Pictures from the Easter season (a bit late)

On March 31, our church had it's annual Egg Hunt. Based on registrations we had about 900 children. That does not include all the adults that also attended. God is so good! The best part of the weekend for me was that our best friends surprised me and came out. They jumped right in and served and participated just like they knew what to do. It was a great time!

Here are a few pictures of the event:

 

Then of course we celebrated Easter Sunday. The boys were able to recycle and reuse clothes from previous years (and older brothers) so Emma is the only one we had to shop for this year. (The boys were happy not to have to go and try on clothes.) Emma however LOVED it. She chose 5-6 dresses to try on and then chose the one she liked the most. Though she still is telling me that she really liked another dress too.

Here they are looking sharp!

Vacation

 Aaron and I enjoyed our vacation to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. From the resort area to the views of the ocean on the side to the views of the El Yunque Rainforest on the other to the country club and fine dining to the animals (reptiles) and sea creatures, it was amazing. We did nothing which was wonderful. We enjoyed the slow pace and lack of responsibility for a few days. (You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and see more details.) Oh, and the kids survived, in fact they were quite spoiled. :)

New Looks for Spring



The look before...



And then after...I actually was able to donate my cut hair. (I think it was around 8 inches that ended up being donated.)



 

Emma wanted her hair cut like mommy's. Mommy was fine with that since it should allow Emma to take a bit more responsibility and care of her own hair.



And here we are together, ready for spring!!

I will not be posting for a week or so, but hopefully will have some amazing pictures when I do return. Aaron and I are headed to Puerto Rico for a short trip later this week. We are excited to get away and rest for a few days as life has been non-stop for the last year or so.

"Mommy's Ears are Tired"

I can vaguely remember this being said to me as a child. And oh how life cycles around to the point where there are times I have to say this same phrase to my daughter. She is turning into quite the talker. And it's usually a monologue of various topics which change quite rapidly.

In fact over the weekend at church I had two different volunteers stop me to comment on her conversational abilities.

Then today, her teacher sent me the following email...

Just spent time coloring with Emma and she was chatting up a storm! About you and Aaron going to someplace warm and they have to stay here! And how the whole family is going to France. Next to how she threw up in the car on the way here from Indiana…all over her stuffie and mommy had to clean it. Then onto her cousins Andrew and Lucas…they have a dog and a cat. The dog ran away once but it came back.  I went to see Pastor Doug and Renee with mommy yesterday. We went to visit baby Clara. I saw their dog! I was outside playing before we left so I had to come in and wash my hands. My brothers stayed home with daddy, just me and mommy went cause (one of her brothers…can’t remember which she said at this point) was grounded but he didn’t know it! 

Oh how I sat here and laughed. This is just the tip of the conversation and I would be curious to know just how much Ms. Kennedy was able to say during this time.

I also love finding out things when she talks...like her brother being grounded and he didn't know it. I don't know which brother she is referring to and why she thought that is why they didn't go see the baby.

Oh my, my ears are tired. (But at the same time, I really do love hearing what she has to say. I also love seeing her personality and love of people coming through.)

random picture post



"The Thinker"




Just because she wanted her picture taken...



No, he didn't get in a fight, he just found a friend's head during a game.

The toothless wonder child



Sporting the new helmet he bought with some of his birthday money.

  

Yes, he is a precious gift from God.




No words...

I realized as I was sorting through the pictures of the last month that I don't have a picture of Jack. I will have to work to fix that. 

Jesus Loves Me, this I know

It's interesting that as the music world mourns the loss of Whitney Houston, this is the song that comes to my mind. (I Will Always Love You is a close second though.)

In the movie Bodyguard, Whitney sings "Jesus Loves Me" and it is a beautiful rendition. She truly was blessed with an amazing voice. I also find it interesting that her last public performance was of this song. (According to tabloids she sang this song in a duet while acting oddly hours before her death.)

I don't know Whitney Houston. I know a lot about her, though most of it should be viewed carefully through the lens of public opinion (not always the most accurate portrayal of truth). But I am guessing at some point in her life someone taught her about Jesus. Based on what I know of her very public life and the battles she faced personally, I would guess that on some level she clung to the belief that she was loved by Jesus. It would appear that this belief came through even in her darkest moments as she chose this to be the song she sang.

Now I am not sure the state of Whitney's heart at the time of her death. I don't know if she put her faith and trust in Jesus, not just in the belief that He loves her. I am not trying to judge or justify her at all, but it has gotten me thinking...

We all know celebrities and athletes will acknowledge God. For some this is a genuine reflection of their faith while for others it is just words. Even though we live in a very secular world the truth is that many people can sing the words to "Jesus Loves Me" but very few live a life that reflects that truth.

Jesus does indeed love me and you, but do you believe it? Do you live like you believe it? Do I? My prayer is that I never just give lip-service to the fact that Jesus loves me, but that I live a life that reflects that truth. I think the key to this song is that "the Bible tells me so". To truly live a life that reflects Jesus' love I must be reading the Bible, learning to be an imitator of God.

I can't say if Whitney Houston was just singing the words or if she really truly believed them, but my hope is that as people are drawn back to her music and movies, someone, somewhere is reminded of the truth that Jesus loves them.

What's on your mind lately?

For me it's Easter eggs and bunnies.

The Annual Easter Egg Drop and Hunt is coming fast, March 31.

Praying lives will be impacted for eternity as a result of this event.