The Hunt is On!

The Easter bunny was busy creating baskets for the boys. I didn't want too much candy and junk food, so I did a little bit of different things from coloring books and crayons to a new animal craft, one chocolate bunny (because isn't that mandatory for baskets?) and goldfish, M&M's because they are Caleb's favorite and Oreos because they are Joshua's favorite. For Ryan, we did puffs, Cheerios and graham crackers plus a little stuffed bunny. The baskets were all full and ready to be found!

We waited to do our egg hunt until after nap time. The boys had been up late the night before and woke up early for church, and Caleb especially needed a nap that afternoon. While they slept, we hid the eggs inside since it was a really windy day.

When we came downstairs, Ryan was actually the first one to find an egg. He was already out of his Sunday best attire and in his onesie and socks. He crawled right over to the ottoman and found himself a nice yellow plastic egg.

I tried to count how many eggs I had filled with mini twix bars and chocolate kisses, and I lost track in the 60s. But somewhere in there was about how many we had! We filled the first floor with eggs. :)

It was hard to get pictures of them in action. They would find an egg and pick it up before I could snap the picture. But, they were having a blast!

Ryan surprised me with his interest in the eggs. I only put Cheerios in one egg, thinking he wouldn't be that intrigued by them. He loved picking them up and shaking them, though. :) :) :)

The most impressive moments from that day, though, have to be the older boys sharing their eggs with each other. Joshua would say "Look, Caleb, I see one. You can have it." Then Caleb would find one and say "Joshua, would you like this egg?" That went on most of the time they were hunting. Instead of finding eggs for themselves, they were putting them in each other's baskets. Shawn & I kept grinning at their sweetness to each other. They were having a blast together!

Earlier in the day, we had tried to get a family picture to no avail. Caleb was not cooperating, and I was sincerely frustrated. We ended up sending him to bed. But, when he woke up, he kept trying to smile for my pictures. Even if it was a fake smile, he was all about trying to make me happy then. I wish he would have smiled earlier when we were all dressed up, but such is life!

After the boys had collected all their eggs, they took them back to start opening them and see what they had gotten. Shawn kept them busy as he would steal a couple of their Twix bars. He LOVES them! Joshua eventually caught on that Daddy was eating all his candy, though. Shawn felt bad and ended up buying him a big Twix bar at the grocery store later that week. Haaa!!! Silly Daddy!

Caleb enjoyed the Hershey Kisses, too, but eventually we put all the candy up. They had fun cleaning out the eggs and then we put them all back until next year.

As the boys would empty their eggs, they'd toss a few at the Schnook, who was highly intrigued to play with them. :)

Joshua was also good at putting his eggs back together whereas Caleb could do some but not others.

After they were done with the eggs, we played "hot & cold" to find their Easter baskets. Ryan's we put on his high chair, Caleb's we hid on top of the fridge and Joshua's we put in the kitchen cabinet under the sink. Joshua didn't understand what it meant that he was getting warmer at first, but eventually he found it. :) :) :)

They had fun looking at all their fun stuff from the Easter Bunny. Ryan loves his Puffs and Graham crackers. YUM!





It had been a fun Easter egg hunt. :) But, we won't forget the true reason for celebrating the day - Jesus is ALIVE! And we can now live, too!

Egg-celent Painting!

Saturday morning, I hard-boiled the two dozen eggs we had purchased the night before. I dried them well and put them in the fridge to paint that morning. While shopping with Grandpa earlier in the week, I had purchased the cheapest egg dye kit they offered. I've learned that most of the stickers don't stick to the eggs and the kids probably aren't quite old enough to do some of the crazy glitter and patterns that I found. The cheapest ones work well and the kids were thrilled.

I brought down a white crayon and let them color on a couple, showing them that the dye doesn't paint over the crayon markings. They loved dropping them into the colors and rolling them with the spoons.

The colors we had were blue, green, orange, yellow, purple and red. When we'd ask the boys what colors they wanted to paint their eggs, almost without fail Joshua would say "GREEN" while Caleb would shout "BLUE!" They both picked their favorite colors. :)

I helped get them started and asked Daddy to help me take a few pictures. He reluctantly agreed. Why don't daddies like cameras as much as mommies?

While we were in the middle of painting, Aunt Missy & Uncle Kevin stopped in. She had heard that Shawn was sick and made him a batch of meadow tea, his favorite. That was very nice of her!

She also brought little gifts for the boys. Ryan received a little hatched duck and the boys each got a little bunny that would hatch out of an egg once soaked in water overnight. Joshua was thrilled to see his, and as he was taking it into the kitchen to put in water, he fell, dropped his bunny egg and it cracked, revealing the surprise inside. Daddy said "that's okay, we'll still put it in the water so you can see it hatch." We giggled at his clumsiness. Poor Bean!

We were able to visit a little while with Missy & Kevin before they headed out and we finished the last of our egg painting.

The boys enjoyed decorating all two dozen eggs.

A couple days later I made my first attempt at deviled eggs, using a recipe that Alicia had emailed me from allrecipes.com. It included using bacon in the hardboiled eggs instead of salt, and they were awesome! Joshua decided he really liked deviled eggs at the same time that I decided they were too much of a hassle to make (let alone all those calories!).

Here are the pictures of our finished eggs - you can see the heart and cross and their names on the eggs. :) I love doing fun things for Easter. :) :) :)

Happy 10-Month Birthday, Ryan!

On Saturday, April 7, Ryan turned 10 months old. His big accomplishment has been pulling up to standing. Whether it's at the crib, on a chair, or someone's hands, he is pulling himself up all the time to stand and use those strong legs.

Ryan went back to the doctor's the following Thursday, April 12, because he had a double ear infection. At that time, he weighted exactly 19 lbs 4 oz. The doctor called him lean but not in a worrisome weight - he's perfectly healthy for him, other than the ear infection. This time, he was put on a stronger antibiotic (Omnicef) and they want to re-check his ears this time to make sure the fluid is completely gone. With the antibiotics came more diarrhea. This poor little man has been through the ringer! :( His sickness has made him more of a cuddle bug, too.

Ryan is SO easygoing. I love his soft little personality. He does have a shriek that he'll do, though, if he wants to be heard!

The week after his 10-month birthday, he started waving hi and bye. I LOVE it! Serious sweetness to see him wave excitedly at us, whether hello or goodbye. It makes me SO happy to see him do these new things!

Because of all his issues with the medication, we've kept feeding him mostly bananas lately. But, he has taken quite the affection to graham crackers. We're also starting to give him more table food here and there. I can't believe he'll be a year old in just two months! I'm trying to savor every last moment with him. :) Happy 10-month birthday, Ryan Josiah!

The Story in a Biscuit

Caleb's preschool class did the resurrection biscuits this year the Wednesday before Easter. I figured that he wouldn't mind doing them again at home, though, because he LOVES marshmallows. On Saturday morning, April 7, we got our Pillsbury Grands biscuits out along with the butter, cinnamon, sugar and marshmallows for our story time.

It's a little strange to think that this day was also Passover. If we were following the Old Testament Jewish customs, we should have been preparing the lamb that was to be slaughtered, eating bread without yeast and bitter herbs, reminding us of when God saved His chosen people from their Egyptian slave drivers. The destroyer passed over the houses with the lambs' blood on the doorways but killed the firstborn of the Egyptians who didn't worship God. While Jesus' blood saved us once and for all (and thus we don't need to slaughter lambs year after year), I think it's important to reflect on ALL that God did for us, remembering His mighty wonders from the beginning of time. May we not forget His saving grace!

The boys were more of a help this year than years before. I can tell how much they are growing! They helped open the biscuits and put the marshmallows in. Joshua could close his all by himself while I helped Caleb. I put some butter on top, along with sprinkling the cinnamon & sugar as we talked about Jesus on the cross and how they laid His body in a tomb once He had died for our sins. Then they sealed the tomb by rolling a stone over it.

We put the biscuits in the oven according to the temperature and time on the package, checking to make sure they were nice and golden brown before removing them. The boys were excited to proclaim "JESUS IS ALIVE!"

We looked inside the biscuit where Jesus' body should be. But, the marshmallow was missing! Just like when Mary Magdalene first went to the tomb and peaked inside and didn't find Jesus' body. The grave couldn't hold Him, death has lost its sting! "Woman, why are you weeping?" Jesus asked her. After all, the fact that He had risen from the dead is what gives us eternal hope!

Both boys enjoyed their breakfast that morning. They both showed me that their biscuit "tombs" were empty. And later they both enjoyed having marshmallows for snack. :) :) :)

Aprils' Fools :)

I'd love to say that the week Shawn was gone flew by, but alas it seemed like a pretty long week. In any event, it ended! :) Palm Sunday was April 1, and he left in the morning to catch his flight. I took the kiddos to church by myself, a little apprehensive of how it might go taking three kids to three different sections of a big church. But, it went fine and I was glad I had ventured out. I do miss days of waving palm branches during worship! Why don't more churches do that?

That evening was my nephew John's 3rd birthday party. Aunt Jen hid a dozen eggs per child attending, so the boys had the opportunity to hunt for eggs with their cousins; and we ate dinner there. All the pictures in this post are from that event. That evening, bed time tuck-ins went well. Each time the boys said they missed Daddy, I suggested we pray for him. Caleb said he wanted to pray for his ankle. Joshua said he wanted to pray for his health. Daddy needed both prayers! :)

Monday was a very "normal" day. I took the kids to the gym in the morning, and I teach at night so Mamaw watched the boys at her house. I don't normally see Shawn much those days, so other than bed-time, it felt like a usual day. Tuesday was exactly the opposite. I didn't have a very wonderful day - nothing big but little things like Ryan's nursery workers not showing up for Study & Share and things just not going my way. I was missing Shawn and couldn't even talk to him with all his meetings. We went to the gym as a family that night and I was grateful that each night the tucking in process (which usually takes two of us between nursing Ryan and meeting the older boys' requests) went fine. God was gracious to me! And when Shawn called home after midnight and woke me from a sound sleep, the things I wanted to tell him didn't seem all that important to me anymore.

Wednesday morning, I called Grandpa Georgia to see if he'd like to head to the Ephrata Walmart with me while the older kids were in school to pick up the supplies I needed for the Easter bunny to deliver baskets and hide eggs, etc. He said sure, and I got everything I needed for the weekend. From there we went to Sharp Shopper for a few things and then I picked up the older boys from preschool. He treated us out to lunch at Red Robin, which was really nice. My other plans for the day didn't work out, so that night I went to the gym and enjoyed the Zumba class. It had been a good day overall.

Thursday, we did our typically daily plans and then that evening we met my friend Lisa and her daughter Isabella at the mall to eat dinner together (the boys were excited for their "king burger" which we haven't done in a while) and let them play. We left around 7:30ish so I could bathe the boys and get them into PJs before Daddy got home. When he walked in the door, though, he dropped to his knees in pain. After hearing his symptoms, I suggested Urgent Care and he agreed to let me take him. The boys & I went to Mamaw's house - since she lives really close to it - and then picked Daddy up, who had a double ear infection. We drove to get his medicine and then home for him to sleep. While we didn't get any quality time with him that night, I was SO relieved he was safe, sound and HOME! :)

I must say that the boys did an AMAZING job all week. Joshua said he was the big man of the house and my "helper." And he lived up to it. Caleb said when Joshua was at school, HE was the big man of the house and my "helper" and he also took the job seriously. They were very well-behaved and we had a good week overall. That said, I'm so thankful not to be a single mom on a regular basis.

Drop Those Eggs!

On Saturday, March 31, we met our friends Chris & Lisa and their daughter Isabella at Grace Church in Lititz for its annual Easter egg hunt. When we arrived, we saw the Easter bunny outside greeting folks, so the kids ran up to give him/her a high-five and get a quick picture before the hunt.

It was a cold morning for how nice the weather had been. Such is life! We bundled the kids up and praised God that it hadn't started pouring yet, although it was dripping and misty already. Ryan waited patiently in the stroller. I'm so thankful he's easygoing!

We headed to the spot for 3-5 year-olds. Next year, our kids will be split again. They all remembered the helicopter and were excited to see it coming!

We didn't have too long to wait, but we figured that we had some time to take some pictures. :)

Here's a very pregnant Lisa and me. Her son is due in the beginning of May, but because of some issues, it sounds like they will induce her toward the end of April if she hasn't gone into labor on her own yet. :) Please pray for the little boy in her womb!

Here are the dads, who had no desire to get up so early on a Saturday but participate so their kids can have fun!

I love my hubby! :)

And here are the Grube's:

We saw the helicopter approaching, but it was a different helicopter than years past. The last couple years, the bottom dropped open and the eggs were evenly distributed on the field. This year, a helicopter flew so low that the medical team rose to their feet, afraid they were going to be needed, and a person ripped open a garbage bag with eggs and tossed them into the oldest kids' section only. There weren't any that came into our kids' area of the field. It was a little disappointing.

Caleb saw a couple eggs by the starting point, and I'm glad he bent down to get them because they were the only eggs he got.

Joshua did a little better at getting a few. And, we knew that we didn't necessarily need a lot of candy so it was fine to get a couple.

When they were done finding the eggs, we had them show us their baskets. :) Then we headed inside to give back the eggs for next years' hunt.

While Isabella got her face painted, I took some pictures of the boys.

Ryan met the Easter bunny for the first time. I was bummed this picture was a little fuzzy!

I was surprised he didn't cry, but instead he just looked intrigued.

I thought the Schnook looked so cute in his new shirt from Mamaw that she bought him at Osh Kosh (thanks, Mom!).

After the pictures, we went to the activity area, which has gotten smaller over the years. The first station we went to was a ring toss. Joshua missed the first one but got the second. He was offered a prize of a top.

Caleb was excited since he loves to spin little tops. But, as hard as he tried, he didn't land the ring toss. I was glad he gave it his best effort and expected that all children would get a prize for trying, as had been the case previous years and at all other church events we've been to (after all, these are little kids). But, not this station with this volunteer. He was terribly disappointed, which made me decently irritated, although I didn't say anything there.

We just decided to let the kids stand in line for the bounce area, which they went through three times before it was time to go to the puppet show.

Before the puppet show, we saw the balloon station. The kids waited in line for their balloons and asked for the twirly hats. They looked so cool!

After getting their hats, we went into the puppet show, which was really impressive. Last year it was a magic show that was a little above their heads. This year, the puppet show was about the story of Easter and how Jesus died on the cross for our sins and arose again. They sang all sorts of songs like "Celebrate, Jesus, Celebrate...for He is RISEN! He is ri-sen! And He lives forevermore!" The children all LOVED it! So did we - this was much more age-appropriate and event-appropriate. It was a great change from last year.

I took their hats while they found seats close to the stage and we had to hang back because of the crowds. At one time the proximity to my children would have terrified me. But, having all three kids stick together and realizing that they are growing and becoming more responsible helped me say okay to the situation. They did fine and we got them as soon as the show was over. It had been a fun morning!

I ran into a woman there that I typically see at the gym (we joined at the same time and have taken many classes together). She said in a shocked voice to Shawn "I can't get over how pretty your wife is." While I think she was being sweet, I realize how DISGUSTING I look at the gym, so with regular clothes, make-up and no sweat, I probably do look different. He smiled and said "I know." He's a Good boy!

The boys said goodbye to Isabella and we headed out - it was POURING and they didn't do the egg hunt in the field at the next time slot. I was thanking God the whole way out for holding off the rain for us! :) Next year, all three kids (possibly even four if their little boy is walking, maybe?) will be able to hunt and be in different areas. Should make for an interesting time! :) :) :)