The Cat & The Hat has NOTHING on us!

Rainy days are made for using your crafting skills!  And these kiddos have it!!  

What a fun day!

Painted the WHOLE thing!  Even the bottom...and her fingers....and.... So cute!

Painting his dog, he called "Gidget", our dog,  over to look at his eyes before he painted them!   What an insightful edge!

Dandelions will never be a weed to me!

I told him if they make his skin turn yellow; he likes girls!  He wasn't sure what to think.
He needed a shower after the experience, however.

I will cherish these moments forever....and ever.

Saving the best for last!

Our final Pinewood Derby!

Anxiously watching the races!

He came in fourth!!  (The Red, White, & Blue car.)

Over the years, we've come in last and second to last.... There was no containing his  excitement!

Easter Egg Hunt 2012

He hid the eggs really REALLY well! 

Love the hat!

Our traditional white cake, white icing, with coconut!

It's Empty!

First we read the Bible account of the resurrection.  

Then we gathered supplies!

The marshmallow represented Jesus.  We rolled it in spices, explaining that during the burial process, bodies were prepared with spices.

The "body" was then placed in the tomb (crescent roll).

It was sealed up tight!  Then we waited...

When the tombs came out of the oven they were EMPTY!

This was such a great interactive way to explain the Easter account again with our kids!
Cupcake really inspected the inside of her "tomb".
After a while of thinking, she asked, "okay, so where's the angel?"  Oh my!

I think we'll be  looking forward to this deliciously exciting tradition each year!

Creative Masterminds!

We love to watch the kids use their creativity to decorate their eggs!  The ever fragile eggs get dipped in colors, cracks and all!  Each egg is unique and beautiful! 

 This year was no egg-ception!  

A rainbow of possibilities!  

I still love the wraps!  

Who's Being Fooled?

We love April Fool's Day at our house!  And no matter how many times I try and remind myself NOT to turn on the water because the sprayer has been rigged with a rubber band, it will spray me!  This morning was no different, the tricksters were at it again!

After letting the dog outside, Super Daddy cleaned the floor and put a concoction of peanut butter and chocolate into a ziplock bag. He cut the corner of bag and piped out little "turds".  He then called for Super Gus to clean up the poo!  Gus hesitated at the disgusting task.  Super Daddy proceeded to the mess with a clean paper towel and cleaned it up purposely smearing a bit on his fingers.  "Oh gross!  Gus, please get me another paper towel, please.--oh never mind-" and he began licking his fingers!  Horrified, Gus freaked out!  Tee hee!!

To Gus's credit, he was not quite bright eyed and bushy tailed to begin with, as SOMEONE messed with his alarm, making him rise 2 hours early.  Again-Tee hee!!

Not to worry, Gus got his turn at playing a few tricks as well!  He made the above breakfast for his daddy!  It's vanilla yogurt and apricot halves as "eggs"!  The toast was normal, but Super Daddy still hesitated after the eggs. He also, laid a spoon with a mess glued to it on the table for me to find!  What a stinker!

We all laughed! Being tricked can be playfully fun, but being a fool is no laughing matter!  Our devotion time this morning led us to Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

How sad.... There's not an ounce on funny in that.  We laughed today at being April's Fools, but we prayed for the "fools" who are lost. Being reminded that God is full of love and compassion and that He does not want even one to perish, directs us to look outside ourselves and show God's love to others.  For April Fool's day is only one day, but to live a lifetime without knowing the love of the Lord is an eternity of emptiness.

The Blessing of Family

 A beautiful sight.....

They have each other!

Go Get Daddy!

 As I get older, I realize I'm becoming more claustrophobic!  I realized it even more so today when the bathroom door jammed and I was held prisoner inside.  Now, I've spent a considerable amount of time in that room of the house so it wasn't that I was unfamiliar with the surroundings.  It was that I couldn't get out.  The idea of being stuck was unsettling, so I started screaming.  Dignified,  I know.  But I did!  Luckily, Gus was still in the house in between basketball plays outside!  I yelled "Let me out!  Go get Daddy!  NOW!"  

Calm, cool, and collected were not anything I was so elegantly displaying.  I seriously was contemplating how hard it would be to escape out the skylight.  Mind you, it is a permanently sealed window.  I thought of digging!  Genius!  I could dig through the carpet and fall a story into the basement.  So, obviously, I wasn't thinking clearly.

Finally, when I say this I realistically only mean about 5 minutes, help arrives!  Like a knight in shining armor, once again, Super Daddy came to my rescue!

After, bolting out the newly opened door, I felt free.  Free from fear!  Free from that ever shrinking bathroom.... 

Irrational fear, however, led me to thinking that I called out for help and Daddy delivered! What a  wonderful of a reminder, that Abba, Daddy, God our Father, hears our desperate cries and comes to our rescue.  God did a lot of rescuing in the Bible.  He rescued the Israelites many times over!  He intervened in battles so His will would be done, rescuing many!  David praised the Lord many times for the rescuing He provided throughout his lifetime!  Rack, Shack, and Benny (Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego) were rescued from the fiery furnance, Daniel was rescued from the lion's mouths!  Truths after truths, the scriptures proclaim God's ability to rescue!  

Jeremiah 1:8 boldy proclaims: Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

And ultimately, Jesus made the biggest rescue of all, when He gave up His life on the cross to die for all of us.  He died for the mistakes we make.  He did it out of love.  And He still hears our cries!  He does not ignore us!  He wants to hear from us....even when the prayers are desperate and come from a bathroom!  

Thank you Lord for reminding me that rescuing is something you do so well.  

                            Thank you for reminding me, I can get myself into situations I can not get out of.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

A ray of sunshine through the door knob!

So small, but so strong!

Of all the doors in our home, there are only 3 that remain original. Slowly, over the years, each has broken; taking prisoners on each occasion!  A little advice on remodeling?  Don't use  this brand of knob!