Spring Break!

This was actually K's spring break week from school.

She couldn't understand why daddy doesn't get a spring break too.  Me either.  :)

We enjoyed every minute of the week!

Great weather -- dinners and playing outside in the evenings...

Playdates and popsicles with friends...

Container gardening -- we'll see if any cherry tomatoes or bell peppers come to fruition!

 A trip to the zoo with friends...

Sliding and jumping -- Jay's first time down the "big slide!"

This is so the story of our lives -- oh you're doing that? well, I want to do it too.  right now.

We took Friday off from activities and spent the whole day in jammies.

Until a sitter arrived for date night, then I was thrilled to get ready. 
Hallelujah for date night after a week full of fun!!!

All I have to say is this: Summer is going to wear. me. out.

"But let all who take refuge in You be glad; 

let them ever sing for joy.
Spread Your protection over them, 

that those who love Your name may rejoice in You."

Psalm 5:10-11

Resurrection Bun Kit

I posted our Easter traditions last year.  They are still pretty much the same along with a few others added.  Last year, we made resurrection bun kits to take to neighbors with children so that they could do this activity with a family as well.  This was super easy to put together since I just had to multiply our supplies.  This would also be great to take to a mom with a new baby for her older kids to do, a working mama, etc.  

Just get together your ingredients -- Grands biscuits, 8 marshmallows (one for each biscuit), a stick of butter, and the cinnamon sugar.  Our recipe is here, but I've also seen these made with crescent rolls as well.  

 I also include a copy of the story of the first Easter along with the baking directions.  

You should be able to print these -- I hope!

One thing we've started this year and are liking so far is the jelly bean reward system...

Pink - each new tomorrow ( forgiving others)

Red - the blood Christ gave (sacrifice something) 

Orange - prayers at twilight (attentive behavior at prayer time or Bible story) 

Yellow - God's light (shown through kindness/love/witness) 

Green - the palm's cool shade (good deeds) 

Blue - table manners

Purple - His days of sorrow (repenting)

Black - night rest (go to bed well/good sleep) 

  

 White - Christ's Grace (cannot be earned like the others). Fill jar to top on Easter morning with white jelly beans, covering all of their attempts to "do good."  Great way to visualize an abstract concept for little ones!

Coffee filter eggs and crosses have been the only craft we've pulled off so far -- easy to quickly trace cookie cutters and let the watercoloring begin! We have good intentions to make handprint lilies, this cross (using contact paper), handprint palm branches, and maybe the famous grassy eggs (wait we may have missed the window on this).

And did you know you could bake your eggs!?  Trying this one soon!

And definitely painting our eggs again -- dye stresses me out! :)

I really want to do a glow in the dark egg hunt -- probably need to wait a few years!

And a few sites with great ideas of Easter traditions here, here, here, and here.

Peter said, “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 

Acts 2:29-33

Two Months

Mac is officially two months!

He's coming to life with all sorts of expressions!

And he's living up to his brother and getting to be one big boy!

Two month stats...weighed 14 pounds and 6 ounces and measured 23 inches long.

Loving every inch of him!

Other two month info...still sleeping through the night (don't be jealous, his siblings don't), found his hands and loves to snack on them, tearing through 6 ounce bottles every 3 hours during the day (often requires a reheat to finish the last 2 ounces - picky!), napping lots, and that's basically his life! :)


"For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you."
Psalm 71:4-5a

Spring Break 2012

Once again we had the chance to go on the spring break mission trip with our church's college ministry.  300 students went, and like last year, the trip blessed all of us as much or more than the people we saw.  

The trip is a great mix of ministry and vacation for our family!

Admittedly I was a little tense thinking about our family of five going when Mac was only 7 weeks old.
I had to give over stressing about logistics and remind myself I'm not in control -- funny enough Mac was the easiest child to handle on the trip! :)

The college ministry has been going down for five years during spring break, as well as sending students down for the summer to do projects and Bible school.  It was precious to see them reconnecting with people they'd met previously.  A huge praise was several new believers in the community as well as people raised up to begin discipling within the community.  The students constantly challenge us, and this trip was no different as we heard their conversations from reading and studying as part of the trip John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. 

This year Kirkley really started realizing why we were there and wanted to be a part of everything.

She helped her daddy deliver lunches to the 20+ work sites around the neighborhood...

Helped paint on a project for a few minutes here and there...

And played in a box leftover from supplies...

Jay was a little trickier to have on the sites but found his niche with a hammer :)

We totally had too much fun dressing him up for a pic! :)

It will be fun to see these boys gain a deeper understanding of the trip in coming years.

Right now they're just happy fighting over the measuring tape!

Mac was in attendance at all times, doing his thing as we visited work sites...

Walked the neighborhood...

Or hung out at the block party...

Yay for the sleeping baby stage!  We can do anything at this stage -- as long as he's fed, he's happy!

The kids love hanging out with the college students.  Kirkley had not forgotten last year's trip and started asking me in the fall when we were going back to the beach house with them.  

The trip isn't all work -- we got some great family and beach time as well...

We got our first pic as a family of five on our night out to dinner!

The kids soaked up the beach despite the chilly water!

And we made record of Mac's first beach trip...

Mac held the fort down -- no mistaking which house was ours with the hammocks galore!

We all loved the hammocks by the end of the trip...

Our whole family was blessed in so many ways to be a part of this again!

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, 

but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."

1 Timothy 4:12-13

"...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,

and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Matthew 20:28

"Let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:16