Easter 2011....guess what the Easter Bunny brought?

Oh Glorious Day!

The song in my heart this week....Glorious Day
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day
One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Grace.

There are so many days I have as a mom that are a big FAIL. I'm thankful for the days I get to go to work outside the home because I feel more competent and confident there than I ever do as I parent four girls. I fall short on so many levels. But I continue to draw strength from Jesus and rest in His grace and remind myself that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. He has revealed that to me over and over.

I seriously don't know where time goes. I had a freak-out moment yesterday when I realized it was Easter on Sunday. I hadn't even taken the time to go through the Ressurrection Eggs with the girls (*gasp*) like we have done in years past here and here. I could blame it on the fact that I can't find all the pieces because the girls have played with them so much and have lost a piece here and there along the way. Or I could blame it on the fact that I am incredibly distracted and just trying to keep up with the "dailies" that I brush it off until later, then later becomes too late. So...in my "moment", I stopped by the Christian book store on my way home from work and grabbed another set.

As I went through the eggs with the girls, I had to fight back the tears of joy because they kept interrupting me and were able to tell the entire Easter story as we went through the eggs. And with much more detail than I was about to give. Another reminder to me that God is SO much bigger than my forgetful, unorganized mind. And a reminder of why it is so important to talk about Jesus and this amazing truth of his death and resurrection not just around the Easter holiday but ALL THE TIME.
This is a verse I pray over our family often...
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6: 5-9


Thank you Jesus for your grace.




The traditional coloring of the eggs...




...and making sugar cookies.  And I MUST share this EASY recipe that makes soft, amazing sugar cookies.  A confetti cake mix, a stick of butter (softened) and 1 egg.  That's it.  So easy for this busy mom.


But when this busy mom is preoccupied coloring eggs and making cookies, this busy baby is under her high chair eating the food that she dropped from breakfast...hey at least she gets fed, right?


And the house remains in this condition....


A wise wise mother of four once told me, "You just need a sign on your door that reads, Excuse the mess, I'm busy making memories with my children"....that was definitely the sign on the door of my heart today.

Easter...Eggs, Caterpillars, Butterflies, Meaning...and purpose.

We got Emma a butterfly garden for her birthday and ordered five little caterpillars. We have been watching them grow and it has been such a fun and interesting experience. These caterpillars started out so small, but they have grown and they have now entered what is called the pupal stage (so we read in the "instructions").  Four of them have attached themselves to the top of the cup and the final one has already built a cocoon. We will continue to wait and watch as they tranform into something beautiful.

I would like to say that I was thinking all along of relating this metaphorphasis experience to the Easter story. However, it just dawned on me last night, when we were all watching the cocoon in amazement, that it is truly a miracle that God transforms caterpillars into butterflies...and a miracle that He can take a sinner and transform our life to glorify and honor Him....a miracle that He transforms our earthly bodies into heavenly beings and of course, the greatest miracle..that He took the dead body of Jesus and transformed him into a resurrection body.

So...I decided to get on the internet and search for a story that would better tell it than I could and here is what I found from the "Sermons from Seattle" website.

"There was a caterpillar crawling across a Persian carpet, a Persian rug. And the caterpillar crawled for what he thought was seventy-five years. He was just crawling all over that Persian rug, but he could see only one color at a time. He saw first the blues, and then the oranges, the yellows, the reds, the purples, the deep violets, the greens. He saw one color at a time and said: “O, what a beautiful world I am on. Look at all that color!” He lived for what he thought was a very long time, 50, 60, 70, 80 years, a blink in God’s time but long for the caterpillar. And finally, he crawled off the Persian carpet and he became a cocoon. He became a cocoon and hibernated. Although he didn’t realize it, the cocoon was part of the miracle, and then there was another miracle and he came out of the cocoon as a butterfly, a monarch butterfly. He fluttered up higher and higher and higher and he looked down at the Persian rug for the first time and saw it in its total magnificent splendor. What a sight he saw. For the first time in his existence, he saw the meaning of his whole life; he saw the past and the present like he had never seen it before. …

"The purpose of Easter is the victory celebration that tells of the Power of God that took the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth and transformed him, metamorphasized him, transfigured him into a glorious resurrection body. The purpose of Easter is God telling the Truth that God can create life out of apparent death. The purpose of Easter is to convince us that creepy, crawly caterpillars become transformed into butterflies. The purpose of Easter is to convince us that not only are there miracles in nature but that there are miracles in history, in your history and mine. The purpose of Easter is to convince us that there will be a time in our lives when we too shall be transformed into something utterly magnificent and beautiful. The purpose of Easter is to tell us of those good and glorious promises of God who has the power to take that which is dead and transform it into life." -Sermons from Seattle by Edward F Markquart

All tuckered out...

....from a rough day at the park!

Wordless Wednesday...

...because sometimes pictures don't need words.

Happy 7th Birthday sweet Emma June.

7 years ago, I became one blessed girl when I became a mom...your mom.  Words could never describe how amazing it felt to hold you for the first time.  Blessed? Absolutely.  Scared? Sure.  Amazed? Beyond Words.  There was no trip like being first-time parents and you were the most patient and sweet baby that has grown into such a fun, sweet little girl.  I have watched you become a big sister not once or twice, but three times.  You have done an amazing job at that.  I love how you love to help me by taking care of your sisters.  I am amazed at the things you are capable of doing at the age of seven. My prayer is that you will grow into the person that God desires you to be and that you will seek Him and trust Him always.  This verse is for you daughter. You are loved SO much!

Proverbs 3:5-7 (The Message)

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

   don't try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

   he's the one who will keep you on track."

 Celebrating at the park with cousin Avery!  Happy Birthday Avery!

 Cousins...

 A towel and bag to match my swimsuit....fun fun!!

 Watch out for Eva Diva...she is on the move!

 Fun times with dad...

 The birthday girls in their matching shirts from grandma!

 Only 7 year olds can tackle this!

 Cousins...they are going to be best friends someday :)

 Wow...look at all those neon cupcakes!  Thanks Grandma Deb for decorating them!

 Here comes Edyn Jo....

This baby and puppy partied too hard.....

And yet another room fit for a princess...

Another beautiful quilt made by my mother-in-law.  I just gave her the flower fabric (around the outside) and she came up with this amazing quilt for Eva. She also made matching curtains, a dust ruffle and a pillow in the time it would have taken me to make one pillow :)  She has made each one of the girls a quilt and given it to them when they were born.  Such a special momento that they will always treasure....

A little reading and rocking nook in Eva's room...one of my favorite places to be.  My mom covered this old rocking chair...the fabric was stained, faded and torn and she brought it back to life...thanks mom!!

Just in case she forgets what her name is....

Her mobile/canopy...perfect for a little princess.

A room fit for a princess...

Since I am playing "catch-up"....here are a few snapshots of Emma's room.  I'm thankful to have such a talented mother-in-law who can turn a few swatches of material into something so beautiful.  I have loved these colors for while and ended up finding some material that I liked.  I was so excited to watch this come together!  I found the heart fabric at IKEA for $1.99 a yard in the clearance section and Emma loved it.  This was my old canopy bed too.  Total cost for this room including paint, fabric, etc. was under $100.  But...having grandma make it all was priceless, that's for sure.  Thanks again Jan...she LOVES it!  (and so do I!)  You did an amazing job as usual!!

Love. Them. All.

Only when you are 3...

...you can dress like this and get away with it.

"Look Mom!!"...

"We are teaching Eva to Hula Hoop!!"

Eva just stood there and watched her sisters move the Hula Hoop around her over...and over...and over....bless her little heart.  She has such a high tolerance for her sisters ideas :)