Sew Crafty Saturday: Eggs, Eggs, & More Eggs

Friday, we had some friends over for a light lunch,

and to decorate Easter eggs.

Of course, we needed a little party favor,




and everyone had to stay clean.

Henry's favorite game was

 

drop the egg. Good thing, I boiled 3 dozen!

 

Would you just, look, at these sweet cousins.

 

 

"Oh, these girls are crazy."

Sharpies are our new favorite thing to decorate eggs with, and this little happy face egg is one of my favorites!

 

We also love wrapping rubber bands around the eggs before we dunked them.

 

Just a few of the many!

Misc. Monday: Unplugged Sundays

 

Yesterday, we had our first "Unplugged Sunday." We did not get on the computer, watch TV, play with Ipads, and kept phone calls and texts to a minimum. My friend Amy did it last week, and we were ready to give it a try. Amy and I are doing the same Bible study, and realized that there are many things in our life that distract us from what is really important. (Without mentioning it to the kids, Dan and I agreed that we would do it for at least four weeks. I am hoping it goes so well, and that we do it forever).
I knew it would be much harder selling this idea to our kids, since they are so much older than Amy's. Dan and I explained the idea of "Unplugged Sundays" to the girls Saturday night after church, and boy was I right! Lilly cried and cried. "No TV all day? What about a bedtime show? What if we only do learning games on the Ipad?" Dan and I gently explained that we would be doing none of those things, so we could spend time focusing on each other. At that, Iris profoundly asked, "What if we watch the show all together on the couch?"
Sunday morning, we made a giant list of over 50 things we could do on "Unplugged Sundays." The girls started to get a little excited. That day, we planted grass seeds into egg shells, had a dance party, read tons of books, and did lots of crafts. Iris and Hendricks took a nap, while Dan and Lilly had a water balloon fight. Dan gave Lilly a guitar lesson. We went for a walk, played in the fairy garden, and worked on Iris' birthday party. Grandma and Grandpa visited, and before we knew it, the day was over! We did it! Lilly actually screamed at one point, "UNPLUGGED SUNDAY ARE THE BEST. CAN WE DO THIS EVERY DAY?" To which I calmly replied, "If we did this every day, it would not be so special." Then we put the kids to bed, and Dan and I turned on the TV.

Sew Crafty Saturday: Easter Time

 

Easter is quickly approaching and the house has a definite holiday feel to it. The girls are really understanding the Resurrection Eggs, and we are actually reading all of the previous Bible verses every night when we open a new egg.
My favorite craft this year besides these very special eggs, is the garland I made out of old plastic Easter eggs. I saw the idea on Pinterest of course, and had tons of these eggs in the garage, so it was not only quick to make, but free. Yay!

Wee-Ones Wednesday: Snow Babies

 

 

 

 

You know when you realize you are having a perfect day, time seems to stand still for the briefest moment, and you try to etch the image into your mind, so you won't forget it? Last Saturday, was that kind of day. I wanted to take the kids to the snow at least once this year to see it and touch it. Dan took it one step further and enrolled them in private lessons at the Burton sponsored, children's snowboard park at Bear Mountain. He was so excited; I couldn't help but worry for him. Chances that this would go well were slim. They would probably cry, whine, and complain the entire time, but I was hopeful...
Well, the day exceeded my wildest dreams. The girls were amazing! They had a blast, never complained, and were kind to each other the entire time. Their teacher was a doll. I about died when he said, "Let's strap in, and practice our 180s." They got braver and braver as the day went on. They told him they wanted to go up on the chairlift. I couldn't believe it. They had to go one at a time, so while one girl rode up with Adam, the other got to have a snowball fight with Daddy. Perfect!
Baby Hendricks was not too fond of the snow, however. It was too cold to the touch, and too bright to look at. His eyes were closed in every picture because the glare was just too much for him. After awhile, he fell asleep in the Ergo carrier and all was well. I was so in love with my little family. I always am, but it can be easy to forget amid the laundry, fighting, dishes, spilled paint, baths, screaming, and every day tediousness. Days like Saturday, recharge the soul, and I am so grateful for them.

Misc. Monday: Ressurrection Eggs

With Easter two weeks away, I wanted to remind the girls what Easter is all about. Easter celebrates the miracle of Jesus coming back to life after being crucified on the cross. It is not a celebration of springtime, and although the Easter bunny does leave our children Easter baskets, I want them to know the Easter bunny is just a fun addition to this most sacred time. Can you even imagine allowing your child to die for the sake of someone else? I thank God every day that he was able to do something for me that I could never do for myself. What love, what grace!
So tomorrow we will open our first Resurrection egg, and continue, one day at a time until Easter. Each day holds a small symbol in its egg (bread, thorns, nails, a sponge), and a corresponding Bible verse in the pocket on the bottom of the egg carton. The final egg will be empty because Jesus wasn't there in the tomb! The miracle above all miracles. We will slow down and remember what Jesus has done for us.
(You can find all the instructions for the Resurrection eggs on my holiday board on Pinterest.)

Wee-Ones Wednesday: Traditions

 

 

Dan has this tradition of taking the girls to Build-A-Bear on their birthdays. He started with Lilly when she turned one, and has done it for each of their birthdays ever since. He decided he didn't want to do this with his son, so he took Hendricks to the mall to buy his first baseball hat. It's a fitted Dodger hat, complete with his initials. I wouldn't expect anything less!

Wee-Ones Wednesday: The Party People

 

 

As promised, here are some photos of the birthday boy, his friends, and family. It was such a wonderful day: perfect weather, lots of laughter, and fun was had by all. Happy birthday, sweet boy. We love you loads and loads!