Easter festivities!

Easter is my favorite holiday. It is simply the greatest day of freedom and grace there ever was! I always feel this renewed sense of hope and I feel tremendously empowered to fight the enemy from a position of assurred victory. It is a day that I am reminded that Jesus really can do ANYTHING! On this day, this fact is not just something I teach my children as a quaint notion and theory...it is something I believe with vigor and it is omething that changes me. It is something that I have bet my life on. On this day I am reminded that there is no sea He cannot calm, there is no mountain He cannot level, and there is no life He cannot change. It is the ultimate day of hope.

I needed this day. I needed the reminder that the Lord can heal my mother. I needed the reminder that there is no life he cannot bring to salvation. I needed reminding that there is no illness God cannot stop. I needed the reminder that GOD IS IN CONTROL! Praise God for Easter!

This year we celebrated with lots of fun activities. We went to the Easter egg hunt at church (where Rayden led worship...and the boys helped....Nathan on harmonica and Kaleb on the drum). We also dyed Easter eggs (where the boys informed us that it's not nice to use the word "die"....the english language is so difficult to explain to a 4 year old). Then the Easter Bunny came and brought treats and eggs filled with encouraging words. (I like to give them encouraging words instead of candy!) And finally we went to church in our spiffy attire (which I didn't even photograph...I guess I will dress them up later and take a picture!). What a wonderful week of celebratng our risen Lord!

Oh yeah...we went to Grove City too!

As I was scrolling back through some past posts and reminiscing about the wonderful times I have shared with my family I realized that I forgot to post about half of our Pennsylvania trip. After we went to Little Grandma's house we drove to Grove City to visit Big Grandma and attend the memorial service for her husband, John. We had a great time. The first night was a bit sad because we were mourning the loss of my grandfather. But, the memorial service was wonderful...I sang and lots of friends recounted many wonderful memories. Afterwards there was a dinner to honor John and my grandma. I didn't know anyone except my family, but lots of folks remembered me from when I was about Aubri's age.


This is my family with PawPaw and my big grandma and my Aunt Bonnie

The boys were "exercising" using the rings in the basement. I don't really know that what these are supposed to do for you exactly, but they have been there since I as a little girl. How fun to see my kids enjoying the same thing I enjoyed at their age!

Aubri sure does love her PawPaw!

We visited the cemetary where my grandpa was buried when I was 9. I learned alot about my family on this trip to the cemetary. I learned that my great Aunt had 4 children and 3 of them were born on March 8th (not of the same year...but they all share a birthday)

This picture is at the "cold water steps." I am sure that's not the technical name for this location, but it's what my brothers and I called it. It is a set of steps that usually has freezing cold water running down it (some sort of fountain) and my brothers and I would roll up our pants and take off our socks and shoes and walk up and down them. It was freezing, but we were determined.

The boys enjoying the steps (without the water)

Me and my babies at the cold water steps.

PawPaw and the boys feeding geese at the park.

The boys rode their scooters miles and miles on this trip. They finally figured out how to push off and balance and "enjoy the ride."

Static Electicity

Aubri loves the trampoline. And I love what the trampoline does to Aubri's hair. It's hilarious!

Another gem from Nathan

This morning we had to take daddy to work becaue his car is in the shop (still...after 3 weeks....but that's a whole other story). On the way, we overheard the boys argueing in the back seat. We didn't pay much attention to it (because it's pretty normal car-riding behavior for us at the moment) until Nathan asks the question, "Daddy. Does Jesus have mud in his throat?"

Okay. No matter how you spin it....that's a weird question. Here's how the rest of the conversation went...

R: No....at least I don't think so
N: well, yes he does
R: Nathan, why do you think that?
N: because he spit mud out of his mouth and used it to make that blind guy see
K: (interjecting in his know-it-all voice) NO Nathan! Jesus put mud from the ground on that guy's eyes to make them work again

I guess they are both a little bit right. Spit (from Jesus's mouth) and dirt (from the ground) mixed together....along with the healing power or our amazing God made "that blind guy" see again. What an amazing God we serve....and what incredible stories our kids tell!

Huntingdon here we come

Before heading to Grove City, Pa for my grandfather's funeral we stopped by Huntingdon to visit my mom's mother....my little grandma. I have always called her little grandma (and my other grandma is called big grandma) because she is little. It's genius, I know. Anyway, we had so much fun. The weather was wonderful and we went outside and played at a park. We also rode scooters with grandma's next door neightbor, 4 year old Jacob. We ate OIPs...which are the best subs in the whole world. I was so glad to get to take my family to her house. I can't wait til she comes out here for a visit later this summer.

A sweet goodnight prayer

My little Nathan just astounds me. He seems to be so tuned in to spiritual matters. And he loves to pray. At every meal he asks if he can be the one to pray first. And then at night, he goes on and on about all kinds of things. Normally it goes something like this:

"Dear God...than you for makingeverything i this whole wide world. And thank you forthe yummy supper we had tonight. Please help us make good choices and let everyone in this whole wide world have a good nights sleep. Amen."

But tonight....tonight was different. Tonight, heaven heard these sweet words:

"Dear God...thank you for making everything in the whole wide world. And Lord, we love you. And Lord, you know us. You can teach us about a miracle if you want to. But, if you don't want to you can just keep it to yourself. I always love you Lord. Help us make gooder choices. Help everyone in your whole wide world get good rest. and if anyone in your whole wide world is already asleep, let them still rest good. Amen"

What sweet words from a sweet soul.