Alphabitty Moments - The letter E

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments where we share the little things of childhood one letter at a time! Click on the tab above for more Alphabitty Moments posts and the instructions for how to create your own Alphabitty Moments book. Picaboo wasn't cooperating for me so I'm just going to keep it simple this week and post the picture I will be adding to Sam's book.

E is for Easter Bunny.

Why?

Because look at Sammy. He looks so grown up in this picture that I fear our days of visiting the Easter Bunny are numbered. We've come a long way from this memorable experience. He got the hang of it by last year but didn't look nearly as grown up as he does this year. Some day we'll walk past that silly bunny and remember fondly the times we took little ones to the mall for the traditional Easter Bunny Pics.

on the upswing

I'm in a good place right now and I wanted to make sure I took a moment to write about what it feels like. To be able to provide for my family, to hear "I love you all the way out of space Mommy", to be healthy, to feel the warmth of the sun on my face, to be filling my soul with His Word, and to be loved by the man I married almost 9 years ago.


We had a lovely Easter weekend and this weekend is proving to be just as lovely, albeit a little quieter with no school program or family gatherings.

Our 2nd annual review and house inspection is behind us as of this past Wednesday. Can you believe we've been here in the park for 2 years already? Seems like only yesterday that God led us down this path. Not a day goes by that I don't think of how He's provided for our family by blessing us with this life. We've recently purchased a new vacuum and a steam cleaner that make cleaning this big ol' house easier to clean. We can finally play on the floor without getting covered in white dog hair. I can't tell you how GREAT that feels! For 12 YEARS we've had to deal with dog hair and now our vacuum sucks it all right up.

Yes, life is on the upswing.


Spring is here. The grass is green. There aren't any bugs yet. Life is good.

Yes, life is on the upswing!



There are two family weddings in the next few months and my grandma celebrates her 90th birthday in April. I am so blessed to have two wonderful families!

















Yes, life is on the upswing...



...and Julia isn't the only one with a smile on her face in BearCountry!

Wednesday's Walk

I love the opportunity that holiday photos provide for taking a walk down memory lane. Each Spring we find time to make a trip to the mall and visit the Easter Bunny. This post from last year is a good one to compare to because it provides links to posts from previous years. We've come a long long way from this.
For more Wednesday's Walk posts click on the badge below.

3 in 1

Part of our Beth Moore homework this week was to get up at dawn and read and reflect on three passages.

Genesis 8:22
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,
day and night will never cease."

Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Psalm 30:5
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.


I got the biggest smile on my face when I saw the sun spots created by taking a photo directly into the sun as I was completing my quiet time that morning. You see, we are studying the fruit of the Spirit.

Three spots of light.

Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.

As we prepare to enter Holy week I am more aware of the Holy Spirit interceding on my behalf than ever before. Each day I am pouring out my thoughts, desires, confessions, dreams through prayer so that there is room in my heart for the Holy Spirit to pour in and fill me up with Christ's teachings and His love.

The result? I am able to pour forth (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ⁵Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. ⁶He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.)

Dear Lord, thank you that your mercies are new every morning. Thank you that the Spirit of the Living God intercedes on our behalf. May we never forget the price your Son paid in order to conquer to grave.
Amen.

"Jesus Conquered the Grave"

I teared up as I explained to Sam why we were leaving church yesterday to go finish our sunrise service in the cemetery. When I look at the pictures I took as the sun came up over the horizon I can't help but sing the lyrics by Marty Sampson.

Everyone needs compassion Love thats never failing Let mercy fall on me Anyone needs forgiveness The kindness of a Saviour The hope of nations Saviour He can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save Forever author of salvation He rose and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave… So take me as you find me All my fears and failures Fill my life again I give my life to follow Everything I believe in Now I Surrender I Surrender… Saviour He can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save Forever author of salvation He rose and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave… Shine your light and Let the whole world see Were singing for the glory Of the risen King Jesus



Shine your light and Let the whole world see We’re singing for the glory Of the risen King Saviour He can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save Forever author of salvation He rose and conquered the grave Jesus
conquered the grave…

Is this what Easter Means?

We don't make a big deal out of the Easter Bunny around here, but we do take the kids to the Mall for a picture if our schedule allows.

They were very brave and thankfully the staff allows parents to take two pictures with their own cameras so it didn't cost a penny. Our entire outing to the mall was free since PapaBear packed PB&J, grapes, snow peas, cheese and Rycrisps, and water for our lunch.

It's such a long drive for us to go into 'town' that it helps to avoid eating fast food when we can. Gas alone makes us plan a bunch of errands for each trip.









Anyway, after some snuggles with the Bunny and each other, we ate lunch, played at Playland, and were on our way.




We also dye eggs every year. A memory making tradition that Grandma & Grandpa join us for (the first link is to 2007 and this one is 2008.)

If you are looking for a way to balance the Easter Bunny with the Real Reason we Celebrate Easter, you might like the book I wrote about in this post from last year.











We also use Resurrection Eggs (thanks Mom!)to teach the story of Jesus' sacrifice for us. I tweeted yesterday about how even at 2 Julia is picking up on the story.

How are you teaching your little ones about Easter?

Not Me Monday - 27th Edition

Happy Monday Everyone! I'm scheduling this to post while I'm (hopefully) out for a walk in the morning. It's been soooo long since I exercised on a regular basis that it's barely on my radar these days. I'm hoping to change that. If I fail, I can always admit my shortcomings to the world in a Not Me post right?

Admitting that I take short cuts or that my van looked like this for 5 months, are par for the course by now, but you can get the specifics over at My Charming Kids.

Speaking of My Charming Kids...here's a whole gaggle of Charming Kids....

They were (not) that exhausted after playing dinosaurs, rough-housing, and eating that they collapsed into this chair. Nope. Then them! It was (not) suggested that they pretend to be sleeping by yours truly.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that PapaBear was laid off at the end of January. I've been working from home on my blog to book design and photography businesses to help make ends meet. It's been a challenge trying to keep up with it all.

We've all made some sacrifices. I'm trying to let the guilt go. I put my trust in God. I do not take the reins back on a daily basis. Not me!

Tomorrow we are going to try a new routine. I will leave first thing in the morning and put in a 9-5 at a couple of coffee shops and libraries. It didn't take us almost 2 months to realize that in order to bring in a decent income right now, I will need to be disciplined enough to work regular hours. Working until 1am like last night to send a 314 page book to the printer is (not) my idea of fun.

I'm looking forward to having my evenings and weekends free for family time. The camping season starts in early May and we will have very little free time from then until almost November. There are a few things that go in the park before the campground opens. One is a MapleSyrupOpenHouse. I am (not) going to tease you with only picture of the sap collected from the park's sugarbush. Nope. Not me! I'm totally (not) in the mood to repeat the information I shared with 200 park visitors on Saturday.

Those siblings smooching on the Easter Bunny's chair are (not) my kids. Nope. We didn't take them to see the Easter Bunny a day before he was scheduled to arrive. Not us!


What didn't you do this week?


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Hop-hop Hunting

We've been practicing finding eggs all week so it was a surprise this morning for the kids to hear the rattle of cheddar bunnies in the plastic eggs.

You wouldn't know it by the smile on Sam's face, but he didn't sleep well last night and ended up in bed with me at 10:30. Then morning came very early with our church's sunrise service starting at 6:45. We've made it a tradition to go to the sunrise service and attend the breakfast that follows. It's important to us to start this day off focused on Jesus and the sacrifice He made for all of us.

The following is the text from one of my favorite books to read this time of year and our take on the Easter bunny and the commercial side of this Holy Day:

"The little bunny hops, hops, hops. Is this what Easter means?
Is it about the Easter eggs
All filled with Jellybeans?
Is Easter about hunting eggs?
I do that every year.
Does it mean eating chocolate stuff?
I ate my bunny's ear.
Is it about the baby chicks?
They're fuzzy, and their fun!
I saw some Easter chicks for sale.
I really wanted one.
Is it about the Easter toys?
They're really fun, I think.
One time a bunny came to me.
His little nose was pink.
Is it about my brand-new dress?
And my new Easter hat?
Does it mean wearing shiny shoes?
I really do love that!
Is it about a big parade
With lots of pretty floats?
Is it about the Easter choir?
They sing the highest notes!
NO! That's not what Easter means.
Easter means much more than that.
It's all about God's son.
See, God sent Jesus down to earth
To die for everyone.
He had to die upon a tree to save us from our sin.
But he was only dead three days,
And then he rose again.

Now, that's what Easter really means!

It's quite a special day.

Jesus our Savior rose again.

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

Today, he sits right next to God

In Heaven up above.

He wants to live inside you too

And fill you up with love!

Okay, now I get it.

The Easter Bunny is okay,

And Easter eggs are fun.

But Easter's not about that stuff...

It's all about God's son."



After snacking on a few crackers and reading their new books they found with their Easter baskets, we all took a nice long nap before spending the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Easter Finery

Like Mck Mama, this post is mostly about capturing what the kids looked like this year at Easter. Of course our fondest memories will be of what they did, not what clothes they had on. (I can't help but be a tad proud of the fact that I dressed both the kids for only 20 bucks with some good finds from the consignment shop.)

There were kissing cousins...


stealing a moment for a family photo in between running and giggling with cousins...


...the chance to meet a third cousin as in Brian's second cousin's, daughter. Welcome Abby! You are a beauty!


and then it was time to release them from their Easter finery and let them get some fresh air...

thumbs up!

A snowy Easter can be fun after all!


Hope you all had a hoppy Easter!

He has risen!

Have a blessed Easter everyone!

May you spend it surrounded by loved ones.

White As Snow

I'll never think of this song the same again after this Easter:

"White as snow, white as snow
Though my sins were are scarlet
Lord I know, Lord I know
that I'm clean and forgiven

Through the power of your blood
through the wonder of your love
Through faith in You
I know I can be
White as snow."