Easter, what a blessing! Blessed that he is risen. Blessed for time with family.

First up: dying eggs with my peeps. We made Veggie Tale eggs, a favorite around here. Ava loves all things crafty so this made for a very happy/messy girl. Daddy was a little messy as well. Should I mention the floor? Nah!

The easter bunny came to leave a trail to Daddy and Ava's basket. The bunny must have something against me because I seem to never have one. Why? The eggs were quickly found and the basket's enjoyed. Ava's favorite gift: new silverware. Hum? Like Mommy maybe? Yep, I think so!

Then off to church to celebrate our Risen Savior.

Last stop: Easter lunch with the fam. What a blessing family is. Watching our kiddos brought back so many happy memories of our own easter egg hunts, now we are watching them. Blessed! Blessed indeed!

Happy Easter to you all. I hope you believe in the true meaning of this special holiday!

Joy

Joy is...
a zoo trip with friends

and a friend who finds great joy in trying to sneak in...

Joy is...
Easter parties that have the best bunnies (wonder who is was?)

Joy is...
a cute "hand-me-down" Easter outfit

Joy is...
bunny kisses

Joy is...
this

Oh.My.Word. This is simply amazing. Only 5 ingredients--milk, cream, eggs, sugar, lemon. Lemon pie ice cream on a spoon. Go get this, like now. You WILL NOT be disappointed. Don't like lemon, no worries--there are many more to chose from.

Spring is here, but only for a few more weeks!

We are so glad. It is only a month until the pool opens! Can I get an amen? I had such a glorious moment in Target this week as I bought sunscreen and a new beach towel. Then the small surprise in the mail, pool tags! Yes! Ava is getting ready too, she is loving wearing her sun hats around. While on a walk the other night we had several comments from neighbors about how stylish she was! We are READY.

So until then we are improvising....




Her Daddy is teaching her well, all cars have to be clean!

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!

I doubt whether the world holds for any one a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream...

Without ice cream life is meaningless...

It takes twelve gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream

It takes an average of 50 licks to finish off a single scoop ice cream cone

Children age 2 through 12 and adults over 45 eat the most ice cream (they did not count hubs in this poll!)

98 percent of homes in the United States have ice cream in them

Vanilla is the number one selling flavor of ice cream, my fav is Strawberry! What's yours?

Our new addition, Noah James

April 8, 2011. A day that I will remember forever. So much emotion seeing a baby in his first few moments. What a blessing. One that will never be taken lightly. We thank God for this blessing. Babies are his biggest blessing, don't you think?



12:39pm




20 and 1/2 inches long
8 pounds 4 ounces, the same exact weight of his Mama

Saying hello to his big brother for the first time
I think every parent wanders how their first born will be affected by a new baby. We were excited to see what Nathan was going to think. I think we all caught our breathe as he came in the room wondering and praying that he would be excited. That he would still feel loved. All those fears were put to rest quickly. Very quickly. He was so proud. Wanting to jump up with his mama to see his new buddy. Kissing his sweet head. Asking me to take his picture. Emotion. Big emotion. I was thankful that any of the pictures came out because I lost it. Nathan is going to a great big bother. He is already so in love!
I sure love my nephews! They bring so much joy to this family. I pray so many sweet blessing on Noah's life. Such a honor to be part of his life. I will never forget this day, the day Noah took his first breathe.

Happiness is...

Happiness is...
...making pretend dinner with our new play-doh
Happiness is...
...having Sonic on our new picnic table
Happiness is...
...new IronMan coloring sheets
Happiness is...
...that crinkled nose smile that makes me wonder what I did to deserve her
Happiness is...
...letters in the tub and hearing her sweet rendition of ABC's....A, C, D, F
Happiness is...
...watching new life form in one of my sweetest friends
Happiness is...
...this!

More birthday pics....

My husband and my daughter love Ironman. I know, weird huh? So of course I knew the perfect theme for these two. We had a little get together to celebrate these birthday buddies "ion-man" style.
How do you like Ava's new ride? What is it with this girl and boy toys? Trains, Ironman, cars....what is next? It was a perfect day! Happy Birthday to my Loves!