Easter 2009

Well, we had an awesome Easter! The boys had the best time outside....thank you God that it was sunny! We went to church that morning and then headed back to the house for lunch. My mom brought the best food! Most of it was already cooked, we just cooked a few more things and presto! Lunch for 8! We all had a great time eating, talking, and laughing. It was really nice to relax with my family. We reflected on how grateful we are that we have Jesus and that He died for us. I mean, seriously, He DIED for us. How incredible is that!? I talked with my boys about how we need to remember what Easter is all about and that they should always remember that. It's easy to get caught up in coloring eggs, candy, good food, etc. But reality is that this is a time to reflect on Jesus and how he came to SAVE us ALL. And that is a very powerful thing that should never be forgotten. Not to say that there is anything wrong with coloring eggs, candy, and good food. Because there isn't! We enjoy those things and I love to see my kids get excited about it. I just like to encourage the importance of what Easter really means. Balance is a good thing in life. Here are a few photos from the day....and I have to say that my kids are awfully cute! Ahem, pardon my bragging for a moment. Oh, and do you see our dog? Yeah, that's Riley and he is only 4 months old.....and weighs 40 pounds. Hmmmm, do you think that he is going to be rather large!? I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter!

Creativity and Scrap Wood

About 2 weeks ago, my older 3 boys came inside and said, "Hey mom, can we borrow Dad's hammer?" Ummm, my response, "And why do you need a hammer?" Of course I am thinking to myself that giving a 8, 10, and 11 year old boy a hammer without question would probably not be a good idea. They proceed to tell me that there is scrap wood in the very back of our yard in and amongst the trees and they want to build something with it. A bench, they say. And then I think to myself, well that is quite a creative thing to do, but still, do I want to hand over a hammer to them!? So I proceed to tell them to ask their Dad if it is ok and can he come help them with their little project. And he said yes! So off they went to gather wood and start the building. It turned into an awesome opportunity for Jon to teach them about building things. He got out his other tools and showed them how to properly use all of them. They had the BEST time with that big pile of scrap wood. They were so excited and ran in to tell me that they were almost finished and could I come out and see. Of course I grab the video camera and run out there. I took a video of them working and snapped this still shot. They were SO proud. This is the bench that is now turned into a table and is out on our back patio. They ate dinner sitting at this table that night......I love that they had such a good time. Amazing how something so simple can be so meaningful.