Easter 2010

Our Easter was filled with so many blessings this year.

I remember last year being about 6 months pregnant, the realization we would soon be "four" hitting me square in the face.  It was at this point God truly laid on my heart to be more invested in purposeful time with Grayson.  And what a year it's been!

Here are some highlights from our time together this year:

We spent much time teaching about the ressurection of Christ this year and focusing on that.  But there was, of course, plenty of fun activities that we enjoyed.  Grayson loved dyeing the eggs, but he kind of got over very quickly.  I mean, all you do is put the egg in the colored water, right?  And then you wait?

Wait?

What's that?

Grayson went to a couple of egg hunts this year.  One at his school...this shot has a sweet story behind it.  Jacob didn't find any eggs and Grayson had about 20 in his basket.  I asked him to look around and see if anybody might need something.  He then proceeded to empty his basket for his buddy.  So sweet. :)

He also went to a hunt at Hamilton at mom and dad's church.  He loved this....there were eggs everywhere!  He loves getting to spend time with Nana and Papa, and this day was no exception...

Love catching shots of him with his Easter basket...

And I promise I notice Ava, as well.  :)  She just did a little bit more sitting.

And on Easter morning (at 4:45 am, I'm sure)....

And I know this because of how swollen Matt's eyes are:

Sunday mornings are always super difficult, right in the middle of naptime for Ava, and usually a day that Gray wakes up extra early.  Easter Sunday was no exception.  All of us were up a little before 5, and we were all melting down as worship was over.  This is the only picture I captured of any of us that morning.  :(

Our new friends, Rick and Lauren Cochran and their little boy, Benjamin, ate lunch with us and my parents.  It was a lovely lunch and afterwards, we let the boys hunt eggs in the yard.  Caught the sweetest picture of them....

And well, this is my favorite shot of the day....

Do I need to explain why?

:)

Shaunna

What to do when it's raining....and Ava's first steps

This is definitely out of sequence with our life events lately but I had to share.

We've had Matt's sis and her two girls this week/weekend, and we've had a blast getting to spend time with them.

But....

Kids can only take so much rain and staying inside.  So, being the awesome mom she is, Lara set up an obstacle course for them in the newly finished playroom.

They loved it....as a matter of fact, Ava loved all the action so much she decided to take her first steps in all the excitement!  I'm SO thrilled I got a little of it on video.

WARNING:  there is quite a lot of kid noise.

:)

Well, Hello There!!

Well, I know I've been MIA for quite some time now; please forgive me!  How are you guys??  For a couple of weeks, I've been trying to get Easter pictures transferred to this computer I'm using right now, but somehow, we don't have an extra thumb drive lying around.

Just wanted you guys to know what we've been up to....or up to our ears doing. :)

The additions to the attic are almost done.  While we had a crew do a lot of the work, most nights have been spent sanding, staining, building, nailing, etc. by Matt and myself, especially the last 2 months. We are closing in on the home stretch....and cannot wait to get back to normal around here, or at least normal for us.

We're so excited to have a playroom for the kids--and possibly used as a schoolroom.  Even if we choose to send them to school, I have a feeling we'll still be doing quite a bit of learning in there together for years to come.

We celebrated Easter and took a trip to Disney (all of which will be shared with you guys soon!), and are having a ball watching our two little ones grow up. 

Ava is 10 months old now, and I honestly cannot believe it.  Last time I posted she had started crawling, and now she's never still.  She is constantly standing on her own, balancing and bouncing, grinning her little crooked grin all the while.  She's still nursing in the mornings, but she decided while we were in Disney that she was way too big for such as that.  And I won't go into any details, but if you could see the nursing acrobats in the morning, you would fall off your seat.  After talking with her doctor (who is a big nursing advocate), I do feel like she was just developmentally ready to stop while she is living her "busy" day.  I'm trying and trying to keep it going, but it's getting to be quite an entertaining process to watch (and be a part of, I might add).

Grayson is 3 and 1/2 and could not be more grown up.  If I only had a scanner to load his school picture--both hands in his pockets, and pretty much looking like he's 7 already.  He really is a joy to parent- it's exhausting, but he is so strong minded and able to think for himself.  This can be dangerous and difficult, but I hope through prayerful instruction, those qualities become strengths of his.

We are reading a wonderful book, Don't Make Me Count To Three, and I do love the premise behind the book--not only teaching my children to act like Christians, but to think and love like Christ.  It is wonderful....but it is hard.  I find that I've been so convicted of my faults in parenting, and that conviction brings a burden.  BUT....the days I'm truly relying on the Lord to be my strength, it's not such a challenge, and the burden is lifted.  I'm trying daily to do just that.  I'll take any prayers you want to send our way. :)

On a totally different not, my other blog, Perfectly Imperfect, has taken on a life of its own.  I began it to write a little more creatively, and record projects around here.  It's up to 250+ followers, and somehow a hobby has become a small business.  The blog part is almost strange...companies sponsoring giveaways, small businesses sponsoring the blog, and readers filling my inbox with questions.  So, recording projects around here and for clients has become a second "job"....which is also a lot of fun.  I have found that when I have a bit of a creative outlet, I am a better mom....and I do love it.   My prayer is to always be the wife and mom first...but this seems to fit nicely into our schedule.  We'll see where it goes from here. :)

Pictures of Easter, Disney, and family visits coming your way soon!