Bathroom Melodies

 Ever since she discovered she had a voice, Audrey has loved to sing.  One of her favorite places to sing is in the bathroom.  Maybe one day I will have video of her singing where you can see her face, but for now I get the best video when she doesn't know I'm taping her.  This particular session, to the tune of "This is My Father's World," is only a small segment of what she sang that day.

Haircuts

Elaina and I have been growing our hair out for a long time now so we could donate it for cancer patients.  Aunt Jenny (my sister-in-law) joined us on Wednesday for the big night and had hers cut too!  Here are the before and after pictures:

Before....

Ponytails!!  This part was a little wierd, actually.  I will miss Elaina's curly ponytail- hope it comes back if she decides to grow it long again.  Mine had been longer than I liked for about the last year, so I was not sorry to see it go.

I was so proud of Elaina for doing this with me.  She said the next day that she was sad at first but that now she is used to it.  I think she looks adorable no matter what length her hair is!  I hope that it helps some people who need it and that she has learned a valuable lesson from this experience.  We said a prayer for the person who would use our hair, and we are thinking about and praying for all of our family and friends battling cancer.

Perfect Afternoon

I love when we the kids get an extra day off from school!  Owen had Friday off so I took the kids to Phipps Conservatory for the afternoon.  I wasn't sure how it would go, but they loved it and I loved spending the afternoon with them there.  It was the perfect start for Mother's Day weekend!

The butterfly room was one of the highlights

Congratulations, Erik!!

Erik completed the 1/2 marathon with his brother on Sunday in just over 2 hours and helped raise money for a great organization called Urban Impact.  I wasn't able to be there to cheer him on and take pictures, but I'm really proud of him!!

Dizzy!!

Elaina picked out a new toy with her birthday money from her Colorado cousins and she is LOVING it... here is some video of her in action:

                 I did not record this on fast forward- she can really go this fast for this long!

    I didn't expect for it to become like monkey bars either, but leave it to her to figure it out:

Happy Easter!

Easter Story Cookies

Here's a recipe I found that I want to try with the kids tomorrow night:

To be made the night before Easter:

You Need:
1 c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 c. sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

Place pecans in ziplock bag and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.  Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman Soldiers- Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar.  Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.  Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink- Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar.  Eggs represent life.  Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life- Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand.  Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.  Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin- Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing- Add 1 c. sugar.  Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus dies because He loves us.  He wants us to know and belong to Him.  Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.  Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus- Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.  Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.  Read Matt. 27:65-66

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a pice of tape and seal the oven door.  Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.  Read Matt. 27:65-66

GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.  Jesus' followers were sad when the tomb was sealed.  Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.  Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.  The cookies are hollow!  Explain that on the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.  Read Matt. 28:1-9

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16