Lydia Laughter!

All three kids have been making us laugh with the things they say and do, but for this post, I decided to highlight Lydia. Just a short and sweet post...Lydia made this list back in January and I saved it just because it brings a smile to my face. And just in case you read this wrong, as I did, #3 according to Lydia says "Make Crafs" (crafts). I know one thing for sure, I'm gonna add "Yell Big" on my to-do list!And although not much can top the t-shirt stuffing nights of Jake...Dan did capture this photo of Lydia sleeping in this odd position on our downstairs couch!

Some Things Never Change

Lydia Grace
Claire Danielle

Claire with Grandma Kanost

***Jake like to be wrapped up tight as a wee-little one as well, but we did not get our first digital camera until he was a few months old***

An Eggstra Special Scavenger Hunt

This year, for the Easter weekend, I wanted to do a type of walk-through-the-Bible egg hunt and tie it in with Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. I had the idea and that was all...I needed to sit down and think, yet finding quiet moments to do so was becoming quite the challenge. I had shared my idea with my mom and she graciously decided to do the "homework" part for me. Basically, this is how it went down...Jake started off the scavenger hunt after I gave him a clue where to find the first egg. In that egg, was a slip of paper that had a quiz question and the Bible verse to go along with it. Jake answered the question and then found the located the verse in Scripture and read it aloud. Then it was Lydia's turn. My mom had typed up a master sheet for me and I read the next clue for her. Then she would find that egg, answer her question and read her verse. And so the turn taking began. Each answer would be tied into where the next egg would be hidden. Here are a few examples: What did they wrap Jesus' body in? The answer is linen and so the clue for the next egg was "You will find the next clue in the linen closet. What was Judas given for betraying Jesus? Answer: 30 pieces of silver & the clue was "you will find the next clue where Mommy and Daddy save their coins." We had them finding all sorts of accounts, relating the the story of God's greatest gift to us...His Son! In two of the pictures below, you will see J & L walking around with a heavy bookbag on. This task was given so that they could imagine bearing a heavy load, just as Christ bore His cross. At one point, we talked about the crown of thorns and how they beat Jesus and tore his beard out. They both really seemed to be taking this in. Near the end, we had them read in Philippians how Christ, even though he was God, humbled himself and became a servant and obediently went through a horrible death on a cross. Because He loved us so much (John 3:16)!! So, their task for this egg was to create a list of 5 ways they were going to show love to another person in the next week. At the very end, they both received a gift. Jake had gotten a new Bible for his birthday back in October, but Lydia still needed one. So, Lydia got her new Adventure Bible and cover for it and Jake got a cover for his and will also be getting a music cd of some of his favorite Christian songs, as soon as Daddy has a chance to do this. Even though Claire did not participate, she got a Bible-times coloring book the next day. Also below is the pictures we took on Easter morning. It was very bright and sunny, so that explains the squinty eyes.

Eggstravaganza!

Below are some pictures to highlight our Easter weekend. Dan and I haven't done traditional Easter basket with the kids, but we do dye eggs and do the fun, little egg hunts at our house. This year, however, we did do a unique activity with them, but I am going to post that separately, otherwise, this would be a super long post.

Here is a picture of some of our brightly-colored eggs. Decorating eggs is a bittersweet thing for me. The kids love to do it and it is a good reminder to me about taking pleasure in the "simple things." However, it was in the middle of an egg-decorating session two years ago, that I got the phone call that my dear friend from high school, Christy, had passed away and was at Home with her Saviour. What a joy it is to know she was a child of God and we will one day reunite and worship our Risen Lord together!!! When I hear or sing certain songs, like I Can Only Imagine, Come To Jesus, or In Christ Alone, I am so grateful for the power of my God and I think of my friend, who is basking in the Glory of The Almighty!

On Saturday, my mom came over and we hid the plastic eggs all around the backyard. I knew I had some regular baskets in my garage somewhere, but I wasn't sure where and the kids were anxious to get started, so I used gift bags (I save and reuse them). This picture was taken before the hunt began.

Of course, little Claire had to go first so that she would indeed have a few eggs in her bag. My mom and I had hidden some very obvious ones for her sake. I love this picture because it shows her face right after she spotted it...she was pretty happy with herself.

There's Jake and Lydia waiting in the background...

and their OFF!

(This is the only picture I have of Jake until the end of the hunt because the boy was too fast for me and my bum leg).

Lydia looks in lovely lilac!

This green egg was the last one to remain hidden. J & L were in this area for what seemed like a few minutes (we were telling them they were hot). A couple of times, it looked like each one of them looked right at it and missed it. Then, as you can see above, Jake walked right past it. Finally....

the Jakester has it!!!

We needed the eggs for the next thing we were going to do (see next post) so the kids had fun dumping out the yummies into one container to share. And of course, Claire helped herself to the findings during this time!

A Broken Leg...What's The Big Deal?

It was a great morning. I'd gone to my childcare room and there were no tears. All the kids got along great and I managed to not get into any arguments with my peers. I even did particularly well in an area I usually do not...sharing my mom. Yes, things were going good, very good! A couple hours later, I arrived at home and had plans. Apparently, so did my mom...she mentioned something about making lunch for herself, me, and my sis...and gathering some materials for a lesson she was teaching during circle time later that afternoon...and prepping some chicken for supper that she could just throw in the oven when she got home from work, since our company for the evening would be arriving shortly thereafter...yada, yada, yada. Oh...and I think she said she had 45 minutes to do all this before she had to head back to the preschool. Anyhow, what I do know FOR SURE was that she had this, " Hey Clairey, you wanna watch Elmo's Potty Time?" My ears perked up! Even though, in reality, I only watch about the first 5 minutes before I am off to the next best thing, I couldn't pass up the chance to see Elmo use his potty for the first time, again. I was pumped and ready to follow my dearest mother down the stairs. And then she did it. She made this fumbling noise as she toppled down the steps. Next thing I know, I hear her scream 2 times. Helloooo, mama, I don't know what you are all excited about, but get a move on...I'm ready for Elmo. Course, she can't read my mind, so I start to verbalize this..."aaa Elmo" ("aaa" means "I want" for those who don't understand toddlerese). She is just sitting there, so I say it a little louder, ignoring the strange, breathing sounds coming from mama's mouth. And then, would you believe what she does next? She has some nerve. Instead of getting up and putting in my beloved Elmo dvd, she starts ascending the stairs, albeit in a strange, sit-on-your-rump, sort of fashion. When she gets to the top step, she reaches for the phone, and *gasp*, starts dialing. I simply cannot believe this woman, who claims to love me and want the best for me. The Lord knows how long she can talk on the phone. As she continues to dial, I get madder and madder. Now, it's my turn to scream. She ignores me. She pushes the hang up button and starts dialing again. Her hand is swaying heavily in the air (and later, I hear her telling people that the phone was moving on her; can phones really do that?). And then, she really pushes my buttons. Despite my demands, she lays down to take a nap. I do not understand her logic? If she's got so much to do, why is she wanting to call people and take a nap??? The understanding is beyond me. Really, I do not care about any of this...I just want her to follow through on what she offered to ME! Her nap only lasts about 45 seconds and then she wakes up, although is still acting somewhat abnormal. She grabs the phone again. She only pushes 3 buttons this time. And when she is talking (or trying to, with me hovering over her, crying my eyes out), I wonder why she is giving them our address? But still, I am outraged and hurt by her insensitivity. She hangs up the phone and shimmies her way to the front door, using her arms and one leg to get there. She unlocks and opens it. The entire time, I've been yelling "AAA ELMO," but to no avail. I hear sirens outside. Next thing I know, there are four strange men in my house. Three of them are attending to mommy and one of them starts to talk to me and is at the door when sissy gets off the bus. I forget about Elmo, especially when one of them pulls out a little bear for me to have. I smile and chat with this nice man...who knows, maybe they can knock a little sense into my mama?!

A Visit From Grandma and Grandpa Ernst!

Grandma and Grandpa Ernst came to visit the day after Christmas and we got to spend quite a few days with them, which we always love. The kids were delighted beyond words to have access to Grandma and Grandpa on a daily basis for almost an entire week! There were many, MANY games played...a couple favorites (at least for Jake and Lydia) were Battleship and the electronic version of Guess Who, both of which Jake recieved for Christmas from Dan and I. Because it was new, it was a popular choice and G'ma and G'pa were very patient to play it time and time and time and time again! One day while they were here, the weather was unusually warm for a late-December day. We decided to walk to the Greene to show G'ma and G'pa the huge Christmas tree set up. It seemed like deja vu, as Dan and I had done this last year in December of 2007 (see pictures below) on a different warm December day. The other exciting thing was that Jake rode his bike with no training wheels, all the way, with a good amount of confidence. Due to our crazy summer, with my surgery and treatment and recoveries, Jake did not have too many opportunities to get on his bike and practice, so it was fun to see it come to him and the freedom he felt!

About to go walk to the Greene...December 2008


Going to the Greene...December 2007
Lydia...always stylish. December 2007In front of the tree...December 2007. See, no jackets on Jake, Lydia, and Daddy. It was so warm that day.
One year later. December 2008...again, no jackets! It'd be nice to have more days like this. And here is Jake riding away on his bike!

Remember Lydia always having to be stylish... here's proof of that again.




This next set of pictures needs some explainin'. Lydia recieved a bride Barbie doll for Christmas. The same day we opened it, Claire got a hold of it and a Sharpie marker and well, I'm sure you can guess the rest. She decided Barbie needed a little something on her face. Lydia and I were bummed about this, but Grandma had the idea of using nail polish to cover up the black mark on Barbie's cheek. I went up and got the shades that would possibly work. Here is Grandpa performing the 'plastic surgery' (in the middle of a Guess Who game).

Lydia watches intently.

A close up of the procedure.

Lydia loves her Grandpa...

and her oranges too, apprently.

A sideways, "mustard face." (Only a few of you will understand this).

A group shot with Grandma and Grandpa before they head back to Indy.

Hugs!

Kisses!

And some silliness before they go.

Love you guys so much and can't wait to see you again soon!

Christmas in February now!

Once again, I am playing catch up. Here are some pictures of our Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

So here's the story of our Christmas Eve tradition. When I married Dan, we discussed any traditions we had growing up and it was then that I learned of the Ernst family tradition of having grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for supper. I thought that seemed like a lot of fun, so we started doing this as a married couple. I can't remember when, but sometime early on, there was a discussion with Dan and his family and it was questionable as to wether or not this was actually a "tradition." Regardless, we have enjoyed making it one/carrying it on for our family. Below is our family, along with my mom, dad, and sister enjoying our "soup and cheese," as my cousin termed it once. I'm not sure about Grandma and Jake in this picture.

Here is Lydia styling Grandpa's hair after supper. (I used to fix my Grandpa's hair as well).


Jake reading about Christ's birth from a book to all of us.

Every Christmas Eve, the kids open 2 traditional gifts...pajamas from us and ornaments from Grandma and Grandpa Kanost. Here is Claire opening her ornament (it was Elmo). The kids also get ornaments from Grandma and Grandpa Ernst every year, too. They got theirs over Thanksgiving. They have quite the collection and it's fun to get them all out again every year.

Jake opening up his ornament in his new Star Wars pj's.

The kids in their new pajamas in front of the tree.

Aunt Sarah Beth wears her new pajamas home!
We opened up gifts at home Christmas morning and then headed over to my mom and dad's. Here is a Little People Princess set Claire opened up, from G'ma and G'pa K. which kept her occupied for a good, long while.

Grandpa Kanost opens up his gift from Jake...a cool ice scraper! Sweeeet!

Jake loves his joke book from Aunt Sarah Beth. It is still providing us with some good laughs.

"Who's yo' Daddy?"

Later on in the afternoon, a bunch of my family and the Couture's, who are practically family, come over for an early dinner. After some yummy food, we play games. Here is Jake playing Memory with my Uncle Gary. He won again this year, but Lydia was some closer competition.

Ahh..the can. I made this can in grade school and it is a favorite by all. Well, all but my sister. You see, we have this competition. She made a candy cane that she apparently thinks surpasses my can. Many a time, either the can or the cane go mysteriously missing. I have NO IDEA who instigates this rivalry??? Unfortunetly, I do not have a picture of the candy cane...gasp! So, you can just take in the beauty of the can!

Libby helping Claire remove a pink substance all over her face and hands. I don't remember what she got into...play make up, maybe?

My sweet Grandma Kanost all bundled up.

Two pretty ladies I happened upon.

Two more pretty ladies...the moms of the previous 2.
Time for pie!