Between the raindrops

This morning we didn't have a scheduled mops meeting, so several of us met at the park to enjoy some playtime. It was a little wet from the storm last night, but we had fun and enjoyed getting to see each other and play. Hannah and Noah had a great time playing together today. The kids went onto the tennis courts and just ran. Hannah loves to run! Either she kept up with Noah...or he was patient enough to play with her...but I think it was a little of both. He is such a sweet boy...it was fun to watch him be so kind to little Hannah.

They ran and ran....

...until they couldn't run anymore. Doesn't this picture just make you smile!?

We thank the Lord for the joy of friendship!

Another great spring day!

It was another beautiful spring day today. We headed to the library for story time this morning, went for a walk, then to the park for some playtime in the sunshine. We have so much fun together!!!

I think this was her first time on the tire swing

and she LOVED it!

and the slide is always tons of fun!

my little teapot :)

After Hannah's nap this afternoon, she was walking around the house with her snack of melon, walked up the mirror (which she often does) and started to sing "I'm Little Teapot". By the time I got the camera to tape her...it was her 3rd time through...so now she has gone from sweetly singing it to being rather silly. I'm posting this for my mom though, because I think this is one of her favorite children's rhymes. I try to catch the sweet version on tape soon. enjoy :)

Resurrection Sunday

We had a wonderful Easter! The worship service and church was wonderful, it was great to celebrate a risen Savior with our church family. Pastor Marian talked about why the resurrection is important...you can hear his sermon here.

We rejoice knowing that our Savior has risen and is alive and active today!

Luke 24:1-12 gives the account.

We thank God for the sacrifice of His son, Jesus...and that through his blood we can have eternal life. Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus?

"Jesus said (to her) "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." John 11:25-26

Jesus wants to have a person relationship with you!

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Although we missed being with our families...we did enjoy the quiet weekend together. Here's a little bit about our day:

While Seth was practicing with the praise team, Hannah and I went outside and took some pictures in her Easter dress...I couldn't help but share a few of my favorites with you:

Hannah usually crashes very soon after we get home. So...we had a quick lunch and put her down for her nap. It was nice to have some quiet time. I worked on Easter dinner and made some Easter cookies. When she woke up we went outside while the ham finished cooking.

We started with an egg hunt in the back yard...

Hannah had fun pointing them out and then running to them

but of course the best part was checking out the loot inside

After the egg hunt, we used Resurrection Eggs to tell her the Easter story. Here she is showing the cross.

she took the linen cloth out the egg and put it right onto her forehead.

we finished with her Easter basket

then enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans and rolls.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Today...a beautiful 73 and sunny!!

Things that make me happy: this beautiful weather! My favorite is when the sun is shining and I can go out with jeans, a t-shirt, and no coat...perfect!

Book I'm reading:
still the same 'ol. And does Family Fun magazine count?! :)

What I'm enjoying on TV:
American Idol

On the menu for dinner:
Crockpot Ham and Potato Soup (made with leftover ham from yesterday) :) and rolls

On my To Do List:
Tons to do today...but mostly enjoying the beautiful weather while we can.
laundry
sweep and wash floors
get dinner in the crockpot
missions meeting

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
Potato and Sausage Casserole (so yummy!)Slow cooker ham (seriously SO easy and SO good!)

In the craft basket:

are you kidding? Any crafting time has been spent outside...it's been too beautiful! Maybe this week on one of the rainy days they are predicting...

Looking forward to this week:
some time with my family!!

Tips and Tricks:
my friend Amber (who's a personal trainer) and I have been talking about ways to fit a little bit of exercise into a busy mom's day. Here are some easy ways that we came up with?
-park a distance from the store
-do some squats while you brush your teeth
-don't be afraid to make a few trips up and down the stairs
-take the elevator
-go for walks with the stroller (my personal favorite)
What are some ways that you fit exercise into your day?

My favorite blog post this week:
God's Sovereignty

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):
How to choose...I got so many great pics of my baby on Easter morning

Lesson learned the past few days:
reminded of how beneficial/important it is to spend time in prayer and the Word to prepare my heart for worship on Sunday morning.


On my mind:
praying for the family of the boy that was hit by a car last week here in our town...I don't even know them...but boy my heart aches for them.


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
1 Peter 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

More Easter Fun!

We enjoyed another beautiful morning and family day together today. We headed out to Kensington for a day on the farm and an egg hunt...what fun!

We played around in the barn

sorry hun...I just had to post it...

Walked around the petting farm

....went for a walk on the walking trail

....enjoyed an animal show from Farmer John


and of course...found Easter Eggs!

this wasn't even 1/2 the people

It was fun to see Joshua there too...here they are checkin out their goodies

Dying Easter Eggs

Decorating the eggs with an invisible crayon

watching Daddy dip them in the dye

happily eating her mistake (she cracked one)

yum!

The finished product

A Beautiful Day at the Zoo!

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and it being family day and headed to the zoo. We had such a great time watching all the animals, having a picnic lunch, and just spending the day together!

Hannah woke up ta 1:30am talking about all the animals that she was going to see at the zoo and talking all about the tigers. We were excited to see this tiger up and walking around enjoying the beautiful morning!

they were both fascinated

watching the giraffes

my favorite part of the day was watching this polar bear jump in and out of the water. She sat like this for a long time...we waiting patiently to see if she would jump in...it was worth the wait to watch her swim in the water and jump back up on her iceberg.

...coming up for some sun

and back in for more fun in the water

what a fun day at the zoo!