Felt Rainbows

A fun, colorful and simple activity for the kids to do....and it can be done again and again.  I love felt!

 

 

Before Caleb made his the "correct" way, he had fun creating his own version...

Sometimes We Break the Rules...

"Rawr!"

Shane has a handful of animal noises in his verbal repertoire, but this one is by far my favorite!  I think it is just so cute.

What's For Dinner? Week 14: Crispy Cheddar Chicken

 This turned out really good.  It wasn't nearly as attractive as the original, but it was quite tasty!  I left the sauce off of the kids' pieces, and they really liked it was well.

  Click here for the recipe.

Farm Field Trip

Today, I went with Caleb's class to Volkening Heritage Farm.  

The farmhouse...

 

We had never been there, though I had heard great things about the place!  It was indeed a lot of fun and a great time of learning for the kiddos (and for me!).

Excited...

Listening to Ms. Pat...

The "Kitchen Garden"...

 Friends...

Pumping water...

 Farmhouse kitchen...

Wood-burning stove...

 

 Dry sink...

 

Water closet...

 Nicely-scented lilacs strategically planted outside the water closet.  GENIUS!

 Smokehouse...

 Cellar (AKA pantry/fridge) below the smokehouse...the kids thought it was pretty cool to go underground!

 

 No, there were no cars back then.

One of the barns...

 Windmill...this one was used to pump water for all of the animals.

 

 The kids, of course, loved the animals.  It's the right time of year to see new animal babies, and that was quite fun. 

 Momma cow...

 One of her babes (1 month old)...this is either Frederick or Fredericka.

 The horsies were quite tired and slept the entire time.  This is Prince.  The horses were huge....2300 pounds each!

Regular old farm boy.

7 little piglets were born in February.  

Here are 2 of them all snugly with each other...

 Another of the 7...oh my, I want one.

 The piglets were seriously cute!  I asked Caleb if we should get one, and if so, where it could sleep.  He decided that the piglet could sleep in Mommy & Daddy's bed, and Mommy & Daddy could sleep on the air mattress.

 The man of the henhouse, Mr. Rooster.

 Some of the ladies...

 Ducks...

 Sweet kiddos...

Close up...

What a fun morning!!

Easter 2012

We've been talking about Easter with the kids a lot over this past week.  We've done the Resurrection eggs, read the true Easter story many times, and sung songs.

While getting dressed up, hunting for eggs, and getting special treats & gifts are fun activities for sure, the kids know the real reason we celebrate Easter....because JESUS IS ALIVE.  He is no longer in the grave, but has risen to Heaven.  We pray, constantly, that this truth will never leave their minds and hearts.

Today was a wonderful Easter celebration. Church was amazing, the sun was warm, and we enjoyed a nice meal and a good time with family.

 A few pics before church...

 Some shots I got on my phone at church....celebrating the RISEN LORD!

 

 

Easter gifts from Grandma & Grandpa!

 Easter baskets from Mommy & Daddy!

 Caleb was so excited that I found some dye-free jelly beans. =)

 The kids loved hunting for eggs in the back yard.  We had lots this year, and Daddy did a good job of "hiding" them. =)

 

 

 

 

 It wouldn't be a family get-together without some iPad fun.

 Dinner...

 

The kids played outside a lot today.  Most of the time they had their shoes on.  But most of the other time they were barefoot. =)  They may or may not have been digging in the dirt with their church clothes on.  And they may or may not have been covered in slimy bubble solution by the end of the evening.  I LOVE it!

 

 

Family...

 Silly grandpa...

Our sweeties.

We are so thankful for all that the Lord has blessed us with.  He has given us more than we deserve.  We are mostly thankful that He has given us HOPE.  Hope in Jesus, because of His incredible sacrifice and his miraculous conquer over death 3 days later.

Happy Easter to you.

PS - Fun story of the day....Caleb requested to say the pre-dinner prayer.  He actually loves to pray out loud before meals, and usually his prayers are fairly quick.  Tonight, however, he prayed for quite a long time (relatively speaking!)...it was so sweet.  The BEST part of the whole prayer was when he said, "God, you are the boss".  Ha!  I love it.  It's funny, but Caleb has it exactly right.  God is, indeed, the boss. =)