Memory Lane

This is the church I grew up in...

It sits less than 1/4 of a mile from my grandparents' farmhouse.

Long before it was our church, it was also a schoolhouse. My dad went to school there through grade 4.

I definitely remember this wallpaper. It's in the preschool Sunday school room. My grandma sometimes taught the class. My favorite parts of this class were the flannel-graph stories and the blocks!!

This was in the other classroom. Nice 60s theme, huh? :)

Little stinker.

It was really sad to see how badly things have fallen apart. The church was closed 10 years (?) ago, so it's just been sitting empty. This piano still plays as off-tune as ever! :)

Papa telling the kids stories from when he went to school there. He was just behind that post playing ping-pong when he heard about JFK's assassination.

The nursery. There used to be 2 sets of stacked cribs against that wall. This room also housed the gigantic, ancient copy machine and mini-library.

Soooooo many memories of this sanctuary! Church events, Singspirations, VBS programs, helping lead worship as a high schooler (Dad FORCED me to play the piano one Sunday. I was so mad but we both knew I never would have done it any other way.), and the last memory...right up on that stage is where Aaron proposed to me! The church had been closed for a year or two and had no electricity. I was completely oblivious that he was even going to propose that weekend (Thanksgiving)! He had practically the whole family in on it. They got a bunch of candles up there and lit. We went for a walk--he'd never seen the church before so in we walk and there were all the candles and Aaron dropped to a knee. That might be the best memory from this church! :)

I just found out that those aren't actually stained glass windows! They're like peel and stick window things! I always liked them a lot though.

Jacob and Great Grandpa talkin' shop :) Right in front of them is where the piano used to be.

The entrance. The boys would hang and swing from the overhang.

Entryway--women's bathroom.

This is where we posted information about missionaries and other announcements and had tracts and Daily Breads set out.

What beats this view?! This is what we saw every Sunday on the playground. Wide open spaces and a beautiful sky.

I'm going to miss seeing it when we go to the farm. But, things change.

Awana Program

Anna's AWANA program was this week. She started out saying she was NOT going to go, but did great once we got there. She informed me afterward that she was nervous! :)

Marching in. Look at that sly look!!

Singing with all the AWANA kids.

The Cubbies singing their songs and saying their verses. She did great!

Jewelry

My Mom has her own etsy shop!! Go check out her gorgeous (affordable!) jewelry HERE! FREE SHIPPING!!! I am amazed at the creations she puts together. Beautiful!!!

Pictures...and that's about it.

People ask how I feel and the best answer is "It's still the first trimester!" Three weeks (or so) and hopefully things will start getting better.

Saturday...pathetic, right? Although I can't blame Jacob for not wanting to watch "Angelina the Ballerina" and I can't blame Anna for not wanting to watch "Thomas the Train" again. They're getting to the ages that there really aren't a whole lot of shows they both like. Dora is about the only one!

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but I love it.

My lilac bush is blooming! It smells so good out back. It's almost as tall as the house (the flat roof part, anyway)!

Got the garden in!!! Trying lettuce and spinach this year. Aaron was a HUGE help--he pretty much did all the weeding to get it ready for the tilling. It was so COLD Saturday morning!!!

Miss Blue Eyes...with Mrs. Blue Eyes behind her :) Anna's eye color is very much like Gma Betty's.

Poor boy was ready to go to Aunt Cara's house for 2 days!! Both mornings he woke up and thought it was time. This was the day, but he had to wait until afternoon! He put the boots on all by himself and was ready to go with his Easter basket and Anna's backpack!

Spring That Feels Like Summer

Kim emailed this morning and asked if we wanted to meet them at the lake to play. Of course it was a beautiful day, so after preschool we headed to the lake! It was downright hot in the sun!! By the time we left, we had accumulated 8 kids! Kim had a couple extras she was babysitting, I had an extra and another friend came with her little boy! It was fun.

The kids all played on the playground for quite a while. Jacob had been trying to sneak over to the water all morning, so while Kim went to pick up one of the extras from school, we headed over to the water. The ducks came right away, but as soon as they figured out we didn't have any food, they left!

I was a split second late--Jacob had his hand on Anna Mae's back! It was so sweet!!

The Jakes :)

The poor, cantankerous, old swan. His legs are so crippled he can hardly walk. Maybe that's why he's so grumpy and mean to the ducks and geese? He can still swim fast, though!

5 of the 8 we ended up with :) It was a fun morning, even if I did sit on a juice box!! Thanks for inviting us Kim!!

Busy Day...Good Results, I Hope!

We spent all day yesterday working in the yard. We had a lot of work to do!! Aaron cleaned up the leaves (yes, we still had leaves to clean up!) and I cleaned up my front flower beds. I planted phlox in there years ago and only the purple ones took. Except they were just a mess. So I cleaned them out and planted tulips! I found pots of tulips at Walmart for $8! I got yellow and red/white ones. It took a lot of hours and only $24! :) (plus I have some left over for planting elsewhere...where I don't know, though!)

I really hope they live!! The yellow ones are already blooming. I can't wait to see the red/white ones bloom!

Still got some cleaning up to do (and too bad our front lawn isn't grass anymore! Next up...sometime, anyway).

Easter

Even after a busy day yesterday, Jacob was still up before 8 this morning! Since Anna just put her head under her pillow when I told her it was time to get up, I bribed her with Easter surprises! Thanks to Aunt Cara for the super cute, homemade Easter baskets (not sure why I didn't get a picture of them) and surprises! They made getting Anna up this morning easy as pie! haha

Oh yes, he quickly realized the eggs had something in them! :)

Poor girl, having her picture taken so early in the morning!

Once again, Uncle Windell sent the kids their outfits (and of course, the matching baby doll dress, too). They looked so handsome/beautiful.

I like the B/W picture, but this one shows the fantastic colors, too. :)

Before dinner was ready, the kids had a blast hunting for Easter eggs!

Uncle Windell also sent the kids Easter baskets. Jacob got a Lightening McQueen basket (he LOVES it!). Anna got a Princess & the Frog basket (she LOVES it!)

I LOVE his face in this one! He caught on quickly that the eggs that rattled had candy in them! haha He did have a lot of fun hunting for them.

All that aside, today was a meaningful day of worship for us. A church in town puts up a cross with a verse that says "Is it nothing to you, all who pass by?" Shamefully, I forget too often the great sacrifice Jesus made. During Sunday school today, it was open for people to share. One man shared that God's wrath was exhausted on Jesus at the cross. That means there is no wrath left for me, a believer! All my sins are covered by His great sacrifice! "Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia!!!"

Catching Up

Well, I'm not feeling any better but I figured I better get caught up a little bit anyway! A couple weeks ago I made a Boston Cream Pie for dessert for family night. I like to use frosting instead of melted chocolate chips for the topping. The kids are glad I did...

I melted the frosting a bit and poured it over the cake. It was a bit too melted and kept running, running, running! The kids had a grand time licking up the extra!!

Jacob really got into it! (I don't know why his ear is so red...he has sensitive skin that gets red very easily. I promise I wasn't boxing his ears! ;))

While Grandpa & Grandma were visiting, Anna and Grandma emptied out the toy box. Anna wanted to set up "shop" with all her stuffed animals. SHE HAS OVER 50 STUFFED ANIMALS!!! That's just crazy! The bad part? We can tell you who gave her pretty much every, single one! How are you supposed to pare down that?! We can't give away the teddy bear Binga gave her for Valentine's Day, or the dog Grandpa gave her for Christmas, or the clown bear she picked from Great Grandma W's house....*sigh*

Spring is finally here!!!! The weather has been super nice. Anna & Jacob have loved playing outside as much as they can.

Jacob was allowed to hold Anna's precious "kitty"...until he got too rough with her. Then Mama Anna had to take it away!

See...you have to hold her like THIS!

So proud of herself. This girl lived in her swimming suit for 2 days (and her boots--love it!). She is SO ready for summer and the pool!!