Project 365, Week 15

We started off the week with a great Easter Day!  We've been treated to gorgeous weather this week, and that just makes everything seem better.  It was a quiet week with a day or two that the car didn't leave the driveway...just the way we like it (well, all of us except Avery...she likes things happenin').

Have a blessed week!

April 4

Easter!

April 5

Fresh-picked flowers from my sweet Amanda....more beautiful than ten dozen roses.

April 6

I have a short workout video that I've been doing and Avery likes to join in.  See her handweights? :)

April 7

Though it didn't feel hot, my computer said it was 90 degrees!  Unheard of for this time of year.  So...we made the most of it!

I pulled out the water table and filled up the pool and we had a grand time.

April 8

Pretty sure this is not how the bathing suit goes and this is her listening to her sister tell her just that.

April 9

Who knew Jello could make such a mess!

April 10

For dinner we, along with three-quarters of the state, took advantage of Subway's buy-one-get-one-free promotion.

Thanks to Sara for hosting!

Great Balls of Fire

Sometimes we wish we could just bottle Amanda up.  She is so...Amanda. She stirs things up around here and is good for Shaun, Avery and I who are all first borns.  Her spirit is infectious.  I can't do her justice with words or with photos, but here is a little sampling from this past month.  Her "outfits" are truly photo-worthy everyday, but I can't keep up with all her changes.  You can bet at some point in the day she always ends up in a leotard, bathing suit or dress-up clothes or something of her sisters that her sister is particularly fond of.  And nearly always, shoes on the wrong feet.

In a sleepy, pitiful voice Amanda told me, Mom, I need some medicine.  My cough is ignoring me.

She asked me, Mom, are you just-appointed in me?

I love that her "s" still comes out like a soft "th" sound and "Th" at the beginning of a word is "Da" sound.

Somewhere she heard the word "hinny", but she's confused it and calls it "my highness" or "your highness"

Dancing with her cousins to Great Balls of Fire.  Here...you shake my nerves and you rattle my brain.

Playing a princess game on her daddy's new Droid.

Orphan girl playing outside

And, the inevitable. 

She just fits the hair-cutter profile. And I'll tell you what...I bet she does it again. And I can't say I completely blame her. Whatever I do with her hair for the day never makes it through naptime so she's often got hair hanging in her face.

But oh, how we love this girl and her electric personality!  She can disarm even the toughest, most aloof stranger...God has truly given her a gift.

For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

Psalm 92:4

Easter

Easter was especially special this year.  We had a great time being part of The Passion of the King and seeing it again really served as such an important reminder of what Christ did for us.  Plus, the kids are older and were more into it, plus the weather was divine.  Much of our family was together for the day, and that's a good thing.  This year Easter was kind of split into two days because we attended church on Saturday night and had everyone over on Sunday.  Thanks for the family pic, Meg!

Baby's first Easter...

Cousins!

More cousins!

I was out of the house all of Sunday morning.  When I arrived home, I found the girls had dressed themselves AND done their own hair.

More cousins!  Alayna, Aiden, Rocco

This struck me as funny...what a fuss people make about babies!  (with good reason :)

Avery reading the book Grandma got her...Amanda giving Great-Grandpa hugs

Uncle Nathan put together a scavenger hunt for the big 11 year-olds. 

The prizes at the end were iTunes gift cards...oh, how times have changed!

We were pleased to have my sister's in-laws, who we count as friends, join us as well.

As the day quieted down, the girls sat down to talk wedding.  Sienna (yellow) is getting married in June and Sarah (my SIL in gray) in the wedding coordinator.  And me?  I just like anything to do with weddings.  :)

Meanwhile, the boys played.  :)  A fun-filled family day with warm sun...priceless!

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Romans 5:10

The Passion of the King

This was the third year for the Passion of the King, and our first being involved in it.  Shaun manned the sound board and Avery was one of the kids.  Both really enjoyed their time...Avery actually glowed anytime it was talked about.  It helped that her auntie and four cousins were also involved.  There were six performances over a week's time.

See her?  She's the little one in the middle with brown on.  When she first began we made sure to explain what her costume would look like so she wasn't disappointed that there were no sparkles.  These things are important in her world.  I didn't "happen" to catch her smiling in all these pictures...its just how excited she was, every single time.

She had a little "extra" part at the end, to pretend that she was lost.

My niece Madison, with Jesus.

My nephew Nathanael, here telling young David he's "too skinny" to fight Goliath.

The whole crew posed with Jesus.

Shaun and Amy hard at work behind the scenes making it all happen.

As you can see, the kids were super bored during the scenes they were not in.

The "bus", or shuttle from the commuter lot to the church was a highlight for sure.  They could sit anywhere they wanted and no seatbelts!

The kids were intrigued by the "blood" on the thief.  He was into them being into him and was a good sport.

My aunt and uncle drove 4 hours from NY to see the show, only to turn around the same night and go home after.  Thanks you guys!  This is my mom and her sister and me and my sister.  Do you think there is any family resemblance? 

Amy and Avery after the last performance and Avery with "Mary".

What a privilege to be a part of the production in a small way.  Our prayer is that many came to know Christ, the ONLY way to get to heaven.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

(stick with the video...it does come into focus.)