Celebrating Easter!

Unfortunately, I came down with the flu on Easter weekend...so some of the special things that I had wanted to do were tabled but we were still very capable of celebrating the grace and gifts of Jesus.  The Easter season is one of redemption and salvation, rebirth and renewal and we did our best to emphasize these important aspects to the kids.  It's all too easy to get caught up in the eggs and bunnies ~ and while we enjoy those things very much, we talked a lot about the true meanings of this season.

We colored a few eggs on Saturday night...

Kyle and I managed to get a few things together before the Easter bunny made an appearance!

oh, we had two very excited little ones rushing down in the morning.

I think Kennedy was up well before 6:00, anxious to see if the Easter bunny had made it!

Rapunzel pajamas

a little fun with Bertie Botts, Every Flavor Beans

Carter liked the grass flavor but drew a line at eating ear wax.  A nibble of the soap one had him gagging for a bit!

lots of fun little treasures

Carter, on his own, had decided to give up playing the Wii for Lent.  And he did such an awesome job.  Not that he plays every day, but it was never an issue and he could verbalize why his was making that sacrifice.  I was really proud of him.  So, on Easter morning, as I was getting breakfast ready, he played a quick game of bowling.

Happy Easter!

my loves

of course we had to take a ton of pictures before we left for church!  Thankfully the kids had enough sugar that they were willing participants.

The weather was gorgeous (nearly 80 and beautiful sunshine!), so we stopped along Dawson's Creek on our way out to Hillsboro.

The cherry blossom trees were in bloom and it was just too pretty and springy to pass up!

my little man is getting so big

the boys

Jake is getting so old and grey, he's such a good dog and we're lucky to have him

my sweet girl

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It's funny how St. Patrick's Day has evolved for us. Where it used to be a day of beer drinking, it's now a chance to do fun art projects and encourage the kids' imagination!  And to be honest, I think it's a lot more fun now.  There is just something magical about seeing the wonder and excitement through the eyes of innocent children...

I love that Carter still believes in things (Santa Claus, leprechauns, etc.) and gets so jazzed to celebrate.

Kennedy had her "green day" on Tuesday.  I couldn't believe that this was the only green thing in her closet.  I love green, it's one of my favorite colors to wear, but Kennedy's wardrobe is lacking a little.  Even in a 2T shirt, she managed to look cute!

I found a few cute and simple ideas on Pinterest that the kids could help me make.

First up - pretzel &chocolate treats for friends, teachers and classmates.

Some ribbon and cute (free!) printables and I thought we had a nice little gift.

Carter had a great time helping me and did such a good job.  Both kids helped to sort the green M&Ms and unwrap the Hershey kisses, but Carter loved assembling them, as well.

Next up was a fruit loop (or fruit hoops as Kennedy calls them) rainbow craft.  I decided to do this one for a number of reasons.  #1 being that I love fruit loops but obviously never buy them, this gave me a justifiable excuse.  #2 was the fact that I thought it was a craft that had a little bit of educational value, as well.  The kids sorted their cereal by color and then put them in order of the rainbow.

Finished product!

I helped draw the pot o' gold, but then the kids used glitter glue (always fun!) to add a little sparkle.

Cute, don't you think?

On Friday night, Carter decided he wanted to build a leprechaun trap.  Nothing too impressive, just some Tupperware and a marker with his rainbow craft as bait.  We had a lengthy discussion as to what leprechauns prefer to eat...I wasn't too sure.

Here's the note that Carter wrote to accompany his trap:

"We will let you go if you will leave 8 pieces of gold"

And those silly leprechauns did come...leaving only gold chocolate coins, much to Carter's disappointment.  They also left glitter and messes throughout the house.  The kids loved it!

Forgot to flush!

Took a bath and then left a couple of coins as a payment.

They also disrupted the kitchen - stacking up cups, turning over chairs, turning the milk green and leaving a trail of glitter. 

Their redeeming gesture - they brought the kids Lucky Charms - a huge hit!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our little leprechauns to you!

Top Ten of 2008

I've been thinking about this topic for a few days now (thanks Lins) and think I've come up with the top ten things about this past year. All in all, it was a great one for our family and we're anxious to see what 2009 has in store for us.

10. Arctic Blast 2008! For all of you northwesters, you catch the reference. Our news coverage of all the snow was relentless and quite dramatic. But for the family and me it was beautiful.

I'll admit that we did experience a bit of cabin fever, but it was so much fun to build a really impressive snowman, to see Carter out sledding with the neighbor boys and Kyle plowing through the neighborhood. I love the snow, and I loved having a white Christmas.

9. Holidays - A bit vague, yes, but none the less the holidays were extra special this year. Not only did we celebrate with family and friends, but Carter really, really grasped the meaning and festivities this year. For Halloween, he chose his own costume, enjoyed a week of fun activities, said "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" at the eight houses we hit in the neighborhood and then enjoyed the candy he received for several days.

We hit a whole new high during the Christmas season. It was truly a miracle to experience the joy and wonder this season through such innocent eyes. Carter had a blast helping us decorate the house, making cookies, picking out the perfect tree, participating in Advent at church, wrapping presents, visiting Santa, decorating a gingerbread house, etc.

And through it all, we were doubly blessed to have Kennedy celebrating with us. Carter showed his little sister the ropes and she enjoyed the holidays as much as an infant could. I also have to add that getting to dress her up was an added bonus for me!

8. Potty Success - After several months of using the potty intermittently, Carter reached full blown "potty trained" status in November. We are so proud of the big boy that he is and were relieved at the ease of reaching this milestone.

7. February 14th - The day we were told that we would be welcoming a little girl into our world. After fully convincing myself that I was carrying another boy, I was shocked and overjoyed to learn that our little baby was in fact a girl. I didn't fully trust the ultrasound, so I went back for a second scan two weeks later. Thankfully the results were the same.

6 -4. Wonderful Family Vacations - We were fortunate to do quite a bit of travelling this year. With two trips each to Arizona and San Francisco and a wonderful summer trip to Eagle Crest, we enjoyed lots of time with family.

Justin and Stacy hosted us for a wonderful weekend in the city. We had so much fun exploring San Francisco.

Nana and Pops always love having us visit and we're so thankful they live in such a fun place. We always enjoy our trips to Arizona.

Our annual summer trip to Eagle Crest with the Phelans

Back in Arizona in October. Visiting Stillman Railway Park - Carter loved the trains!

3. 5 Year Anniversary - Kyle and I celebrated our fifth anniversary in March. It is hard to believe that it's been five years already...although so much has changed in that time. I am so thankful for the love that he gives and am constantly amazed by the father he has become. I am so lucky to have found such a supportive, forgiving, strong, faithful and loyal man to marry. I can't wait to see where the next five years will take us.

2. A nephew is born! - On September 23rd, we welcomed our first nephew, Bennett Justin Simon. He is such a welcome addition to our family and we love him so much. We can't wait to watch him grow and feel so fortunate that our kids will have a cousin so close in age.

1. Kennedy Marie Phelan - Nothing could top the joy we felt when Kennedy was born on July 9th. We had been waiting so long to meet her and were a little nervous about her arrival (after having such a scare with Carter). But God had wonderful plans for us and after just three and a half hours Kennedy came into this world in the most peaceful way. She stole our hearts from the first second we looked into those big, wide open eyes, and our lives will never be the same. What a blessing she is!

Such a good big brother!

Then - July
Now - December