Flash Forward

A YEAR in PICTURES

Ella in her favorite dress up attire.

Fun in the summertime.

I'm telling you...I'm ready to go swimming.

Ella before a swim lesson.

A Big Summer Road Trip...to Michigan

and Virginia, with quick stops

in North Carolina and Georgia.

Mimi gave the girls flowers from a trip to the downtown farmer's market.

The cousins at Dawson's first birthday party.

A birthday kiss from Mom and Dad.

Ready to go!

Celebrating Great Grandma's birthday.

Sweet ladybug, Ella.

Our cute "little man".

The cousins.

Our Family

The entire clan.

In Virginia, a way too quick visit with The Arnolds.

Our neighbors and great friends, The Phillips.

Uncle Brian abusing Dawson by making him play

with an Ohio State doll. No worries, Dawson promptly

threw it to the ground and yelled, "Go Blue!"

Visiting with family.

Dawson with Great Paw Paw, Dawson!

Catching up with the Jacksons in N.C.

Meeting their newest addition!

Having fun together!

Off to Georgia to visit the Breslins before heading home.

A trip to the grocery store. Ella sporting a big

boo boo after running into the wall.

Rain??? We hadn't seen it in months.

Mimi must have brought it with her from Michigan.

Family picture at the pumpkin patch.

Which pumpkin shall I pick?

Mommy and the kids at the Corn Maize.

Playing in the leaves...sent to us from Virginia...

thanks to our sweet friend Heather P.

This is the best picture we could get of the kids

in their Christmas attire.

Ella and Dawson pose for a quick picture right

before bed on Christmas Eve.

Dawson's first corn on the cob...he loves it!

Ready to go!

Ella's first roller coaster ride (and the only one Nana will ride).

Waiting to see the Shamu show.

Ella and Dawson ready to head to the Easter service at church.

Mommy ready to head to the hospital to have an Easter baby!

Our Easter 2010 gift...

Gabe Alexander

We're Back

Four Weeks
Over 4,000 Miles
82 Hours in Van
15 States
3 Boxes of Graham Crackers (mostly consumed by Dawson)
3 Complete Diaper Blowouts

MORE DETAILS TO COME

Earth Day

We participated in Earth Day today..........well sort of! I think we all need to do our part to protect our environment by being a good steward of the things we have been given and not using our resources recklessly. So today when we headed out to Walgreens to get our free reusable shopping bag, we walked. Now, it is less than a mile away, but it felt good to hoof it instead of taking the van. When we first moved here we had only one car for 5 months so we walked quite a bit more. If we dropped Chris off at the pool for practice in the morning so the kids and I could have the car he would walk the mile to the school and back again for afternoon practice. Of course, when you have access to the ease of the transportation, you fall back into your normal ways.

So, this is what we got on our trip:

I didn't have any register reward (rr) dollars or money on my gift card to use, so I paid out of pocket (oop).

Transaction #1- Edge Shave gel- paid $3.23 oop, received $3 rr

Transaction #2- Used a coupon I received last night via email for 15% off and a free bag

4 cans of pringles, store coupon 2/$3= $6, used 2 $1 of 2 coupons

Dawn- store coupon made it $.85 used 1 $.25 coupon

Used $3 rr from transaction #1, paid $.54 oop

So, not my best shopping trip, but no too bad either!

A Late Easter Greeting

I'm a little late getting up an Easter post, but didn't want to skip it all together. We had a wonderful celebration of the Resurrection of our Savior! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed a new tradition in the morning (more on it below), a great Easter service at church and dinner with neighbors. I made my first ham and Chris family's recipe for ham sauce--and both turned out great!

So, when is a good time to snap pictures of the children in their Easter outfits? There is most definitely not time before heading off to church and after church they were hungry and tired. So, what you see is the best I got. I didn't even get one of Ella along. Maybe a staged photo shoot is in order?!

Dawson was really interested in the flowers.

At this moment he was contemplating how to eat it!

He did wear shoes, but I took them off during church.

I love his cute feet and can't keep them covered!

And on to our new tradition. I had been looking for something fun to do for Easter and my friends at MOPS mentioned making Resurrection Story Cookies. Ella had a great time with it!
You make the cookies as you tell the story of the resserection (thus the name). Then you put the cookies in the oven overnight and when you wake in the morning you eat them. They are supposed to be hollow in the middle--to symbolize the empty tomb. Our were not, nor were those of my friends who made them.

Ella did not like leaving the cookies in the oven overnight. Delayed gratification is difficult for a 3 year old (okay for me too, I wanted to peek so badly). We made the cookies late because Daddy was working all day with water polo--so bedtime was pushed way back until 9pm. She came out of her room once with a very sad face to tell me that we had left the cookies. At ten I went in to remind her that she needed to be sleeping. Here is how the conversation went:

Me: Ella, you need to close your eyes and your mouth and go to sleep.
Ella: It is hard to go to sleep.
Me: Ella, why is it so hard for you to go to sleep.
Ella: Momma, those cookies are in there!

Here are some pictures of the event!

The finished product! Yummy!

Here is the recipe!

RESURRECTION SUNDAY STORY COOKIES

You need:

1 c. whole pecans

1 tsp. vinegar

3 egg whites

pinch salt

1 c. sugar

zipper baggie

wooden spoon

tape

Bible

Preheat oven to 300 F. (this in important - don't wait till you are half way done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks> are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's> eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa.1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie> sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the> oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was> sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9.

HE HAS RISEN!!!!!

-- Author Unknown

Dawson at 8 Months

Dawson is eight months old and such a delight. He has finally decided to start sitting up and he has become efficient enough with rolling that he can travel throughout a room. By 8 months Ella was crawling, so he is definitely slower with mobility than she was, but we have no worries. I am thankful that he is easing me in to chasing him around.

He hasn't changed much since the last post (6 months). He is taking two naps a day, typically around 10am and 2pm. He still loves his bed and doesn't fall asleep easily anywhere else. Naps are about 2 hours each--if he wakes earlier, he plays and talks to himself in his bed. Nighttime sleep is from 7:30pm to 8am.

He really does love to eat--there has not been anything that I have put in front of him that he hasn't liked. We have added peaches, mangos, bananas, applesauce, blueberries, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, peas, carrots, yogurt and chicken to his regular rotation of meals. He also loves che*rios and puffs. And he loves toast that I make for him--just wheat bread dried out in the oven for an hour. He typically eats cereal and fruit for breakfast, a fruit and a vegetable for lunch and a vegetable and cereal for dinner. I have added in chicken or yogurt with lunch or dinner. Nursing is going okay. He definitely seems to be losing interest, but he will not take a bottle. He is nursing when he wakes in the morning, after each nap and before bed in the evening. Sometimes it is only for 5 minutes total! Trying not to worry about it!