Easter fun!

We had our 2nd annual Easter With Friends party (guys - can we call it that now? lol). Last year, we hosted it. This year was just as fun! We have the sweetest friends and thank God for them!!

(too funny... I just looked back at last year's Easter and realized we didn't do the Easter bunny pic this year. It's just as Zac gets older, the whole easter bunny thing just seems weird. I mean, really? It's obviously a guy in a suit. At least you can say the mall Santas are "santa's helpers." How do you explain the bunny suits? We really downplayed that this year - ha!)

ANYways... onto the pics!


I think these kiddos will be friends for a loooong time!





We tried for a family pic.....



After we ate dinner, the daddies went down to the park and hid all our eggs. Then we headed out for the hunt.

All the kiddos!




Selah Grace's little friend! And one of Mommy's sweetest friends!





Daddy and Selah Grace at the park




Hunting for eggs...




This is SO Brian. *sigh* I can't tell you how many times he does this. What a goofball! But definitely one of the reasons I love that crazy man. :)




Selah Grace gets in the swing!




This is her face when she is "talking." She had a lot to say...





April is reading the Easter story while AK, ZZ, T, and J listen very well :)




We took over the park...




Sweet friends! Although, we have now imposed the "no closed door" rule with them when they are playing Mommy and Daddy. Setting a precedent while they're still young!!






EASTER SUNDAY!

I mean, is it just me? I just want to smooch all over this little guy!!


Cutie Pie!!




Getting his tie tied...




My sweet sweet babies! I made his tie and her dress to match. And I LOVE how it turned out!




She eats the church program...




I love when I can capture what her eyes are looking like. Still changing....




Waiting for church to start!




Every year, ZZ takes our picture in this same spot. :)




We saw some friends at church, and I thought this was too funny. They look like little men! :)




We had such a blessed day today. Zac got lots of fun things in his easter basket - including lots of beach toys for our upcoming trip. We loved having him in the service with us. He is such a great little singer!

Most of all, we rejoice in our merciful savior!!! He is ALIVE!!! Hallelujah!!!

3 days

Until my favorite holiday! :)

I love Easter and everything it represents. Such a wonderful amazing thing to know that my Savior died for ME, so that my sins would be forgiven. Mercy!!

I am sewing matching Easter outfits for the kids to wear to Sunday service. They are SO. CUTE. Seriously cannot wait to see them together wearing them. Unfortunately for me, ZZ gave up the fashion show circuit many years ago, so I will have to wait until Sunday for the big reveal.

Brian and I didn't get anything new or cute to wear. Does anyone buy a new Easter outfit anymore?

And although Selah Grace will be wearing white shoes, I will be wearing my super cute new nude wedges. I saw them today at Target. And fell in love.

I really did deserve them. Yesterday, I spent 2 hours trying to get a splinter out of Zachariah's foot, during which he called me the "worst mom ever." I've never ever heard him say anything like that. And later he apologized and told me that he actually said "almost the worst mom ever." Regardless, the shoes made me feel better and they will not hurt my feelings.

That's really all we have going on here. We are headed to bed early tonight. Brian was out of town all week in a popular spring break destination. Except he was there for work. And the hotel had an uncomfortable bed and thin walls. At home, Zac insisted on sleeping with me all week - which was super duper cute when he was a baby because he likes to share a pillow. But it's not fun to share a pillow anymore. At least for me it isn't.

We are both ready for a good night's sleep. Or at least a comfortable 3 hour stretch until sweet SG wakes us up. ;)


Hope everyone has a wonderful blessed holiday weekend.

HE IS RISEN!! Hallelujah!

Going Bananas! *pics added*

Selah Grace had her first food yesterday! Any guesses as to what it was? :)



Look at those two little bitty bottom teeth waiting to munch on something!!


She had no clue what she was doing. We put some bananas on her bumbo tray and she just moved them all around her tray happily. Of course, the *one* time she won't put something in her mouth!



Finally, she got one of those slippery little things on her hand... but couldn't *quite* get it in her mouth.
"What is everybody laughing at?" LOL!




Then, she basically was done with the whole thing. The mess, the camera, the laughing... it was like "help me out or let's go do something else."



so... Brian helped her finally have a taste of her first food...

...and....










... Yeah. Not so much. Maybe we'll try something else next time!

Our little peanut!

I took Selah Grace to her 6-month appointment this week. This little princess only weighs in at 13.6 pounds! She was born at 9lb 10oz, so she certainly hasn't gained much. :) If anything, she has slimmed out quite a bit from the roly-poly big-cheeked Cabbage Patch kid.

Although, she still resembles a cabbage patch kid, in my opinion. A very cute one.

Anyways, so that makes her in the 15% for weight and 25% for height. She's our little peanut!!

The dr isn't too concerned, since Zac was also a large newborn and then stayed down near 20% until he was probably 2.5 or so.

The blessing is that we have been able to extend her 3-6 month wardrobe for quite a while now, since she fit it so early and still fits it now. :)



Her personality is quite amusing as it develops. She's got a little bit of snobbiness to her and it cracks us up. Hopefully we will be able to steer that into more of a kingdom purpose personality... but for now it's funny.

She is VERY much a mommy's girl (makes Brian sad!), but he did win out on the resemblance. She used to look more like mommy, but has really started looking more like daddy lately. That makes Brian happy!

More later... I have a needy 5 year old today. He's a mess on Fridays. :)

Fun Monday

This is our last free Monday-after-spring-break!

Starting next year, we will be complaining like the rest of the world about getting back to "real life." Instead - our "real life" today is super fun, relaxing, and -as Michelle says - Extraordinarily Ordinary!!

Brian and I were snuggling together yesterday as Selah Grace napped and Zachariah played Lego Star Wars - just marveling at the beautiful ordinary life we have. Yes, we have our share of junk, but honestly - we have such good life and are blessed beyond measure. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.


This morning, after waking up at the crack of dawn (actually way before that) to pass out breakfast burritos, Brian headed off to work and Zachariah and I got to cozy up on the couch and watch America's Funniest Home Videos (or America's Home Funniest Videos as ZZ calls it - and I think it's too cute to correct). Selah Grace rolled all around us with her my iPhone cover, some credit cards, and a medicine dropper (who needs baby toys?).

Then I rearranged the family room, which should be no surprise for Brian when he gets home because I do this every couple months or so. And right now, SG sleeps while ZZ plays legos and listens to his iPod with headphones - which means I am listening to him sing along very very loudly with his church choir songs. (note to self: videotape this.... very funny)

I put away Selah's floor gym, her swing, and her bouncy seat. Yesterday, Selah Grace turned 6 months old! She can just barely sit on her own before she face-plants on the floor. Nowhere near close to crawling. But she did sit in a high-chair at On The Border last night! (not for long... she started some drama soon after)

And soon, we are off to the gym and a playdate. All too quickly, it will be dinner-making-time and Daddy comes home!!! Tonight, we will go for a family run and visit some new residents. And then I have a Mom's Night Out where we are going to make photo necklaces. SO excited about that!

Such a peaceful ordinary day - and with gorgeous weather. Snow yesterday and sunshiny goodness today. :)

Oh - and if you get a chance - check out new pics on my photo blog! Of course, I'm biased because of the precious little models who are so close to my heart. SO CUTE! :)
http://www.joyfulmoments-photography.blogspot.com/

I learn more and more with each session. And after one session is over, I anxiously wait for the next to practice more of what I've learned. I am so excited that I am booked every weekend from now through the end of May. :) It's such a super fun way to spend time doing something I love. :)



Have a blessed start to your week!

random musings

My little baby princess just cut her 2nd tooth.

Where have the last 6 months gone?

Somewhere between hospital drama and sleepness nights, all of a sudden I have a baby sitting on my hip who screams when I take away the paper she is not supposed to chew. Unless it's our $400 electricity bill. Thanks [not]SmartMeter.

Today on the way home, Zac and Selah Grace were talking in the backseat. Zac was asking her questions, and she would answer in her signature inhaling-screech.

(It really is cute, I promise. Way cuter than her meltdown at the Library Legos event today.)

And I thought - how cute! She is trying to have a little conversation!! Awwww! So, now when Selah Grace gets me up in the middle of the night, I will just tell her that mommy needs to sleep. Surely, she will honor that.

We tell Zac all the time when God will "honor" something. As in, "Zachariah, when you do the right thing, God will honor that." One time I told him that God was calling us to love others. And he thought God actually called me. And - boy, wouldn't that be convenient?

Speaking of calling... when Zachariah turned 4, we had a Spiderman impersonator out for his birthday.

One in dire need of a personal trainer. But I digress.

So, I kept Spiderman's number in my phone.

And at a playdate the other day, Zac was playing with his friend.

"Playing" is used loosely here... they were actually both completely engrossed in their own iPhone games which involve heavy parent participation to keep electronic pets alive, healthy, well fed, and if not, they DIE.

And they also apparently found SPIDERMAN on my phone, so they decided to call him a couple of times, but they didn't know what to say, so they just hung up on him.

You know you're a mom when you hand the phone to your kid, saying, "Tell Spiderman that you are sorry."




Latest Blessings:
*We had an AWESOME weekend with sweet friends at a cabin last weekend. SO FUN! Pictures soon!! It was just what our family needed after last week's stress.
*Selah Grace is taking her medicine better!! Thanks to a sweet friend (thanks Emily!!) who suggested another kind of medicine dropper. YAY!
*Our new double jogger is awesome
*Brian's new softball team starts soon and I'm really excited for that. I love to watch my superstar hubby. :)
*Zac's counselor is amazing and we are so thankful for everything she does for him
*I gave my testimony to a single moms class at church and it was hopefully encouraging for them!
*Selah Grace has her passport! We absolutely cannot WAIT for our first big family vacation!

moving moving moving

She's the cutest little roly-poly!


We are still waiting on those brown eyes. They are slowly turning... slowly...


When she's in a good mood, she will roll all over the living room. Sometimes we find her under furniture. :) She is just starting to have an idea of where she wants to go... like when she sees her paci...


And we love her sweet little smile!




Her big bubby loves her too...


And we caught this on camera... although she is not even close to crawling...


I try not to compare her to big brother, who was crawling at 4 months... (Valentines Day card, 2005)



And this was him at her exact age... what a monkey! (March 15, 2005)




But what we get with her - that he never did - is the sweetest little sounds. She loves to hear her voice, and it is the most beautiful sound. We love hearing her "talk" over the baby monitor and in the backseat of the car. Precious!!!!