Easter 2017

We had a very busy Easter week.  Busy with good things though and fun times with Grandma Morris in town.  We had an Easter egg hunt at Grandma Barreth's home on Saturday.  Here's a few pictures from that. 

The older two had to let the little ones have a head start.

We hid some eggs for the advanced hunter.  Here she is getting one on top of the van.

Climbing to get one.  I mean, this is a hunt after all.

Is it me or does she look like a pre-teen?

Owen.

My two girls Easter Sunday.  Aren't they beautiful?

My 3

Ben wasn't in this photo because he was getting ready to tell the kids at church the story and dressed like a Roman soldier.

I got Zeke a chocolate bunny holding a baseball bat. There is no Easter bunny here, just boring ol' mom and dad giving you chocolate. :)

Romy was with me when I chose the one Easter treat to get the kids and I was pleased that she chose a chocolate cross.  Pleased because it was less chocolate overall and also because it was a cross.  When I gave it to her on Easter morning... she wasn't pleased.  My mom said, "isn't that just like all of us.. we choose something and then when it comes we aren't pleased with it."  She got over it and ate it in one sitting.

Here's a few of Ben telling the Easter story through the perspective of a Roman soldier (watching the Crucifixion and guarding the tomb)

Today we went to our Community Bible Study and Romy looked so cute today that I wanted to take some photos of her.  She insists on making a "funny face".

The first of our peonies opened today.  What a wonderful gift!  What a life to be thankful for!

Spring Time in the Park

I love spring.  I love the flowers, the weather, the sun, the everything.  Here's Romy helping me cook again. (making deviled eggs this time)

Ben teaching the Bible to kids.

Gwen participating.

Max sunning.

Me making treats for teachers at the preschool.

The albino squirrel while I'm on a walk with Gwen.

Riding the horsey at the store.

Ants have invaded.

Zeke in his first grade musical.  He is one of the 3 little pigs.  Isn't he precious?

On getting older

I'm no Maya Angelou, but here goes-

When your eyes are a little puffy
And your neck a little wrinkly
And you don't have the same worry
When you can't find the energy for things
And Brussels sprouts and birds and squirrels excite
You know you're gaining ground.

You know when commitment
And hard won unity are sexy
And surrender is a constant friend and not foe
You are moving on-

When you worry about a legacy
More than your own comfort
Or quality relationships instead of quantity
You are getting older

Getting older isn't bad at all
It's slower and more purposeful
And round and full
It isn't straining for what you don't have
But accepting the thing placed in your hands

Tall Trees

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by Maya Angelou

When Great Trees Fall


by Maya Angelou

May 28, 2014

When great trees fall,

rocks on distant hills shudder,

lions hunker down

in tall grasses,

and even elephants

lumber after safety.



When great trees fall

in forests,

small things recoil into silence,

their senses

eroded beyond fear.



When great souls die,

the air around us becomes

light, rare, sterile.

We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,

see with

a hurtful clarity.

Our memory, suddenly sharpened,

examines,

gnaws on kind words

unsaid,

promised walks

never taken.


Great souls die and

our reality, bound to

them, takes leave of us.

Our souls,

dependent upon their

nurture,

now shrink, wizened.

Our minds, formed

and informed by their

radiance,
fall away.

We are not so much maddened

as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of
dark, cold

caves.



And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.

― Maya Angelou

In The Springtime

Recently we had our cat, Max, declawed and neutered.  We drive 40 minutes to a country vet due to prices being almost triple in the city near us.  It's a nice and relaxing drive and this vet is legit.  He walks in and I've been around animals most of my life and I recognize it... he's an animal whisperer.  This first picture is a picture of his office.  If there are at least two cats on the counter at your vets office then you know you are at the right place.  The kids were off of school that day so we all went.  I thought they would have a hard time dropping him off for his surgery, but it really was me in the car trying to control my emotions.  Gee whiz.  Having kids has changed me, growing older has changed me.  What can I say?  I used to be so sure I never wanted a pet.  Now I look at my former younger days and sympathize that I didn't need one more thing to care for and yet, I tell my former self to loosen up a little. 

We had a play date that day and I regret that somehow Gwen didn't get in the picture.  She was there... I think getting a breakfast sandwich from our church's cafe.  Yes, cafe.  Remember back when the most amazing thing at church was the railing you'd swing on?

Social butterfly here...

Ben built a kneeler with some Catholic guys. Romy's trying it out.

Zeke's been sleeping in our room due to me painting his room.  It's only taking 5,000 weeks to accomplish so by the end of it all, we will have some fabulous habits built in! (notice Max)

I'm studying Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers at the moment.  This tree reminded me of Aaron's budding staff.

Romy insisted on wearing this fancy dress on Sunday.  Here are some pictures I took of her.

Spring Break 2

Spring break was a lot of fun, but we are all ready to head back to school today and get into more of a routine.  The kids used their own money to get some bubble gum machines and bubble gum balls.  

We went to the zoo and this time saw the baby chimpanzee.  It was interesting to see how the whole troup takes care of the little ones.

These eggs were so yellow that I had to take a photo.  These were the farm eggs I got at church from a friend.

Max playing with a cup in the sink.  He got neutered and declawed yesterday.  The kids were ok with dropping him off but I was the one having to control my emotions.

We went swimming at an indoor pool and we played on the playground afterwards to dry our hair.

Spring Break

I've been doing more reading lately, largely due to my stopping Facebook and TV.  It's amazing how much time I have to do Bible reading and read enriching books.  I met a guy the other day at the paint counter at Home Depot that spoke 5 languages including sign language.  It inspired me to start learning languages again.  I have wanted to speak Spanish for a long time and now I'm going to work on this goal.  We can all have goals. Here are some of the books I've read recently.

Hillbilly Elegy was a recommendation from a friend and I finished it in two days.  I thought it was very interesting, but it did have some language in it.  

This one was one I picked up very quickly at a library visit.  I loved it.  It was a very light read and you really get a sense that you have spent some time with Betty White when you read her words.  She is such an interesting and inspiring person.  I find her spark for life amazing.  It's probably what has kept her young all the years.

I just finished this book.  It is not light reading and I had to set it down sometimes and think things out, I thought it was great.  It really inspired me to want the Holy Spirit to be evident in my life on a daily basis and to seek out His work and join in.  I really like Francis Chan.  I feel like I could be his friend and have great conversations.

Gwen asked me if she could have my fuzzy pink robe.  It's about 20 times too big for her but she loves it.  I thought it was so cute how she woke up and wore it yesterday.  It suits her.  She's into fuzzy, pink, luxurious things.  

Romy helped me make muffins last night.  She loves cooking.  The other two kids have no interest really, but Romy loves it.

How could I say no to this face asking if she can help me???

This morning Gwen made some toast for me as a thank you for the hard work I'm putting into painting her room.  I thought it was so sweet and reminded me that everyone likes to be thanked.

Romy got a paint roller and put a ball on top and made it into a microphone.  Kids are surprising and fun and wonderful if you stop to notice them.  No wonder Jesus wanted them around.  She came out into the hallway and said "mom" and I turned around and she sang into her "microphone"- "Hallelujah".

We went to the library for their celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

A Blast From the Past

I went to the library today and I saw a name on a CD that caught my attention.  It said the name "Nicholas Gunn".  I rented the CD, but then I looked online and was pleasantly surprised that someone put the whole cassette tape I owned in the early 90's on youtube.  I loved this cassette.  It made me happy and you know what?  Still does.  It's beautiful!  Enjoy!

Thoughts

I'm going through the Purpose Driven Life devotional for Lent and I came across this verse I really liked.  I shared it with my mom's group co-coordinator and we think we may use it as a theme for next year.  I liked the coupling of strong and gentle.  

Zeke drew an elephant.  I'm not sure being an artist is his calling.

It's Spring Break here, and while others are traveling and doing wonderful projects with their children, it took us half the day for cleaning up of rooms and getting dressed.  The older two did very well.  It is Romy that I will tell her to clean up the toys in her room and she sits down and plays.  She then gets a consequence (time out) which... you guessed it... takes time.  Then I sit in her room and make her clean it up and finish getting ready.  I had this wonderful idea that while we are having spring break that every morning we would sing a worship song together.  By the end of the worship song today all three of mine were in their rooms, which again, takes time.  I'm feeling like I'm not really accomplishing much, but that's motherhood.  One step forward, then 20 minutes standing still correcting and teaching, and then one step forward and sometimes backward.  It's nuts.

Actually, during this week we are painting the kids rooms and sprucing them up.  Maybe we will get to the zoo one day and maybe Legoland the next.

Lent

This year Ben and I are doing Lent.  Meaning, we have decided to take a break from some things.  We made a commitment to take a break from TV and from Facebook during the 40 days of Lent.  I also have been going through the Purpose Driven Life book which is a 40 day devotional.  It has felt good.
Although on Sundays we can "feast day" it and watch a little TV, I have found that after a week of doing this that I don't really want to watch it.  By then I'm into some book or doing some other task.
I'm finding that I get tired sooner in the night and going to bed around 9pm.  That's not usually my norm, so this Lenten exercise has given me time back to go to bed early, sit and talk with Ben undistracted, focus my attention on the kids when they come home.  I do still get distracted in prayer and Bible reading, so maybe I could come up with some strategies for combating that.  This life is short and I don't want to waste it on wondering what everyone else is doing.  The thing that always shocks me about taking a break from social media is how rarely I am contacted by others.  I mean, besides my family and my neighbor, it is rare.

These beautiful eggs were gifted to me by someone at church who has chickens.  They are almost too beautiful to eat... almost.

I caught them getting along and digging together.  It's so nice when a parent can see the love between siblings.  I want that so much.