Easter --- HE HAS RISEN!!!

We had a wonderful Easter. We started our morning off with the traditional cinnamon rolls, and then got all "dolled up" for church. We went to church and then came home for a wonderful ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac-n-cheese (for Ryan), and yummy rolls! It was so delicious! The children then received their Easter baskets, which they were very excited to get. We then went on our traditional egg hunt in the house b/c it is too cold to go outside. That was so much fun for them. Riley would get distracted and want to sit down and go through the candy. When one egg burst open with jellybeans, she thought she hit the jackpot and wouldn't continue on in the hunt until we made her get up. Ryan's favorite gift was his Lego Star Wars kit and Reagan loved her Little Princess Devotional Bible. She has been reading non-stop since getting it. We felt so blessed to spend this day together as a family. This day is very important to us and our faith. We ended the day with discussing our Resurrection Eggs......eggs that tell the story of Jesus and his death. I think that the kids know the story by heart now since they each made their own resurrection eggs in school and had to tell us their story. It was truly a blessed week for us. Aren't they pretty?? Well, I am not sure why Reagan looks all bugged-eye....

The family shot.....

Easter basket time

Ryan is so happy to get LEGO Star Wars!!

Reagan's first real devotional Bible.......fit for a princess!

The kids and their goods...

Isn't he so handsome in his little tie and vest??

Riley got a sing-a-long microphone. Here she is singing and dancing.

WOW! Jellybeans! This is so cool!

And Daddy finishes the time with discussing the death and resurrection of our LORD and Savior!

Water-Color Painting

Here are some pictures from our morning we spent water-color painting. Well, at least Ryan painted. As much as I showed Riley the order of putting the paintbrush in the water, then in the paint, and then on the paper, she continued to do it her way. No surprise there for the little hard-headed girl! It wasn't until later I discovered her dipping her fingers in the water and then licking them! The LORD does have such a sense of humor, doesn't He?? It is amazing to see such little joys through their eyes. It was a fun time....


Pretty good for a colored-blind little boy???

Odds & Ends

We have been doing well. Currently, everyone is healthy, so that is exciting for us! We are eagerly anticipating the coming of Easter and the celebrations that go with that. Spring Break is coming up....no big plans, just hang around the house. We may surprise the kids and go one night to Great Wolf Lodge, which is a hotel with a humongous indoor waterpark in Mason, Ohio. Our big vacations this year will be to Texas in July to see Grammer and to visit our dear friends, Amy & James, and their newest baby girl (coming in April) in Dallas. And we will head back to Disney World in September...WOOHOO! Can't wait for that!


We are ready for Spring here. We had a cool 60 degree day on Sunday and it was nice to get outside and play. And today, well, it has been sleeting for hours. It seems like we have had a long winter, with many snowy days....no large accumulations, just enough to stay on the ground for a while. In fact, I think my Seattle friends have had more snow than us! We have just had colder days....like 10 degrees! Too cold for this ol' Texas girl! The kids have been sad b/c they have only had one real good snow that allowed them some sledding time. So, it is time to move on and let Spring come!! We are ready to play outside, swing, ride scooters and bikes and go on walks!!


I just wanted to include some different pictures of the kids.........

My Little Snowbunny......from the big snow in December

Our one big snow in December

My little man helping Daddy shovel the driveway...

Isn't he just one of the cutest boys you've ever seen????? We just found out today at the eye doctor that he is color deficient (or color blind as some would say), which means he has alot of trouble distinguishing between red & green

Riley cleaned out the basket of toys and pulled it up to watch TV

Heritage Hoopsters --- Basketball Program

Since January Reagan has been playing in a 1st/2nd grade basketball league at her school. She has really enjoyed it. I think we have found a sport she may really like.....or maybe it was the trophy she received at the end of the season. (By the way, when I was young, many moons ago, I don't think we always received trophies just for participating --- didn't we have to actually win something??) So anyways, she played and had a great time doing so, even when we had games at 7:00am.....yes, such an ungodly hour!! I will state that my wonderful, loving, awesome, faithful husband is the one who took her at 6:45am....SO YEAH FOR PAUL!!! There is a HUGE difference between 1st and 2nd graders, so our hope for next year will be for her to actually score!! She was finally hitting the rim sometimes by the end of the season. Don't worry though basketball fans, our goal has been ordered and we will be practicing this summer.....layups, suicide drills, weightlifting, free throws, etc... She WILL be a "killing machine" next year! :)
There she is....#8...I guess she is playing defense

Look!! her hands are up and she is guarding big time!!

Cheesy basketball shot...

The team...

And this is one of the ways that Riley would entertain herself at the games....

America is Awesome!!! ---Reagan's 1st Grade Patriotic Program

Heritage Christian First Grade....

Reagan and her friend Claire get into the "action"....

The Grand Finale!!!

The first graders at Heritage Christian School put on a beautiful Patriotic Program every year. The first program got canceled due to snow, but thankfully, they rescheduled it. It was absolutely beautiful and inspiring, clearly showing us how blessed we are to live in the greatest country on earth. They sang songs and quoted from the Declaration of Independence, and honored those who served in the armed forces with flags. The pictures do not do it justice. Again, this moment made me also feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to send her to a Christian school. We may have to make some sacrifices to do it, but moments like these make me so happy and make it so worth it.