Is it summer yet?!

These warm days with abundant sunshine make me long for summer. It's hard to get the kids inside for bed at a decent hour when the breeze is blowing and the sun lingers in the sky.

My veggie and flower gardens are doing well. We sure have loved watching some of my newest bulbs and transplants come into bloom. I've also enjoyed picking my own ingredients for salad for lunch. Topped with fresh picked strawberries, you just can't beat it!

The girls have loved playing all sorts of crazy games in the backyard including summer sledding. I think they are ready for summer too!

I got this one from Anna's teacher at the recess field. Seems to me sister wrestling is not just isolated to home!

Ohh and check out this craziness...we visited some of our favorite babysitters last week. Each of their three girls has watched my two girls and now their oldest has a baby! Here's what's crazy, Anna is almost old enough to babysit their baby! Brady sure is a cutie and we loved catching up.

We've got lots of fun things to celebrate over the next month so while I am excited for lazier days, I am also treasuring these special moments before they pass. We'll see you soon our friend, summer. 

Anna's adventures

This girl sure makes me proud to be her mama. She's had some tough times at school last week, but I can clearly see evidence of God working in her heart. Her response to some hard situations has challenged and inspired me. And while it's painful to go through difficult things, I am so grateful for our conversations and opportunities to speak truth into her. She's building some amazing muscles of resiliency and I know they will serve her well!

Meanwhile, she has also had some bright spots. Isn't that just like life?! It's a good mix of ups and downs! Anna started her horse riding lessons she received from grandparents for her birthday (yes, in January). I was waiting for it to get warmer and not as crazy in our schedule. When she rides, she is so darn serious because she is concentrating. But the minute she's off the horse, she is all smiles and talking a mile a minute about all the things she loved.

Anna was also asked to present at an annual inquiry conference her school runs. It meant waking up early on a Saturday morning and doing lots of work beforehand to get ready. Their class is doing impact projects and she has chosen to focus on kids fitness. Her goal is to put a gaga pit on the school playground. My only question to her was, "have you asked permission first." Why? Because I know she will make it happen so we better make sure it's allowed!

Do I have to take pictures, Mom?! 

That also leads me to one final story. A couple of weeks ago Anna found some unsafe conditions on her school playground-broken glass and equipment. She took the evidence to her principal and told her things needed to change because kids were getting hurt. Well, after a little while with no change, Anna casually asks Patrick who is in charge of playgrounds at the District Office. I think you know where this is going...the next day she sends an email with convincing photos to the DO. She may have also dropped Patrick's name in there. Sure enough, he graciously responds, while also copying Patrick and her principal on the email. Within two hours the kids in Anna's class see some District personnel pull up to the playground and start to work on a few things. At the end of the day, when she got in the car my only comment to her when she asked if I had heard was, "Yes. We need to work on your use of possessive their." This girl is going to stand up for what she thinks is right and I can't wait to see the changes she makes in this world!

Strawberry time!

We have waited what seems like FOREVER to go strawberry picking this year. Each time we thought about going, we had something else pop up or the weather was terrible. Finally, we had an open opportunity this weekend.

The berries did not disappoint! There's nothing quite like a sun-warmed strawberry fresh off the bush. Paige thought so too...I couldn't even pick them fast enough to get her bucket filled. The carnage was terrible! :)

After picking we stopped by our favorite neighborhood park, the one we took Anna to as a baby. The girls ran their berry behinds off and we headed home for jam production. I think this is the first time Patrick has helped us with it. He was a good berry masher so I think we'll keep him. Overall we made 4 batches which should be enough to go around to teachers, friends and family.

photo bomb!

After all the cutting, mixing, mashing we decided for dinner we would just have strawberry shortcake and sausage. I'm not sure where that came from, but the girls thought it was an amazing idea!

Easter weekend

We love celebrating Easter with our sweet church family. First up is Good Friday. Because our building is still being built and the school is closed for the holiday, use our pavilion in the spring. I love worshiping outside, but it does come with it's share of craziness like wind, rain or cold temps. But it reminds me of the early church and their dodging the elements to learn more about Jesus.

It was a sweet crowd on Friday evening as we faced the garden and heard about God's creation, dwelling, suffering and return in the garden. We sang some beautiful songs in between each section and then dodged the first falling rain drops before heading home and to bed.

On Saturday, Rusty and Emily hosted a great Kids Rock and pre-school Easter program filled with games and lots of fun. The kids and adults had fun competing. Paige was most excited about the peep relay while Anna and Caroline won at the egg toss. The two of them also got selected for egg roulette at the end of our festivities. Let's just say they ended up with some egg on their heads! Despite the much cooler temps and a bit of drizzle, it was a great event.

Easter Sunday was a lot sunnier fortunately, but still chilly. The girls and I braved the cooler weather in our dresses. The trick was to move our chairs into the sun instead of sitting under the pavilion! My sweet friend Erin decorated the mantle with beautiful flowers and it made a lovely backdrop for family photos. After a wonderful service, we all enjoyed a potluck lunch with yummy food.