Happy Easter

This is the final product...




This is the test run...Mantha may not always want to do what we ask, but she rarely wants to share the spotlight!

He is Risen!

Blessings,

Amy

March

I can't believe that March is gone and April is here and we're getting ready to celebrate Easter. Wow.


Jeffrey turned 12 in March. A tougher day for me than 10 was. Not sure why. Maybe I'm realizing there's one year left before I'm the mom of a teenager. Waahhh! But, I'm proud of that boy and the man he's becoming.


The trailer is ready for camping and we're getting excited about heading out. Rob and the boys are working on widening the gate to the trailer access so it's easier to get in and out of. That will make coming home so much more enjoyable. Rob does a great job moving the trailer around, but it's a tight fit right now, to say the least.


Samantha is talking up a storm. She's persistant in making sure you understand her, as you can see in the video. Nathan is now in glasses, but just for reading. I'm sure it won't be long until he's wearing them all the time. He loves them and was very excited to get them.


Kayla and Jeffrey both qualified for the regional quiz-off in San Diego, so we'll be making our annual trip the end of the month. Looking forward to a day at Legoland, quizzing at Point Loma and several days at the Happiest Place on Earth.


Enjoy the pictures from the last month.


Blessings,

Bible Across America

We had the priviledge of being part of the Bible Across America tour. This being the 30th anniversary of the NIV Bible, Zondervan is taking a bus across America and having people handwrite the scriptures. Jeffrey had heard about it on KLOVE and asked if we could participate. Just days later, I got an email from my mom letting me know they were coming to our town and wondering if we wanted to go. So, after co-op, the kids and I headed down to meet Nana. It was truly an amazing and unique experience. The four of us, Mommy/Nathan, Kayla, Nana and Jeffrey, wrote Isaiah 3:22-25. One of those once-in-a-lifetime moments. If you get the chance, see if they're coming to a town near you...you don't want to miss it!

Blessings,

Catching Up

Our Birthday Princesses...Great Grandma at 93 and Mantha at 2

Sunny, unseasonably warm days provide an opportunity to get out and play at the park.

I can NEVER find a Sharpie when I need one...

how is it that Mantha ALWAYS knows where they are?!?

Nathan bought PlayDough as a birthday gift for Mantha...Mommy wasn't thinking, as we bought the food and kitchen set...makes it a little harder to teach young child not to eat the PlayDough! But, they're having fun together.

I love these photos that Daddy took...

Our older two participate in Bible Quizzing. This year's study is the book of Exodus. It's Jeffrey's last year as a quizzer and his goal is to pull perfect...not miss a question. So, far, he's on track for making that goal. Three quiz-offs down, 120 questions answered, no misses...there's just one quiz left, the end of March. We're cheering him on and hoping for the best, but more than anything, we're excited to see him reading his Bible, studying God's Word and hiding truth in his heart that can never be removed.

How do you keep a rambunctious 5-year-old and an energetic 2-year-old quiet during a quiz-off? Jumbo suckers...courtesy of Miss Cynthia. On a side note, have you ever seen what happens when you drop one of those things on a hardwood floor? They shatter...into hundreds of little pieces...Mantha dropped hers and quickly hit the floor trying to lick up the pieces with her tongue! It was lovely!!

Future Quizzer getting in some practice time

Kayla with her 1st place team ribbon and her Perfect Round award,

given for completing a round of 20 questions without missing any answers.

Jeffrey with his team award and his Perfect Score medal.

40 questions, and 6 bonus questions...no misses...

As team captain, he led his team to a first place finish in our district!

So, to all my friends who have gently (and some not-so-gently) nagged me about updating our blog, here's what we've been up to. Birthday parties, mission trips to Guatemala, days at the park, PlayDough, quizzing and just living life, attempting to allow God to order our days and bring glory to Him in the exciting events and the everyday, ordinary moments.

We love you all and look forward to reading your updates...hint, hint, hint!

Blessings,

More than just a dress...

I found myself in quite a puddle of despair last week. Many factors contributed to getting me there and I was angry with God. It was Saturday, I had left the kids home with my mother-in-law (who was kind enough to come stay with us for the 10 days Rob was gone -- a huge blessing), and had gone into town to do some shopping. For several days, the anger had been building and it felt as if my prayers were going into a vacuum, bouncing around in an empty, hollow room. Was there something I had done that was causing God not to move in Geovany's case? Was there a lesson I needed to learn? Why was God so silent?

For some crazy reason, one of the things I was shopping for was a birthday dress for Samantha. She turned 2 on Sunday (I know there should have been a post about that, but we're really not celebrating until this Saturday, since Daddy was gone!). I wanted to take her to Church in a birthday princess dress. Don't ask why, I just did. I had many errands to run, and honestly, I had kinda forgotten about the dress. Through some crazy, God-ordained circumstances, I ended up at the Walmart south of town, next to BabiesRUs. As I parked the car, I remembered the dress. Before walking into BabiesRUs, I thought to myself "Wouldn't it be wonderful to find a birthday princess dress in Spanish?" Often times, our BabiesRUs will carry holiday clothing in Spanish. Entering the store, I noticed dozens of clearance racks spread throughout the aisles. On a mission, because there was still lots to do, I headed straight for the birthday rack. There it was, the "Birthday Princess" dress. Cute, adorable, 24 month, in English, $20. I grabbed it and started to wander through the store. As I did so, I started feeling a little foolish. Was it really okay to spend $20 on a dress she'll wear twice? Once to church on her birthday and once the following weekend when we celebrate with family. Pondering this, I began "shopping" the clearance racks. Not really looking for anything, just wasting time while I tried to determine how important this dress was to me. I came to the conclusion that I was indeed being silly and really didn't need the dress, so I hung it back on the rack and turned to leave the store. When I did, I noticed two additional clearance racks I hadn't previously seen. They were tucked up in the front corner of the store where the wrapping paper and gift bags are. Just for kicks, I decided to check them out on my way out. As I approached the first rack, I'm not kidding you, sticking out from it was an adorable, pink, 24 month, birthday princess dress, in Spanish, $5! It still brings tears to my eyes as I think about it. It was the ONLY one on the rack, no other sizes, no other colors, no other dresses, just that one. A gift to me. A reminder that while God is silent in regards to Geovany's adoption, He is still listening to the cries of my heart. He knows what my deepest desires are (some more trivial than others) and is willing to give me the desires of my heart, in His time.

That dress was worn on Sunday, and will be worn this Saturday (when Daddy will take lots of pictures for Mommy to blog!) and then, will be tucked away and saved. Not just because it's a sweet dress for a sweet girl, but because it's a beautiful reminder to me, that in the midst of my anger and frustration, God still heard me, loved me, and answered.

Blessings,