What I love most about Easter....

sSpring

pretty little dresses

family together

baskets full of treats

boys in dress shirts like the colors of easter eggs

ham, banana salad and homemade rolls

yellow dafodils

candy candy candy

full church pews

joy and love

but most of all,

a hope that goes beyond this holiday.

An eternal hope because of our Christ's work on the cross.

And not only that, but He didn't leave us disappointed and distraught by death.

He conquered not only sin, but death.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ I Corinthians 15: 56-57

Oh what a Great God! May you find such a glorious hope in our Lord today and always!

Happiest Easter, from our three little bunnies : )

I definitely love these beautiful treasures...

handsome boy

gorgeous little girl

precious baby - first easter

A little progress

I love getting inspiration from other bloggers, websites and pinterest.

But what I love best, is when that inspiration actually turns into progress!

I loved and was so inspired by Ashley Ann's bedroom that she posted on her blog, Under the Sycamore. It was such a great display of her and her husbands relationship. My master bedroom needed a little personal touch and some romance. So check out what I finally finished. I jokingly call it our love shrine to Scott! : )

I took one of our accent walls (the other is right behind this one ...see near the bathroom) that had nothing on it and turned it into a collage wall. It is all stuff about us. BTW, don't you love my beautiful white trim baseboard? Oh wait it's not there? That's right...the people we hired to renovate our upstairs never finished. BOO! Another story for another time. We really need to get this finished ourselves. The parts of the room that have it are so pretty!

Here is a closer up view of our wall. See our bed is in the corner of this picture (our dresser is at the end of our bed with our tv) so you can get an idea of how our furniture is arranged.

In the middle I cut out fabric letters and framed them saying You & Me. Also below that I put one of our favorite Christmas card pictures with Scruffles and us. Over to the side is just a plain ole frame with three pictures...one when we were dating, a picture on the day of our engagement of Scott washing my feet and then one from about 3 years ago while we were married. It's neat to see the progression of our relationship and God's hand over our marriage. In the right hand bottom corner is a picture Scott made me for my 30th birthday. I love his drawings and it's us in front of our house on his scooter (which I've only rode on 3 times with him) : ) I loved it soo much, It had to go on the wall because it is so US!

At the top is one of my favorite quotes from Pride and Prejudice. The frame to the left is us on our honeymoon. Right below that is our monogram on some fabric. The yellow frame...if you can tell...is a tree made up of lyrics to our song (and first dance at our wedding reception). That was a pinterest idea. Thank you very much!

Here is that quote:

You have bewitched me body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. - Mr. Darcy

Moving over more to the left... beside our honeymoon picture is a heart shaped map of Rivera Maya, Mexico where we actually honeymooned. Below that is a frame that I made a little bunting for and clipped a picture of us kissing...we are barely visible because we are soo small...i love that! A photo booth film strip of us while we dating. I made sure not to put any pictures of our kids on here so it would be just about us. I know that is a pregnancy picture there, but I loved it too much and it holds such an amazing part of our story. But I did not add any actual babies or cute little children to the wall.

This a free 8 X 10 canvas that I got forever ago and really couldn't find the perfect spot for. It's paired next to three small frames that hold our wedding date. on the bottom is another favorite quote of mine from Martin Luther King Jr....

Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart."

There you have it.

I actually finished a creative project that I started only three months ago : )

What are some creative ideas you've found online and are trying to finish?

Let's dream, together you and I

My favorite times are when my babies sleep. Usually it is because that means I get to sleep. But sometimes it is just my favorite because they look soo sweet when they sleep.

Look at this slumbering babe.

Fly like a raven, black honey into the night
Soft like the air beneath, a swan in a flight
Then return back home, to bed, bring the dancing stars
Sleep and dream of a white wolf howling and know that I am near
Shhh. Close your eyes, don't ask why
Let's dream, together you and I
Close your eyes, we will fly, dreaming together you and I
The moon has sailed in a sliver gown of stars,
It's long, but not forever
Soon her love will rise as mine and sing to the shadows

Tomorrow we will shall rise with the dawn
Kiss the flowers and bloom
But now lie still as the wind and listen
For I will come to you with the footsteps of morning
Shhh. Close your eyes, don't ask why
Let's dream, together you and I

Close your eyes, we can fly, dreaming together you and I
Dream, Dream, Dream, DreamRaven Lullaby- Jewel

A few tidbits...

Who wants a blog post that shares organized thoughts and extremely inspirational points...hopefully not you today! Here is my jumbled brain:

• I like to ride in my husbands car without the kids and turn the radio up really loud! I love my kids but it's fun to pretend I'm still carefree and not thinking about how I'm going to get my potty training 2 yr. old to a potty without her peeing all over my car.
• I'm still REALLY ANGRY with Netflix for taking off the Cosby show.
• I love this man and this lady bug butt : )
• I'm really needing a night out (movies, girl talk or some other type of relaxation away from home) but I'm so dog tired.
• Nursing is not for pansies....it's a lot of draining work! I'm feeling more like a pansy everyday : ) But don't worry I'm not giving up.
• I'm one of those mothers who doesn't take her own advice. I make my kids eat awesome while I finish off a box of oatmeal cream pies in a week (mostly by myself). Snacking is my favorite past time : )
• I'm loving American Idol and Dancing with the Stars this go around. That is as much Reality TV as I can do...sorry, Jersey Shore and Bachelor fans...JUST NOT INTO IT!
• I wore a tshirt and shorts out the other day and my son asked if I had on pajamas....Mama needs to spruce it up a little : )
• My children like to play this cruel joke on me where one takes and awesome nap while the other won't. Or better yet...One will sleep in while the other is up earlier than normal. WHAT? Can't we have that perfect trifecta of everyone sleeping for at least a couple of hours at the same time so I can work hard on chores. And by work hard on chores I mean take a nap myself after proudly throwing in one load of laundry in the washer.
• I'm super excited about a tax return buy for my photography...

hello pretty lady

I got the Canon T2i...there just wasn't enough difference for me to get the T3i while spending the extra money. So far I'm super happy with it. 18 mega pixels of magic fairy dust!

gives me goosebumps I'm so excited.

and most people who follow me on pinterest know I'm a little obsessed with yellow.

except I love how this is actually called marigold. sounds even prettier than yellow.

• I'm loving spending time outdoors with my littles these days, but it's just April. By July, I wanna hide indoors in my cool a/c. I've become such a weather snob and I'm not sure how it happened since I blissfully lived outdoors all day long growing up. I wish I liked to sweat more :)
• Has anyone seen October Baby? I'm wanting to see it badly. I've heard it has a great story line with positive ending. Not many movies about CHOOSING LIFE. Speaking of movies...my friends dragged me to Hunger Games. I wanted to read the books first, but I'm glad they did. I LOVED it! Go see it...warning it is really violent in parts.
• I made this for dinner last night and have decided it's what I make for dinner when I need some comfort. Slow cooker Italian Chicken paired with fettucine alfredo (homemade sauce). And throw in some breadsticks and Ale8 for good measure. I promised I don't always cook my family such unhealthy meals...but it sure is delicious!
  
• Lately I CANNOT remember anything. I asked Scott if he thought I could blame it on the lack of sleep or three children constantly making noise or if I should see a doctor. He said he wasn't worried. But I AM! I hope to gain a little of my brain and memory back real soon or things could get ugly around here. Like trying to wash my hair with lotion or loosing my keys in the freezer or maybe even loosing a child. hopefully, not.

alright, I think everyone is napping now. I'm pretty sure I have twenty minutes of uninterrupted time to myself. happy napping folks!

Salvation

A friend posted this verse on their blog the other day.

Their daughter needs your prayers as she was born with a heart condition and is very sick.

They are believers and I've been so encouraged by their faith during this scary time.

If you would please, pray for baby Jordan and her family.

Their blog is Jordan's Heart.

Check it out and pray with us that she'll be proclaiming God's salvation and glory with her long life!

Big Big/ Big Lil/ Lil Lil

I have three kids.

WHAT?

I know that I've had two of them for close to two years, but it just seems crazy.

It's like I woke up this morning looked at the three of them and realized what was happening.

I used to dream of the days when I would be mama.

Not playing dolls. Not babysitting. Not just being the aunt.

But I would be the Mama.

And those days are here and I'm afraid they are slipping through my ever tightening grip.

Here they are in the shirts my sister got for them...

They say Big Bro, Big Sis, and Lil Sis

And what really bothers me is that one in the middle there.

She was really my first baby.

When the kids came to us, "L" was just about out of the toddler stage. He was 3 and though he had these cute little chubby cheeks...he was no longer a baby.

But that little girl, there standing so tall. The one who nows demands pig tails, panties and all day long is protesting... "I do it my self!"

She was a baby when they put her in my arms.

She couldn't really talk, she was wobbling with her steps and I gave her a bottle as I rocked her to sleep every night. She was 11 months and was such a pudgy, lovable baby.

Now just look at her.

When I hold her now, those long legs hang down past my waist.

Yesterday, I went to get her up from nap and she was still half asleep.

I carried her into the living room and snuggled her on the couch. As I was doing this, I realized how rare it is these days. When I was pregnant I was too big and tired to carry her around like she used to want me to. And now I'm always busy holding/changing/feeding Liv and she is soo busy doing her own thing...that we rarely find that spot that we were constantly in just a few short years ago. I know I cannot reverse time or even slow it down. I also know every new stage and season brings it's own joy and sweetness.

But I do know that I treasured those few quiet moments that it was just her and I.

Her feet dangling against my thighs and her slow breaths on my neck.

She snuggled close and then would look up at me with those big brown eyes.

I just kept thinking....my baby you'll always be.

barefoot.

“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?” - Anne of Green Gables

This time of year makes me giddy and gives me tons of energy. It makes me want to cook new recipes, create, rearrange things and reread all my favorite books. I want to camp. Paint something. Buy some new high heels. I have so many photo shoot ideas. My kids are going to love that!

Anyways, here is to sunshine, cool breezes and being barefoot.