Good bye April.

I am bidding farewell to April it started on a high and is ending on a low and that is fine but Good Bye Now!

I have battled a cold for nearly 3 weeks, grrrrrr! A mild cold for the first 2 weeks and for a whole week now it has progressively grown worse...although today may be the turning point I have been hoping for! I had a check up with Dr. Santino last Thursday and she instructed me to take Benedryl and Tylenol and I haven't missed a dose since! On top of my misery of a stuffy head, sinus pressure and throbbing the kids have each had a fever and battled the sniffles, snotty noses and coughs. I am pretty sure Daddy is next.

Anyway we still managed to have a fun Easter. We had pre-Easter festivities with Grandma Linda, Aaron, Ea and Uncle Bryan Friday evening. Henry had his fever that evening and was more into lounging in Grandma's arms than much of anything else.

Saturday we went to Mama Janes and Papa Emerys for dinner, bunny cake making, and coloring eggs. Henry was beginning to feel better and Emrie was beginning to feel worse and I was still stuffy headed and miserable. Emrie was eager to set out the carrots and milk for the Easter Bunny before heading to bed.

Sunday morning the kids were happy to see that the Easter Bunny had paid us a visit leaving lots of fun stuff and yummy snacks.

I took the kids and went to Mama and Papas while Greg went to church. Emrie wanted to wear her Easter dress from Grandma Linda despite not going to church, so she and Henry put on their clothes and I was able to take a few outdoor pictures between all the rain clouds. We got a couple good ones!

We also had Aunt Beth take a family Easter photo of the four of us and I will probably not publish that picture...for my face looks swollen and the baby weight is not flattering on me one bit!!

Our Easter egg hunt was able to be outdoors when the rain and clouds cleared out. Emrie and Henry found lots of brightly colored eggs filled with treats. Emrie thought the Easter Bunny had been very sneaky coming out and hiding all those eggs. Henry carried his basket just like a big boy and was happy to fill it all the way up.

Our visit to visit Papa Mike, Nornie and Poppy was postponed since Emrie was feverish all afternoon, but when we are all feeling better I think the Easter Bunny visited there too!

While it is easy to get wrapped in to all the candy and Easter Bunny fun I tried to deliver the message of Jesus in and along the way in preparing for Easter by using this which I found on Focus on the Family.

A Easter lesson for our toddlers!

Real Easter bunnies:

~are white as snow because Jesus takes all sin away (Isaiah 1:18b).

~are gentle, kind-hearted and forgiving (Ephesians 4:32).

~have big ears that are quick to listen (James 1:19).

~have big eyes to look carefully and choose what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

~have no voice for complaining or arguing (Philippians 2:13).

~are quiet in prayer, but hop with thanksgiving and rejoicing (Philippians 4:4-6).

~have BIG feet to go tell others about Jesus so they can be like Easter bunnies, too (Matthew 28: 19-20).

~eat what is healthy by filling up on God's word every day (Psalm 119:11).

Happy Easter!!

Praise God for his son Jesus, for Easter and for family!

Spring Break

Emrie looks a little chilly...because it was!

Henry loved the sand and the freedom to run!

So happy that we were able to have a spring break getaway! Virginia Beach was a nice vacation spot although I have a fondness for our Surfside beach house that has won my heart forever. We were oceanfront in a condo which was nice to see the waves and hear the ocean sound 24/7. The weather was less than perfect but that did not keep us from enjoying our time there.

Being nosy would have paid off had we walked down the beach about 100 yards on our first day there we would have been able to see a 40 foot Sei whale that had died and washed ashore. Day two we did witness the whale or the pieces of whale being dragged down the beach by a front loader to its burial hole. A little interesting way to start the week. We did enjoy some sight seeing, like the boardwalk, lighthouse and some sand dunes or sand dudes as Emrie called them. The kids enjoyed being out in the sand digging, crawling, running, walking and playing the most and on a few days it was super chilly but they did not mind that one bit!

We went shopping one afternoon and purchased Henry his very own Build-a-Bear! His dog is Wags and is one extremely cute puppy! Emrie took Paws along to get a new outfit as well, Paws got a cute summer dress, shoes and a purse! Apperently Paws will only be allowed to wear that outfit to church because right now the outfit is hanging in Emries closet waiting for Sunday morning to come. Emrie has Sunday Only clothes so I guess it is only right for Paws to have the same.

The kids did well traveling in the car, Henry was a little more restless than Emrie but overall pretty good. I felt like I was constantly pulling snacks or tricks out of my bag to keep them occupied but we did well. No emergency potty breaks and no car sickness!

Emrie was pumped to stay at the hotel and I was relieved that Henry actually fell asleep in bed with us since he is a creature of habit when it comes to his night time routine! The pool was a plus at the hotel on the way home!! Emrie enjoyed floating around by herself(what a big girl!) and Henry got used to the water and enjoyed swimming around with daddy.

Henry has moved into Emries room, a transition I thought would be more difficult than it has, we are on night 3 and it has gone extremely well! Nap time is a little rough but after they both jabber for quite a long time it does eventually get quiet and I am able to sneak in a quick siesta too!!

The kids played outside this evening since the weather was so nice. Emrie was busy trying to play with the garden hose and trying to turn the water on. She had her socks and shoes off running around like it was 80 degrees and summer! Henry ate more dirt than I am sure he should have but seemed to enjoy his time getting filthy from head to toe! Bath time was mandatory tonight!! Quiet filled their bedroom quickly at bed time, I like that, it means they played hard!

Praise God for a wonderful vacation!