Princesses and Easter

We had such a great Easter weekend! We drove over the mountains to spend Easter with Jared's family. Jared was able to get off work early on Friday, and we had a beautiful sunny day for driving. I had found out about a local "Cinderella Tea Party" that was going to happen on Saturday, and made reservations for Ellie. I wanted it to be a surprise for her, so I didn't tell her anything about it until Saturday morning, when I gave her a hint: "You get to dress up as a princess for something today." She was very curious, and got a few other hints out of people throughout the day.

After lunch she got into her Belle dress and I curled her hair. She got to wear Grandma's pearl necklace, which made her feel even more special! We drove into town, and by then she knew that she was going to some kind of princess party. We went into the tea house, and it was decorated beautifully. There ended up being 17 girls at the party, all dressed up! They got to meet Cinderella when they arrived. Then they all went into the "ballroom," where Cinderella told them the story of how she met her prince. Next the girls had a treasure hunt, and then they danced to some of the Disney princess songs. After that they came inside and decorated their own cupcakes and drank their tea (Ellie put about 5 cubes of sugar, plus sprinkles and frosting in her tea!). They played another game and danced some more, and then the party came to an end. Ellie said that it was the best surprise ever. She had such a wonderful time!

Ellie with a few of the other girls

Ellie dancing with Cinderella

I had to get a picture with my beautiful princess:)

The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun, too. We had an Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house and went to another one at church. We had a yummy Easter dinner. And best of all, we got to spend a lot of family time together:)

Parker and Ellie had perfect weather for searching for eggs in Grandpa and Grandma's yard!

They had fun opening their Easter baskets, which were full of goodies.

We got to the church Easter egg hunt late, but they each still found a few eggs.

Grandpa helped Parker a little!

It was a great Easter!

I always love Easter time! Although I believe we should remember Christ and His death and resurrection all throughout the year, Easter is a wonderful time to set aside time to remember. We have a loving God. A God who sent His only son to die a horrible death, so that you and I could spend eternity in Heaven with Him, rather than in hell. I hope you believe this. I hope you have accepted His gift of eternal life. He is risen!

He provides everything I need

This morning I woke up feeling low. Well, actually I was depressed. And probably I've been getting that way for a couple weeks now, but I just recognized it this morning. I am fairly prone to depression, and the winter months tend to bring it on. I haven't been disciplined in exercising the past couple weeks, and the sun has been quite shy. These two things are pretty good ingredients for depression, especially when they're combined. Now I know that I am very blessed. I have so much to be thankful for, and yet the depression comes. So this morning all I could think of was how much I wanted some sunshine. And of course when I looked out the window I saw not only clouds, but snow covering the plants that I had just planted yesterday. But, I serve a God who provides for my needs. And today I believe He saw that I couldn't handle much more rain. So He sent sunshine! Yes, shortly before lunch the clouds parted and the sun came out! It was a wonderful sight. I quickly fed the kids lunch and bundled them up for a walk. I knew that the sun might not stick around for long, and I needed to soak up as much as possible! We walked about 2 miles, then did some raking (yes, there was still some snow on the ground) before going inside for naptime. That sun (and the walk) did so much for my mood. All I needed was a little bit of sunshine, and God knew that. And He provided just what I needed, just when I needed it! Just another example of my God loving me!

A simple truth

God is good. Do you believe that? I mean really, truly, all-the-time believe that? As a Christian, this seems like such a basic, simple truth. And yet I didn't always believe it fully. It's a little humbling to admit that, but most of my life I have believed that God is good when things were going well. When it was easy to believe. When circumstances were just right. And then the rest of the time...I'm not sure what I thought, but it wasn't this fundamental truth. Sure, I knew it - in my head. But I didn't truly believe it in my heart. This past year I feel like God has taught me so much. He has been refining me, molding me into more of the person He wants me to be. He has revealed more of Himself to me, and helped me to really believe this simple truth. I feel like I have been falling more in love with God every day lately. I want to know Him more. And more. And more. And you know what? When I search for Him, I find Him! It's a promise He's made to me (and you), and it always holds true. And in searching for Him, and knowing Him more, I believe that it has finally sunk in - He really is ALWAYS good. He doesn't change. No matter what the circumstances, He is good. He is in control. I may not always understand why things happen - and that's okay. But I do know that I have this truth to hold dear to, to cling to; in good times and in bad I know that my God is good. And that He loves me. And you. And really, compared to that, what else matters?

My Focus

This afternoon I was able to take a walk by myself. My hubby was home today, after working many long hours over the past few days, and so he stayed home with the kids while I took a walk. It had been a somewhat frustrating day, with the kids disobeying and arguing, and I was feeling kind of low. I decided to take my mp3 player with me and listen to my "worship" playlist. Wow, was that a good decision! Listening to the words of the songs, I remembered (again) how all I really need to do is focus on my Saviour. When my focus is on anything else, life isn't as good. When I take my eyes off my Heavenly Father and put them on myself, even for a moment, things start to crumble. Only when I am focused on God, truly focused on him, can I be the wife and mother that my family needs me to be. When I wake up and say, "Lord, what would You have me do with this day?," rather than just getting up and making my own to-do list, my day has balance. It is such a simple truth, but one that I seem to so easily forget. And today I was so thankful for the gently reminder to keep my eyes on the Lord, to focus on Him.

Seasons

When I was in high school, there was a period of time when my small group leader rarely had a prayer request. She often said that she felt as if she were in a "summer" season in her life - in other words all was going well. She was thankful for her kids and her husband, and though sometimes unpleasant things came her way, she just seemed to have an attitude that was joyful no matter what. She would sometimes say that she wondered if maybe a "winter" was coming - that maybe some tragedy would happen because things had been so "right" for so long. And yet her "summer" continued. I always envied her life a little during those years, and hoped that someday my life would be something similar.

Well, in thinking over the recent months, I am realizing that I feel as though I am in a "summer" in my life. No, I don't have everything I could ever wish for, but yet really I do. I have a husband who loves me unconditionally. Who provides for my needs and the needs of our children. Who loves the Lord, and serves Him faithfully every day. Who romances me, makes me laugh, enjoys spending time with me. I have two wonderful children, who bless me every day. To hear them laugh makes my heart melt - every time. They are kind, and generous, polite. They make me proud. They are not perfect - nobody is - but they are such wonderful children. And already they both love the Lord. In fact, just yesterday Parker told me for the first time, in his two-year-old excitement, "Mom, I love God!" I have an amazing extended family, both on my side and on Jared's. Our families are supportive and encouraging. I have good friends. I have good health. I have everything I need, and also so much that I don't need, but that just makes life sweeter. And the One who gives it all to me is my Heavenly Father.

I would not change a thing about my life. I am so blessed. I feel more blessed now than I ever have. And yet I believe that it is not only my circumstances that have changed to make me feel this way, but more importantly my attitude. I can choose to focus on the things I want, that maybe I don't have. Or I can choose to focus on the wonderful things that I do have. And today that is what I choose to do. And while it is winter and a little bit chilly outside, inside it is a warm and wonderful summer!

The reason!

Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love the fun traditions that our family holds dear. I love baking cookies, making homemade candy, making crafts, giving gifts, eating yummy food, decorating our house, making gingerbread houses with the kids, and so much more. But the thing I love the most is remembering why we celebrate this day. And teaching that to my kids. I love reading them stories of Christ's birth, and teaching them why Jesus was born - to save us from our sins so that one day we can be with Him in Heaven. I love teaching them Bible verses about the birth of our Savior. I love quizzing them each day and seeing just how much they know about Christ, and then letting them open their advent door for the day. I love teaching them that although we are blessed with so many great gifts, our most wonderful gift is Jesus. I love that they have such giving hearts, and love to give gifts and make things for people. I love how thankful my kids are for all their many gifts and that they enjoy thanking God for all He's done for us and given us. I have so many wonderful memories of Christmases past, and I know that my children are building memories now that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. And the biggest thing I want them to remember is how very much their Savior loves them, that He would send His only son down to earth as a baby, to grow and then die on the cross as the sacrifice for a world of sin. And THAT'S a reason to celebrate this season!

The kids with our Christmas tree

The kids had a great time making gingerbread houses!

This was Parker's first year making one, and of course he ate LOTS of the candy!

The finished product!

"Yay, Mom! I did it!"

Thankfulness

The past few days I've been feeling whiny. I really haven't felt like I should sit and write anything while I was feeling that way. But I've decided instead of avoiding this blog, I will attempt to list 10 things I'm thankful for. It will give me something positive to write about, and possibly even change my mood in the process. So here goes...

10 Things I'm Thankful For (not in any particular order):

1. The beautiful wildflowers we see and pick every day. Thanks to an extra rainy spring, they are extra beautiful this year.

2. That my kids get along (most of the time). While it often irritates me that they spend so much time at night giggling when they should be sleeping, it does mean that they enjoy each other's company. I know they love each other very much.

3. A wonderful, almost traffic-free place to run in the spring, summer, and fall (just too much snow and ice to run in the winter).

4. A healthy body that allows me to run, and to play with my kids.
5. A God who loves me and gives me a new start daily.

6. My husband, who loves me in spite of my crankiness, and who makes me proud every day.

7. My MOPS group, which has meant the world to me these past few years.

8. Friends who encourage me, challenge me, lift me up in prayer, support me, and love me.

9. The most comfy bed ever.

10. Living where there is lots of space outdoors for my kids to play.

Hey, I feel better already! It helps me so much to look at all the great things in life, rather than focusing on the things I wish I could change. I wish it came more naturally to me to see all that I have to be thankful for. But I'm challenged, knowing that the more often I practice this exercise, the more natural it will become. I think I'll try to make these "Thankfulness lists" a regular thing!

An amazing Father

Today is Father's Day, and while I am so thankful for all the fathers in my life, what I want to focus on right now is my Heavenly Father. I am a daughter of the King! Sometimes it's hard to fathom what that means, and how that can be. In fact, when I truly think about it, I am completely in awe. God sent His only son to die, so that I could be His daughter. So that YOU can be His son or daughter. None of us deserve to be called sons and daughters of God, but if we believe in Christ, repent of our sins, and receive His love, we are adopted into His kingdom! I am AMAZED by the love of God. As much as I love my children, and I know Jared loves them just as much, God loves us all infinitely more. Love is not just something God does, it is what He IS. He cannot act outside of love. Everything He does, He does out of love for us. And He does not simply sprinkle His love on us, He LAVISHES His love on us. My life is full of blessings from the Lord. Every day I realize more and more His great love for me, and in turn I fall more deeply in love with Him daily. Earthly fathers, no matter how wonderful, will fall. They will fail, at some time or another. God, however, cannot fail. He is perfect. There is no darkness in Him, only light. No matter what your earthly father is/was like, you can count on God the Father. No matter what you may have done in your lifetime, you can turn to Him, and He will completely and utterly forgive you. No matter what you may be going through right in this moment, He is there for you. He longs to hold you, to carry you through. Nothing is too big for Him. Nothing is too insignificant for Him. He cares. For you. He is the PERFECT Father.