In Love and War... and Easter Eggs!

The following is a ridiculous amount of pictures from our Easter egg hunt at Nana and Pappy's house...its almost to much cuteness for mere humans to handle....you have been warned....

looking out the window for eggs!

The hunt for the baskets begins, Isabella said we had to do this first so she would have a basket to carry all the eggs she was going to find... the girl thinks ahead.

maybe in the playroom....

not a basket... but something....

Swords!!! Yay!!! Now we can beat each other and mom and dad won't yell!!!

...or we could just hit Nana and Aunt Julie... either way....

Finally, Isabella finds the basket....Tommy is still over on the battlefront trying to finish off Nana :)

It must seem that all Daniel does is eat while the rest of us have fun... not true... sometimes he sleeps :)

Tommy is getting ready to hunt.... he feels protective head gear is more important than and egg receptacle.

Nana is giving her the pep talk....

Or the guilt trip... 

"Tommy is little, let him find some too."

I too am the oldest child, so I've got that speech memorized.

And off we go... with cute shoes of course....

And now my favorite part of the whole day!

Bella found the last egg... then she waited for her brother and showed him where it was..

My heart is happy :)

And so is Tommy's!

So this is what my mom meant when she said there will be moments of unspeakable joy...

I love that they love each other.

I remember watching Isabella play at a playground when she was little and I was pregnant with Tommy and my heart ached for her all alone, surrounded by all those big kids, she looked a little lost, and more than a little overwhelmed! This is a big part of why we have three kids and we will hopefully have more, there is something special about someone with whom you share your whole history, someone who was there with you from the beginning. 

If you want to know how your girl will treat you after marriage, just listen to her talking to her little brother.  ~Sam Levenson

 

To the outside world we all grow old. 

But not to brothers and sisters. 

We know each other as we always were.  

We know each other's hearts. 

We share private family jokes. 

We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  

We live outside the touch of time.  

~Clara Ortega

Easter Eggs and Mr. Clean to the Rescue.

Easter Eggs    

Eggs are often identified with Easter. 

Long a symbol of fertility and immortality, the egg reminds Christians of the rock tomb from which Christ arose.   In medieval times, eggs were traditionally given to all servants at Easter.

It is said that King Edward I of England distributed 450 boiled Easter eggs, dyed or covered with gold leaf, to members of the royal household.     

Today, in most countries the eggs are stained with plain vegetable-dye colors. 

The Syrian and Greek faithful present each other with crimson eggs in honor of the blood of Christ.….

(from www.parentingideas.org)

Who knows if this is the real origin of Easter eggs? But I thought it was beautifully symbolic... and I'm a sucker for tradition, no matter how messy.

It was not as bad as I had feared... please ignore my toes... at least they are polished :)

Nana came over with Aunt GG and brought our supplies... this is the only proof I have that she was even there.... she is not as angry as she looks :)

Here is what GG and Daniel did the whole time... to say they love each other would be an understatement!

This is reality, this is how we look most mornings... and a lot of afternoons too. There is a certain joy that can only be found by staying in your pj's all day... we are very joyful around here.

They both used spoons to take their eggs in and out of the dye... I can't believe it but we didn't loose an egg or spill a cup, we had a few close calls but no catastrophic messes. 

The were both very careful. I was very proud... 

until I heard my mom go in the living room when we were done and gasp...

Tommy drew on the couch with the clear crayon...

this is his second offense. 

If you didn't know clear crayon shows up bright white on upholstery.... just my luck.

The first offense was and electric teal color and it almost made me lose my mind trying to figure out how to get it out. In the end we used a magic eraser... I truly believe it is magic... I haven't met a problem yet that couldn't be solved with a magic eraser, and some good old fashion determination.

I made him help me clean it up this time as a punishment... he loved helping me so I may have just made it more enticing to draw on the couch again! Figures......

But mostly they are very neat and clean kids.

I think the reason they try so hard to be neat is because I have made them crazy.... 

they both hated the fact that we couldn't get the dye off of our hands.

I was trying to get a picture of them together, when Daniel dragged himself in and distracted everyone.

...I love that they love each other.

This is our sad attempt at a group shot... 

Daniel wants the egg bad,

Tommy is about to become an unsuspecting victim, 

and I don't even know what to say about Isabella....

seriously.... what are you doing!?!?

Love...

So once again it is February 14th, Valentines Day... a day all about love (and greeting cards, and fancy dinners, and chocolates...)

So what is Love?

Love. ( according to Websters Dictionary)

Function: noun

Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to please

Date: before 12th century

(1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (maternal love for a child)   

(2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers

(3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests (love for his old schoolmates)

Not very inspiring huh? I like Gods definition much better.

Love (according to God):

  

1 Corinthians 13

. 1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.3 And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing..

So anything you can do, give, or be is meaningless and purposeless if you do not have love in your heart.

 

Love is patient, love is kind

 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud

 

It is not rude, it is not self‑seeking

 

it is not easily angered

 

it keeps no record of wrongs

 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

 

It always protects, always trusts

 

always hopes, always perseveres. 

 

 Love never Fails.

I can't love this way all the time, or even most of the time, but God can and does.

And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.1 John 4:16

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Decorating with Memories

Decorating the Christmas Tree.... with a preschooler, a toddler, a baby, a puppy, and a very tired Daddy.

Tis the season to take some extra Tylenol, grab a Big cup of coffee, and plaster a smile on my face until bedtime.

Daniel, my darling five month old angel was sleeping nearly the whole time, he didn't even make it through putting on the lights before he was seeing visions of sugar plums... on this day he was, hands down, my favorite.

I won't lie like some mothers do... I have a favorite, it just changes day by day, sometimes hour by hour.

Tommy... Tommy two two!!!! He wanted to follow his Dad around the tree in circles as he put on the lights. He unfortunately is not as fast and is easily distracted so he mostly kept tripping Daddy up.

Then he wanted to pick up any and all debris on the floor and hand it to me piece by piece:

"UH OH mama.....ewwww.... UH OH mama ewwww ... UH OOOHHHH..."

and so on.... very very loudly. This was made worse by the fact that our vacuum clogged up about eight times... no joke. Poor Tom spent more time trying to fix that vacuum than he did decorating the tree. (I guess I should be grateful that someone was willing to do the job by hand if all else failed)

Then he wanted to put on the decorations with me, however he was confused. He would take the ornament stick his hand in the tree and just let go, never ever occured to him to try to hook it on a branch. So he became the "runner". I gave him the ornament, he gave it to Daddy.

If you have a repatative job you are dreading I suggest you find a two year old.

Last but not least Isabella, let me first say that from the start of the day, way back before we even got the tree, this child was simply discontent with everything we were doing.

We were eating breakfast, she wanted to go.

We were at the tree farm petting the dog, she wanted to get the tree.

We were hunting for the tree, she wanted to go back and see the dog.

When she said " I wanna go home, I'm cold." I nearly lost it.

Don't act like you haven't been there.

On this went until we were putting up lights, when she begged and asked and begged for us to turn them on please please please.....

When we were finally putting up the decorations I was trying to explain to her what they were,

Isabella's First Christmas

Mommy and Daddy's First married Christmas

Great Grandpa Brugere's VERY old hand decorated ornament....

That was when all the stress of the day fell away a little, and I was a bit humbled by my inability to see the big picture.

This is the only Christmas we get for sure.

Think about it, we are not necessarily going to be here next year or even next week.

Chances are we will.... but what if?

Would you spend more time at the mall? Look harder for the perfect gift?

Buy them more toys? No... you would spend time and make memories.

All the ornaments were really just reminders of all the memories. 

I remember the first year we were married we couldn't even afford to buy a First Christmas ornament for ourselves. So I wrote our names and the date on a cheap silver ball... and now it is my favorite. 

Isabella and Tommy's First ever ornaments, a pink quilt and a stork carrying a blue bundle, and this year we will add Daniels. 

My first Christmas ornament, I can picture my mom telling me about it every year.

My husbands Grandfather, his namesake, who I never got to meet. We have been given his ornament that he made when he was just eight years old. It has seen countless memories made from its perch at the very top of the tree.

   I'm going to try harder this year not to forget the reason for Christmas. Not to let it get lost in the shopping mall, the parties and commitments, or the tantrums we deal with day to day. 

Its all about God, coming here to show us his love, his heart for his creation. Putting his plan into motion that night in Bethlehem. A plan to one day bring His children home for good.

Isaiah 12:2  Surely God is my salvation;
                   I will trust and not be afraid.
                   The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
                   he has become my salvation.” 

Brought to you by the Letter T and the number 2!

Tommy's birthday weekend began with a nice hot breakfast,

I would like to say I do this for them everyday but that would be an outright lie.... 

dry cereal or graham crackers are our usual's.... sometimes toast when we are feeling fancy.

Isabella requested a mickey mouse pancake, and I wanted to do something special for Tommy since it was his birthday, so in case you can't tell that is a 2.... and I am quite proud of it!

Something as silly as a "special" pancake on a birthday, but somehow it makes my heart swell and my eyes water just a little because it was one of those rare moments when I know we are at the beginning of a family tradition. I know we will do this again.  It doesn't matter what the tradition is, it is beautiful because it binds us together as a family just a little tighter each time we share it.

...Ok, now stop laughing at the thought of me weeping into my pancake mix....

So after breakfast we moved on to another tradition, cutting down our Christmas tree. This is something both of our families did growing up. I was more than a little excited because FINALY it was snowing! I had prayed for this and was doubly blessed because not only do I love snow while we are cutting down the tree, but I love snow on Tommy's birthday too. I have very sweet memories of watching big fat soft snowflakes fall on the city while I cuddled my new little man in bed all day..... today was not a day to stay in bed all day (and there was only a little snow)  still it was nice. Now back to getting the tree....

So we all bundled up.

And we hit the road.... with refreshments.

we made some new and unexpected friends (this patient old guy was tied up

by the sample trees at the tree farm.)

We debated and found the perfect tree, and then found it had a tag.

So we debated some more and found the truly perfect tree and we all took our turns helping Daddy.

 

 

 

Almost all of us....

Once we had the tree cut, tied, and loaded up we hit the Burger King drive-thru. (believe it or not this IS a tradition started by Tom's family....  a yummy one!) and we headed home to thaw out. Come back later for the fiasco that was decorating. Surprisingly this was made difficult by the vacuum and not the children... for once!