April

We've had some days where we feel inside out and backwards,

but we've still been able to amuse ourselves. (this one's new preference is throwing a variety of balls at a variety of surfaces. Two nights ago he was attempting to play basketball and the basket was the crock pot of chili. Thankfully there was no score.)

Van and I went attended Jesse's class presentation of 'Possum Came a Knockin'.  It was actually pretty funny. The girl behind Jess was a cat and very in tune w/ her character.  Jesse played an orff instrument. (i think!)

Van was too distracted w/ all the kids to be looking at the camera.

With the hope of being more intentional about our holidays we celebrated a Messianic Seder meal on Good Friday.  (For those of you that are experts, do not look too close at the details!) I learned some new things in prepping for this and the kids really  enjoyed it. Everyone participated and even Dennis agrees that this should be a new tradition.

Eggs. I tried something different this year. I hollowed out my eggs first. I didn't blow them, just cracked a small hole when I was using eggs and then rinsed them and let them dry. Then the kids painted and modge podged fabric to them. The fabric was way messier then I expected. But we were able to display our eggs longer.

Resurrection Sunday began with a brunch  at church and then an early dinner at Dennis' parents. Here the wind started to blow and petals from the trees blooms were flying through the air and they thought it was hilarious. Also, this really is the best shot.

 Mom Mom hid some eggs for the little ones and loved it.

We've had unseasonably warm weather and I am not complaining! It's been beautiful and all the kids are loving the outdoors.

This is my daughter's #1 love language. She leaves notes for me. I'll take it.

I noticed that Jesse was sitting still having breakfast so I grabbed my camera. This guy is growing up fast. He can be so helpful. Often he gets Vanden's breakfast and this is a big deal for me!

We have a new clown in the house. And yes, this was before I put my food in the pot. Yes I did rinse it first.

Last night Jesse and Den went to the farm so they could get up early to go turkey hunting. So after Beck went to bed we had mini cones on the stoop at sunset. This was after they both gave me a "show" as they call it. Which is basically unorganized silliness. Then we went inside and watched Pollyanna. It was a lovely way to end the day.

Easter

I love Easter. I love it. I was so thankful for a gloriously warm day yesterday.

Here's a keepin' it real collage of the kids in their Easter attire. One keeps his eyes closed, another only smiles after being threatened by her father, one keeps moving and the youngest looks high.

We had a restful afternoon and then later on Den's fam came over for a light meal and dessert. I put together an egg hunt including resurrection eggs (the girls are in front of a chart for it where they put the elements from the eggs) but the boys decided they were too old for it this year. What? Too old for chocolate? What's this world coming too? They would've rather played ball and they did.

We spent a good deal of time watching and wondering if the storm would reach us.

It did.

So we crammed inside and loudness and chaos ensued. The kids loved it all.

E's dress that I made this year.

Today was also beautiful and we had guests to enjoy it with. J stayed the night at his cousin's house. I need more pics of that boy!

Just in case these two are best buddies and either have a grad party together or get married, we are going to have plenty of cute pics for an awesome slide show. Just in case.

Easter Recap

We have had a wonderfully warm April and I've been enjoying every minute of it. Well, not the minutes at night where I'm laying awake because I'm hot...but every other minute. I really tried to do more with Easter this year since it is THE most important day EVER. If you don't know why email or call, we'll chat :)

So a week and a half before we started something that allowed them to earn candy for their Easter baskets. I got the idea here. Some year I'd like to do the tree she suggested, but we stuck with the jars this year. On Friday we made a completely yummy and totally unhealthy snack that I found here. The kids really loved this and seemed to grasp the concept as well.




We also made our own garden and empty tomb.

Of course we colored eggs. I was proud that this year I remembered I had a coloring kit stashed, and I found it, and we used it!

This warm weather has had Vman in heaven. He puffy hearts being outside but he is so fast you really have to watch him!

He also loves our random friendly farm kitties. (this is spike, named by across the street neighbors)

Easter morn included Easter goodies from Grandma and Grandpa and their earned candy of course.

There was an Easter brunch at church, then we stopped home to pick up some thing before heading to Den's mom's for lunch. This was my brief moment to capture a pic of the 3 of them. Not ideal. Still, they were cute. Thanks mom for the boys shirts! They were going to get short changed on Easter outfits this year. But I did make E's dress!

Mom mom's is a fun place to run.

It's even more fun when your cousins are there.

Of course J was running about but couldn't be caught for pics as he and the rest of the boys were busy catching frogs in mom mom's pond as well as playing football and baseball. V refused to nap as there were many other things he'd rather do like take 4wheeler rides with daddy and bulldozer rides with pop pop. I prayed for a warm Easter this year and by golly that prayer was answered!! Thank you Jesus!

Easter, etc.

We hope everyone had a lovely Easter. My tulips bloomed just in time to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.


First things first. I made E's Easter dress this year. Yes, I am proud. But really it was simple and fun. I even used extra fabric to cover a headband to match.


Our morning started out at a brunch at church. Don't you love the look I'm getting from my daughter?


How handsome is my V?



The picture doesn't really do it justice, but I put flowers on the cross in front of the church and I was really pleased with how it turned out.


J and his buddy Wes.


V was ticked with the the bunny he got from Grandma Linda.




We colored eggs Friday night.

Saturday was pouring, and friends invited us to go bowling. Let it be known that i still suck at it. Only twice, when I threw the ball did I NOT get a gutter ball.

But the kids loved it.

V has taken up singing with our microphone. It cracks me up that he know what to do with it, because there are no batteries in it.

One sunny day we took him outside and he just wandered around "talking" the entire time with hand gestures. It must have been something important.

One not so sunny day we had hail. This was one of the bigger pieces that Den heroically ran out to get for us.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

HE IS RISEN!! and you say??? That's right, He is risen indeed! (My friend T and I have a fun tradition of me stalking her by phone and saying He is risen and she responds. I just always loved the way she emphasized the "indeed" that it became a thing. Perhaps it's her Lancaster County accent. Don't hate me t)



The Thursday prior to Easter I filled in for another mom and helped in E's preschool class. She has been asking me to do this for a while now, and when I told her about it on Tuesday, she asked me everyday several times to make sure it was true. I did feel wanted as a mommy. So V and I went to her class and enjoyed observing her in that environment.



Her teacher brought and "Easter bunny" to class. Originally named Barnabas, it is now called Bun Bun after having babies :) E could have held her the whole time, she love love loves animals. (I thought all kids did, but there is a diff between the way her and J respond to them, since they were babies)


Everyone has a job for the month and for March she is the weather girl.



Whenever I ask her what her favorite thing to do in class is she says, "um... i like the painting."




My goofy girl with the bunny ears that she colored and cut and mommy stapled on crooked




Saturday we spent most of the day in our pj's. We read the Easter story (again) and put Easter stories on paper and colored, and then we colored eggs. I always love doing this. We did an egg for V too.





On Easter Sunday we went to church and then headed down to D's moms for lunch. I took a Lemon Velvet Tart. It was delicious!! But it was very rich, a tiny slice is all you need, which is perhaps why it's a cooking light recipe, tiny servings. Okay, I just looked it up for the link...NOT cooking light, it's Southern Living...makes sense.

Decked out in Easter gear.


V's first Easter, and he was looking mighty fine as this outfit matched his eyes perfectly, although the pic does not do it justice.



Yes, an egg hunt. Really I think I do it as an excuse to have some chocolate in the house.


E was not feeling 100% that day. We often found her snuggled up with somebody trying to rest. This time it was Uncle Dwayne.

For those of you looking for the details on V's development, as of last Tuesday he weighed 12.5 1/2 oz. He is 24 inches long. Head and chest have a girth of 15 inches. He is a growing, healthy, happy boy. He wakes up on average 2-3 times a night still and in the mornings I'm exhausted. But he brings us such joy. He is cooing and talking more and more everyday. (video to come) The latest thing I've noticed is that he is talking to toys. Below you'll see a yellow lion(?) that plays music. I caught him talking to it as if he was saying "please, will you play me a song?" In the other one, which was taken today, he was staring and cooing at the giraffe, "oh giraffe, you are so silly!" He's a great communicator :).