Easter Blessings

Today has been a very depressing way to spend Easter.  Carlee has been so sick we almost took her to the emergency room.  In our quest to keep her fever down, the medicine has completely messed with her sleep cycle.  We have been inside all day.  It hasn’t been the good inside where you watch tv, read, and relax.  Its been the- inside where the baby cries and you think about hitching a ride with the first car that passes your house- kind of day.  

We have still had some highlights this weekend.  I just hope we can get healthy for a better Spring Break.

Spring Break-  Special Party

This week was Mrs. L.'s last week.

While we are sad to see her go, we are happy we will still see her at school, and that Mrs. E. is coming back to finish the year.

Mrs. L. has been a wonderful support system and teacher.

We made a special book for her.  Each child picked a button and wrote about their favorite time with Mrs. L.  We used the buttons to make a necklace.  There were so many great memories.  Then we had a surprise breakfast!

pink button

yellow button

green button

button necklace

Mrs. E. helped with the surprise breakfast.

Doesn't she look great?

The Teddy Bear Sleep Over

One of my favorite times is the stuffed animal sleepover in first grade.  Students bring their animals and then let them spend the night.  Boy do they get in trouble over night!

Connor was sick the first day, but I left his pet stuffed snake for him so that when he was able to come back the next day..... he could see first hand the naughty behavior.

Look at C's pet snake?  He slithered up to the Smartboard monitor.

I bet he was responsible for writing this, blame it on the bears.

Fun Day-

Darren needed to look for glasses in the big city, so we messed around at the mall and had a fun day!  

Fruit Park

 I told Connor he was WAY TOO BIG for the little park, 

but what do you know

...there he goes down the little celery.

banana step 

C. riding the "limo" on the carousel like "Ric Flair".

Look at those sweet, short legs!

Oh Howdy, did someone LOVE the carousel!

Yipeeeeeeee.

This is great fun mama.

Egg Hunt where I actually got to meet.....

 The Tasmanian Brothers!!!!

BEWARE

If you dare go in the ring with us

we gonna' make you sweat .... 

(and that is from just chasing us)

We are a stylin', profilin', limousine ridin'.....

you get the picture.

We may be good lookin' ....

but we gonna' make you cry...

with our famous Taz Rex Claw!

Do you feel the pain?  

Just give up now.  

The wind from our muscles is enough to scare our opponents.

Egg Hunt Time.

(I tried to make it easy for you girl.)

 Building a Homemade Scaffold Match-

I handle the reading and dad handles the....

scaffold match??

Connor really loves to watch the older wrestling (80s)- which is great because everyone isn't cussing and half naked after the first hour.

So he and his dad made a really cool scaffold match. 

Complete with dad's OLD wrestlers.

 Glitter Eggs

Can someone ask me why I just didn't get normal Easter dye?

Do you see all these steps??

Are you kidding me?

We went for it.

I'm pretty sure we had dye from one end of the kitchen to the other.

Don't ask me how.

We just have a talent for being reckless.

Connor's face after I put apple cider vinegar in the dye instead of white vinegar.

Hey, I ran out.

Now for the Glitter!

Messy Hands

This is how they turned out.

(just kidding)

This is how they really turned out.  

We used all the glitter on two whole eggs.

The we went for an egg hunt.

Connor hid the eggs first, 

but then he wouldn't let me find them.

He found them.

I just didn't ask questions.

  Special Delivery

Poor Peanut didn't care about her Easter basket.  

Very sick baby.

We didn't wear our Easter gear this Sunday.

  But the second we all feel better, we are dressing up and taking a picture!

I don't care if its to go to the grocery store.

Looking at these pictures,

 I am thankful for God's blessings of friendships, family, children, health, and laughter.

The Greatest Love Story

I have a weakness for love stories.  One of my favorite stress relievers is a bar of chocolate, a blanket, and a paperback love novel.  I don’t care if its a beautiful sunny day.  I can totally stay inside, get under the covers, and read a book.  My favorite is the love story between hero and heroine who have a past.  Couples who have once loved and unforeseen circumstances caused them to them to grow apart or be apart, when lo and behold they happen to reconnect years later as singles.  As hard as they try they can’t resist each other.  The love is too strong, the passion burns, the connection is like no other..... 

In real life, I’m more of a realist.  Darren actually complains because I'm missing a romantic bone.  I’m not one to plan a private dinner, or hold hands, or talk lovey, dovey.  I’m totally Patrick Swayze “ditto”.   I have to work at it.  Besides in real life  if I looked at my husband and said something from a book like “Oh my darling’ your love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes me reach for more; you plant a fire in my heart everyday I look at you!  Kiss me NOW”  he would have me at the doctor ASAP wondering if something was terminally wrong.  No need to scare anyone with my love quotes.

Speaking of being realistic, this weekend, we are celebrating Easter as a family.  The Easter Bunny is coming with baskets (if I can find the ones from last year).  We tried to dye GLITTER eggs (my hands are currently stained blue).  Cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are gathering for Easter lunch (I think I forgot the plates).  My dream of buying a little girl a beautiful easter dress and a little boy a smart tie has come true (connor is already complaining about the tie and carlee's shoes don't fit- she has no shoes). 
It’s a special time, but it is also a time to never forget the most beautiful love story ever written.  Not a fantasy.  A true story.

A story about love so strong no amount of history or past could come between you.  A story of heartache and pain at the cross.  It was done because He choose you, He loves you, He planned you, He wanted you, He knows you, He cares about you, He wants to hear every detail, He celebrates with you, He knows your past, He forgives, He rejoices with you, He wants you to be happy, He feels your hurt, He Blesses You, He Saves You, He Died for YOU.  He is Risen.   The list goes on.  There is no hero like that.  

This week I sat in a meeting for my son.  It was so hard for me to separate the image in my head of his sweet baby face with bright blues eyes that would reach up with those chubby arms and ask for his “ma-ma” with the growing seven year old student he is now.  It is hard.  I love my children and they will always be my babies.  I don’t want them to struggle, or hurt, or feel pain, or cry.   I know they have to experience these things.  They have to grow, and struggle, and experience discomfort.  But I don’t have to enjoy it.  Jesus wants the same thing for His children.  In the words of Lysa Terkeurst, ‘Jesus has never ever asked for us to be perfect. He simply wants us perfectly surrendered.’

Jesus’ love for us is stronger than I could ever understand.  I can only try to understand through the love I feel for my family.

When I’m feeling like God isn’t listening, when I become overwhelmed with the horrors of the world, when I think I can’t do this, when I get mad that things can’t be perfectly easy for me....

I am reminded of the best love story of all time, where the hero is always there.  

Easter is not a holiday for Christians, it is a holiday for all people.

You are forgiven.

You are loved.

Week in Review

 I got to watch a great play written and directed by a member of our talented staff.

I enjoyed going out for a little of the arts!

Connor leading the Pledge of Allegiance and Scout Pledge

Proud Mommy

I dropped Dr. Pepper on my planner.... 

and nearly cried. 

 I can no longer rely on memory.

Those days are gone.

Spring?

Really Punxsutawney Phil?

I have enough teeth now to bite the crap out of you.

Someone is growing.

(and Connor better watch out for the figure four then)

Yummy Dr. Suess Cake

Next Week- 

Celebrate Mrs. L. Week

Her last week with us. :(

Crazy Hair Day.

Visit with Nana.

Loving her grand-babies.

Walker?

Friday Night- 

Hey everyone come out and hang with us 

at

the Veteran's Memorial where you can become 

BINGO LOSERS

like us.

(Thanks J. for going with me.)

Repeat after me:  We are NOT old.  We are NOT old.