final session. "Our beloved prophet, Russell M. Nelson" lives on! 

But of the 21 new temples announced, Iowa was not on the list this time around.  But we have it on very good authority that President Nelson intends to announce around 20 new temples every six months, so the odds are most definitely in our favor!

Also, Laney slept through this beautiful sunset.  This spring was weird- loooooong and cold.  Beautiful sunsets helped on even the most miserable of days. 

 We had a snowy Easter Sunday!

Complete with all of our favorite Easter traditions, including egg dying (thanks to Grammy Q!), 

egg hiding, and egg finding.

Green grass, brown trees.  Spring is getting closer!

Resurrection rolls are the tastiest way to remember the empty tomb. 

Our stake had a beautiful Easter concert this weekend- Daddy and I had to zoom back from Kansas City to get there in time, but we made it and Leah, Daddy and I loved being in the choir.  Emma, Noah and Adam have done a great job supporting us over the last few months of practice by holding down the fort on Sunday afternoons. 

The Monday morning after Easter we had to say "see you soon" to Grammy Q, and that evening Daddy and I got to participate in a small FHE with Camille N. Johnson, the former church General Primary and soon to be General Relief Society President.  I wish our kids had been with us, but we told them all about the message she shared about focusing on our Savior.  

We enjoyed learning from her again the following day at the Iowa Religious Freedom Day.  And just last night (mid-May), Leah and I met with and learned from Joy D. Jones, another former General Primary President.  We waited (twice!) to greet her and it was so powerful to see her look Leah and Sarah in the eyes and encourage them to keep shining their light.

We have been blessed with an abundance of counsel and love from general authorities in recent months.  Not pictured, stake conference with Elder and Sister Ames from Liberty, Missouri.  We have been so encouraged as we've shared our desire to bring a temple to Iowa.  It is so exciting to hear that it is going to happen, maybe not at the next general conference but the day is getting closer!