Is it too late to blog about Easter?

Maybe so, but I'm going to anyway.

When looking at the calendar early this year, I was thankful for the late timing of Easter. I (mistakenly) thought it meant we'd for sure have warm weather and that everything would be in bloom. ha. That didn't happen.

But I was also thankful because there have been too many years where it seems like Easter sneaks up on me, it's here and gone before I have time to contemplate it. I don't want that to continue to happen, and I don't want that to be my kids' experience. So I liked knowing there were more weeks on the calendar between the beginning of the year and Easter. It helped me plan ahead, and I do believe some new family traditions were started.

Our Easter Hill
I had seen this idea on a few blogs and read about it in Noel Piper's book, Treasuring God in our Traditions. So we thought we'd give it a try this year. The idea is that you create a setting, a salt-flour dough mound, that acts as the stage for the events of the passion week.

We created the mound, with an opening for the tomb, and a hole for the cross, a couple of weeks before Easter.

You poke several small holes all over the top of the mound, so that "people" can stand in them later. Bake it several hours, and when it's done and cooled, you can paint it if you want.

Now, every other example that I've seen of this uses little stick people made from pipe cleaners. Well, my pipe cleaner skills aren't terrific, plus I didn't think pipe cleaner people would tolerate being played with by a two-year-old so well, so we opted for something a little different. We used mini craft sticks, round wooden plugs, my husband's drawing ability and fabric scraps to create several of the characters present during the passion week. I did add little pieces of pipe cleaner to the bottom of the stick so the people would stand up in the holes we'd made on the hill. (I might recommend using toothpicks, though.)



Both kids loved these little stick people, but Lily especially enjoyed them. For about a week and a half before and for a week after, when I put them away amidst her protests, she spent many hours with these little folks in her hands, retelling and acting out parts of the Easter story. They may or may not have been participants in other types of stories as well. :) Easter week we used the people and the hill to tell a part of the story each day. (Sorry my photography skills are poor.)

Jesus teaches the crowds.

Jesus is arrested and on trial.

Jesus is crucified.



The tomb is sealed. The soldier stands guard.

(This happens Friday and remains like this all day Saturday.)

Sunday morning - the tomb is empty!

The soldiers are as dead men.

Jesus is Alive!

Such a fun way to teach this most important story to little ones. And I'll admit, I had quite a bit of fun with this too! So go, get started on your disciples - if you start now you can surely make all twelve. We just had a measly band of four!

And another keeper...

Our Easter Tree (or Resurrection Tree)

Again, I'd seen similar ideas on a couple of blogs and Noel suggests something similar in her book. I started by having William cut a small limb of one of our trees in the backyard. Now, if we lived further south, surely our branch would have already been covered with leaves. But, in the frozen northern tundra, ours was still completely bare, which was good.

We secured it in a vase, and then began adding decorations. Twelve days before Easter we began talking about one "ornament" each day, using the children's Story Bible when we could, to again tell the events of Jesus' last week before he died and was raised to life. Again, our kids loved this. By the end Lilyanna could tell you the part of the story that went with each ornament, and Liam could talk about several of them too.

I love to see these things making their way into their hearts and lives.

I love to see their excitement about it.

I love to have a creative way to teach and express it.

We started at the bottom of the tree and worked our way up.

Day 1 - Donkey: Triumphal Entry

Day 2 - Piece of towel: Jesus washes his disciples' feet

Day 3 - Cracker: The Last Supper

Day 4 - Praying hands: Jesus' prayer in the garden

Day 5 - Torch: Jesus is arrested at night

Day 6 - Rooster: Peter's denial

Day 7 - Pouch of coins: Judas returns the silver to the temple

Day 8 - A wash basin: The trial of Jesus, Pilate washes his hands

Day 9 - Crown of thorns: Jesus is beaten

Day 10 - Cross and Nails: Jesus is crucified

Day 11 - Stone: Jesus is dead, the grave is sealed

Day 12 - Empty tomb: Jesus is Alive!

There are lots of different ways you could do this, but this worked for us. William suggested putting each ornament in an egg, hanging the eggs on the tree and opening an egg each day. Might be a fun thing to try, if your items are small enough.

It also reminded me of our Jesse Tree that we do at Christmas. This one tells the significant stories leading up to the birth of Jesus, reminding us of why we need a savior. As you can tell on both trees, I borrow the kids' toys, scavenge items from the backyard and pull out miscellaneous craft supplies to make the ornaments. That's what makes it fun (and affordable) for me. The kids seem to like it too, except, I guess, when they want to play with that particular item. But hey, it can be borrowed from the tree and returned later.

Putting something like this together would be a great summer project. The first year we did it, December was half over before I'd made/found all the ornaments. It was fun, but we all know there are lots of other things to do in December.

There you go...an Easter post that ends with Christmas.

Though it's a couple weeks past, I hope you all had a blessed Easter and continue living in the joy of the resurrection every day!

Baby #3's First Pictures

Well, most of you have probably heard that Baby #3 is a boy, but few of you have seen any pictures of him.
So here he is, making his debut.

I like how he looks like he's praying in that last one.
We're all pretty excited.  It seems like it's becoming more and more real to the kids each day.
Hard to believe that in just a little over three months time, he'll be here.

A Message from the Kids

We just thought you'd like to know!

(Maybe this is a good time to recommit to this blog too...
stay tuned!)

Eight Year Anniversay

**So this blog has been largely ignored over the last couple of months.  And what you are about to read is "out-of-date". But that doesn't make it untrue. Or unimportant. And I like it. And it's my blog and I can do what I want. So I'm still going to post it. I can't remember all the reasons it didn't get posted when I first wrote it. Something about wanting to scan a picture to put with it. Then it just got forgotten in the details of getting a project done and perparing to leave for vacation. So here it is now, sans picture but with all the emotion with which it was first written on our annniversay, June 14.**

Today my William and I celebrate our eighth anniversary.
Eight years isn't newly weds anymore.
Eight years really isn't easy.
William recently came across a statistic that says that 86% of couples who end up divorced do so before their eighth anniversary.
But here we stand.
Celebrating.
Joyful.
Thankful.
Loving.
Liking.
Still.

Crazier than the fact that we've been married eight years;
our lives have been significantly connected for thirteen.
We were kids.
Literally.
16 and 17 when we started dating.
We've grown up together in so many ways.
And here we stand.
Celebrating.
Joyful.
Thankful.
Loving.
Liking.
Still.

I don't just say those words.
I AM celebrating. I AM joyful. I am so utterly thankful.
In ways we are still the same people we were way back then as teenagers.
But in so many ways we aren't.
And as we've
grown,
struggled,
matured,
changed,
often at different paces,
into more complete individuals;
we've
loved,
given,
forgiven,
embraced,
accomodated,
shared,
believed
and become one.
A godly mystery.
A sacred transformation.
An unbelievable blessing.

I like this man so much. (Which might sound like a lesser statement than love, but sometimes after eight, or 13 years, you realize that the liking can be harder than the loving.) He loves me well. He leads me well.
God gave me a good, good gift.
And as I've said,
I am thankful.

A New Decade is Dawning

**Editorial note: The bulk of this was written the day before my birthday. I've added some thoughts and the pictures since.  I'll warn you here that it is long.

It's the eve of my 30th birthday.

May 29th and my last day of being 29.

That illustrious golden birthday literally waits just over the horizon.

So how do I feel? Well...not bad.

Pretty great really.

The physical side of that pretty great feeling is due at least in part to the bit of "sprucing up" I've done recently.

--A fresh hair cut, some summery highlights, giving the skin a bit of a golden glow.

--I was gifted a massage and a pedicure - nice to enter your thirties with callous-less feet and painted toenails.

--A few new articles of clothing in which I feel confident and un-frumpified.

--I'm running again - whether or not I'm actually in shape yet, it definitely gives one a sense of health and vitality.

--And of course I have long known that it's ultimately not my physical characteristics that really matter.
So, yeah, on that side I feel pretty great.

On the emotional side...I won't lie.
Since about January there has definitely been a sense of trepidation about what stood looming at the end of May.
But the drama and the trauma has passed.
The accepting and embracing has begun.

And why shouldn't it?

I mean...my twenties were good.

They gave me...

--A college degree.

(I couldn't find one of me actually receiving my diploma - this one with the college pres. will have to suffice.)

--A husband who loves me unreservedly and unconditionally, who knows my heart and doubles as my best friend.

--An adventerous, memory-laden year serving, living, exploring overseas.

--Friends -- fabulous, make-you-want-to-live-near-them-forever friends -- made in Oklahoma, New Zealand, Kentucky, South Dakota and a few places in between.

(I wish I could picture them all here)

--The ongoing enjoyment and thankfulness for familial relationships and friendships that existed way before I turned 20.
--The priviledge of being called "Aunt" -- seven times over. (Soon to be nine, but hey, that'll be in my thirties.)

(My first niece, Karli, at two. She's now seven.)

--A knack, and an abhorrence, for packing -- with eight moves during 10 years (not counting to and from college), it stands to reason.
--A plethora of jobs -- some I liked, some I hated, but I always appreciated the provision and have come to appreciate the areas of growth they opened up in my life.

--A beyond-beautiful daughter who transformed me from woman to Mother and wrote a new definition for  love in the dictionary of my heart.

--A pastor who also happens to be my husband -- a sacred experience; the mysteries of which I'm still grapling to understand.
--A son (that mere word -a simple noun, but a noun that denotes a relationship that now exists for me- makes me smile) who is a daily delight and further evidence that my heart can indeed go on living outside my body.

--The ongoing blessing of being pursued and loved by the God of the universe.

I know myself so much better here at the end of my twenties than I did at the beginning.
I know that...
--My favorite drink is water. I know. It's plain. It's boring. But there is seriously not a drink I enjoy more. It's also free. And readily available.

--I don't like coffee. I wish I did. I think the coffee-culture is cool.
--I don't cook because I love it, but much more out of the necessity of feeding my family.
--I love Fall and it always arrives with an intense desire to attend a football game, but Spring probably tops the list as my favorite season because it seems to rescue my soul each year.

--My home is important to me, and no matter where it is, big or small, old or new, nice or hidious, I need it to be a reflection of me.
--I enjoy creating (and DIY projects). I need to create. I'm trying to make sure I heed that need more often.
--My creativity begets more creativity. I like that cycle.
--I frequently get too attached to my creations. Or, in the alternative, I harshly critique it every time I see it.

(I always liked Lilyanna's room in our house in KY. I "created" a lot of the things in there myself. I found beauty in it. I thought it was a reflection of me and of my love for her. I'm still working to get my house here to that point!)

--I am a slow decision maker.
--For that matter, I'm just slow. I run behind. I blame it on genetics. Don't know if that's really possible or not. But I'm slow getting ready in the morning, slow getting every one out the door when trying to leave, slow getting chores done, slow getting meals fixed, slow getting things in the mail, slow following through on good intentions. Blog updates get posted way later than when they are mentally created. This whole realm continually disappoints me. I, however, did not run behind when it came to giving birth to my children. They were both early. This probably says more about them than me. Maybe they avoided the gene. I hope so.
--I like working with others. Not in the traditional school-sense of the term, but I maintain momentum and motivation at a much greater rate if someone else is doing the same or similar thing within my proximity. (Ex., when my husband pitches in with cleaning up the house, when a friend is slapping paint on walls with me, when my mom visits and works in the kitchen with me, or pretty much any other tedious, chore-related task. Perhaps I'd really prefer doing laundry at a laundromat!)
--I am so much more comfortable in and appreciative of smallish, intimate-type get-togethers verses large crowd gatherings. I often leave the latter feeling lonely and unknown.

(See, a place for me - and it's sparkling juice, not wine, just in case anyone was feeling all uptight about it.)

--I love feeling known. That someone gets me. Understands my heart. Knows what makes me tick. Wants to know me.
--I know that the above actually occuring is fairly rare. I know to be ok with that. I know to accept that even among those with whom this occurs, there are sometimes lengthy periods of time between those true heart-connections. I know, or at least I'm trying to know, this doesn't symbolize a lack of love.
--I am a pretty good initiator of plans or contact amongst friends. I sometimes get tired of initiating.
--This is because I know I'm a quality-time kind of gal. I love it when someone wants to spend time with me or be around me and it's their own idea. (see above)
--I crave adventure. Even small adventures are satisfactory. When I haven't adventured recently enough it comes out in severe irritation at not having "done anything" lately.

--I enjoy having a plan. I'm not very good at making a plan.
--I resist (or all-out rebel against) subtle (or not-so-subtle) hints about "things I should do" when that suggestion come from sources outside my immediate family.
--I am a detail person. The extent to which I give them and expect them can become annoying to non-detail oriented people. Even to myself at times.
--I'm pretty good at starting projects. Not always so good at finishing them.
--I have a growing desire to experience some form of communal living. (Stop thinking Amish or Waco or colony, that's not what I mean.)
--I don't adjust quickly to change or transition.
--I don't like the sheets tucked in tight at the bottom of the bed.
--I can't stay mad at a cute, dimpled face.

--I am more of a night person. I'd like to convert myself to be a morning person.
--I find great joy in seeing people, particularly my kids, learn and discover and grow.
--I don't handle stress so well. The people closest to me suffer when I am stressed.
--My life is meant to be about ministry. Expending the bulk of my energies elsewhere is unfulfilling to me. Largely, at this phase, this means ministry to my family. Yet, I have a strong and growing desire to be more involved in pastoral care and discipleship-type ministry. Figuring out what this looks like in the context of having very young children is a struggle for me.
--I like to run. I like to run with someone. I used to think I liked to run alone. Sometimes I do like to, but it always seems to hurt more and take longer when I'm alone.
--I can't stand having my toes squeezed together. Or having that crease where my bottom lip and chin meet touched.

So armed with all this knowledge about myself, things I either didn't know, or didn't admit as I entered my twenties, why wouldn't I be excited, even thrilled, to enter my thirties.

So I'm embracing them, and moving confidently into the hopes I have for the next decade.
I hope...
to solidify my prefered taste in music styles and musicians. (If you have suggestions, send them my way!)
my family grows.
my creativity finds more frequent outlets.
that my photography skills improve.

to increase my ability to see beauty in every day.
to learn how to ride a horse. I mean really ride, not just do a trail ride at a camp.

to become a fairly good gardener, at least gain a sense of comfort in a garden.
to lovingly and effectively tend to the souls of my children. To know them at the core of who they are.
to embrace my current phase of life, with all it's messes, monotany, tediousness, exhaustion and laundry piles as the fertile ground for deeper cultivation of holiness in my heart.

to see that newly cultivated holiness change my life and the life of those around me.
to order my life so that more of my good intentions become reality.
to run another half-marathon or two or ten, well probably not ten, but...
to see my family participate in an overseas mission experience.
to love my husband well.
to do something every day that evokes the laughter of my children.
to remain content and awe-stuck with the way my life unfolds and all the rich blessings I witness.

Thanks for sticking with me. This is my heart. This is me.
At 30.

And just for fun, a look at the past. These are my 20th, 24th (the only bithday I've had in winter, as we were in New Zealand), 25th and 28th birthdays.

Let me tell you about my girl...

She is tender and sweet. The other day I said something to her, and I'm sad to report...I said it rather harshly.  Pretty soon she's saying, in a very sad voice, "I don't know why you had to do that."

Me - "Do what?"
Her - "Why you had to break my heart."
Me - "I broke your heart?"
Her - "Yeah, you broke my heart. Not my play-dough heart, but the heart in my life."
Me, feeling quite sad myself by this point - "How did I break your heart?"
Her - "Because you talked something, like, mean to me."
Of course I apologized and asked her forgiveness. I just can't stand breaking her heart.  Especially since it's the heart in her life! (Not just the play-dough one she had cut out earlier with cookie cutters.)

She is a fashion statement (you'll have to decide of what sort) and a dancing queen.

She's into layering, she especially likes to put last summer's almost-too-small-shirts over whatever I already had her wearing. She loves to wear dresses and will choose one every time that the choosing is up to her. A skirt is not as preferable as a dress, and nothing is as preferable as pink, although she has a growing fondness for green. I think because her daddy likes green. She actually recently told me she didn't want a pink room anymore b/c she likes green, so she wanted to repaint the walls green. I'm waiting her out on that one.

She's becoming quite proficient at drawing and at writing her favorite letters. She's actually improved dramatically just from when I took the picture below until now. I think the drawing on the MagnaDoodle a bunny, now there is a bunny drawing stuck to the refrigerator door of her play kitchen (which in and of itself is funny to me) and there is a marked difference, particularly in the ears and the newer bunny has a body instead of just a head with arms and legs.

Yes, she loves Ls and Hs best, L for Lily, H for her cousin Halle, and other letters from her name make occasional appearances. (This is with sidewalk chalk on our back patio.)

She is a play-dough master and can honestly play with it for hours.

This particular day she was making snowman cutouts of every one she knows. She was making little pillows and blankets for all of us.

It was a bad day to be snowman Mommy. I head her say at one point, "Oh, poor Mommy, she got squished." And play dough snowman Halle "wasn't feeling so good."

She's quite the helper. Wants to be involved and "helping" with everything. So one day I put her to work unloading the silverware from the dishwasher.

This is how she ended up amusing herself. That's another thing about her. She has a great imagination and is quite creative.

All in all, she's a delight! She makes us laugh so often, she amazes us lately with how much she can do for herself. She's hit a new level in her ability to self-entertain, but she's also so much fun to play with. There's so much I could say about her. She's our fairy princess and our darling daughter.  When she's alseep in her bed at night it's all I can do not to scoop her up and cuddle her close. She's so little and so big all at the same time. It's so much fun to see her move through each stage but sometimes we just want to freeze time and keep her as she is. She's our Lilyanna...precious and loved.