He is Risen!!

What an exciting day, I love Easter. Without Easter this whole Christanity thing would be pointless, but the fact that Christ went to the cross and died for me changes EVERYTHING!
HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

While it was an exciting day, being a part of the music ministry at church meant it was a CRAZY day! Our service went well, we had the service at one of the local high schools so all services could be together to celebrate Easter. We normally run 3 services on Sunday morning and you would be amazed at the fact that people that attend one service DON'T KNOW the people that attend another. So, having one big service on Easter is a great time to not only be together for worship, but actually meet new people who have been attending the church. Now, Jeff and I are a part of all 3 services, so we 'know' most of the people that attend, but it was nice being up front and seeing NEW faces at the Easter service! We had over 800 people together celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Here are some pictures from the day:

The kids opened their Easter baskets the day before, we knew Sunday would be crazy. First we had to be at the school early, then we had the service, then lunch, then I headed to NY to help Heather and Dave for a few days. So, here are some pictures of them opening their baskets:

(the kids knew we were heading to Florida for General Assembly and our Scott Family Reunion, but they did NOT know we would also be heading to Disney for a day...as you can see, they were VERY excited! Let the countdown begin!)

Pastel Colors

Well, this April we have seen some very pretty and interesting colors.

The first set of colors we saw were on Caleb's face. His sisters had a brilliant idea to put him in a plastic shopping cart and run around a room to see how fast they could go. The only thing they learned was how far Caleb could fly and what his face would look like when met with a rocking chair at a high speed. We've been on color watch the last few days as we watch his face turn all sorts of pretty colors! Here's hoping they have learned their lesson! (and yes, I realize one day HE will be bigger than them and can get them back, I just don't think THEY have thought of that yet!)

The second set of colors came when we made some Easter egg cookies. The kids had a great time making shortbread cookies and then decorating them with tubes of pastel icing. Thanks to Nene (my sister, Heather) even Caleb gets to enjoy shortbread cookies. She found a fabulous recipe for gluten-free/milk-free shortbread. Caleb not only enjoys making his cookies, but he also enjoys EATING his cookies. I ran out of white flour while making the girls shortbread, but I happened to have some whole-wheat flour in the cupboard, so I used that to finish off the amount I needed. They turned out REALLY good. The girls don't even know there is a healthy aspect to them and you honestly can't even taste it. Yes, I did have one, my FIRST sugary substance in 9 weeks!! (I wanted to make sure they didn't taste like dirt :) )

This last picture is of the kids and their 'shrink wrapped' eggs, for lack of a better word. They had fun making these the other day. I hard boiled the eggs, then the kids put the wrappers on and we dipped them in boiling water and TADA - shrink wrapped eggs. I found these wrappers on the Big Idea website, so Caleb went nuts when he saw the eggs had Bob and Larry on them. They are really cute! I even bought enough so we can do them again next year!

The next blog will have pictures of the kids in their Easter best, if it is EVER warm enough to take them outside to do them...would love an outdoor photo, if not, you'll see my living room floor, again!

The kids meet Margaret

The kids got to meet their new baby cousin this weekend. I thought the girls were going to EXPLODE! They were so excited! They would tell you they did not get to see little Margaret enough, but each of the girls got to hold her a couple of times.

Caleb had a little cold, so he got to hold her while donning a mask...he HATED that part (have pictures of that, but they didn't turn out that good). He didn't quite understand WHY he needed the mask if he wanted to be near her, hence the pouting face on the couch next to his sisters. We will have to figure out a way to go back and see baby Margaret before June...that way Caleb can give Margaret a proper welcome...and maybe some Caleb kisses!

We were also able to get a picture of Nana, PapPap, and their FOUR grandchildren! What a special time it was.

Margaret Renee Ardrey is HERE!!!!

March 25, 2009 at 2:40am Margaret Renee Ardrey entered this world. She was 6lbs. 13oz. 19in. and is just a BEAUTIFUL baby. At 12am I got the call I've been waiting 9 months for. Heather was in the hospital and staying...she was 8cm when she got there! They certainly weren't going to send her home!!! So, I finished my packing...I already had a bag ready :) and then I was off. On my way to NY at an hour most people are sound asleep. I talked with my parents on the phone the entire drive, they were heading there too! I arrived in Troy at 3:30am and was ready for some sleep. Funny, sleep didn't come, I was too excited! At 4am I received the text I was waiting for...here is a picture of your niece!!!! She was SO beautiful...then I had a REALLY hard time sleeping. I just wanted to see her and hold her. That would come at 7:30am. We got the call from Heather, COME ON IN!!! We walked in the room and I looked at my little sister holding her first baby and to look at her, it looked like she was holding a little doll, but that was my niece! What a wonderful time we had looking and holding this precious new life. She was just perfect. It was quite an interesting feeling for me, loving this little one who was not my own. I get to love this little girl and then give her back to her mom!! :)
Welcome to the World little Margaret. God has wonderful things in store for you and your parents and we look forward to watching you grow in Him.

SHE DID IT!!

I have NO pictures to prove it, just Jeff's word, as I was home with a sick Caleb....BUT....
HANNAH MADE HER FIRST BASKET!!!!!!
Jeff said the gym just erupted when the shot went in...see, everyone knows how hard Hannah has tried ALL SEASON to make a basket and SHE DID IT!!! We are so proud of her for perservering, she just kept trying and never got down. She would say ' by March, I'll get it' and sure enough, it was the first game in March! This Saturday is their last game, I will be there with camera on record, hoping to catch a glimpse of another shot!

Kaitlyn did excellent again in her game. This week she made 3 baskets. She was a little bummed because at her last game, she made 5 baskets! We had to have a little chat about how every game is different and just because you only made 3 doesn't mean you didn't have a great game...etc., etc., etc.

They have loved their experience and the friendships they have formed. I will be back on Saturday with some pictures from their last game, and pictures for the awards ceremony!! We will be sad to see it end.

Here are some pictures from the girls' first basketball games. For those that don't know we signed them up for the Upward Basketball League. It is a Christian sports organization that determines the success of their season based upon how well they shared the gospel with their kids, not how many games they won! The win stars for their shirts for learning their memory verse, effort, sportmanship, Christlikeness, as well as, defense and offense. The girls did a GREAT job their first time out! During Hannah's game she stole the ball and tried to make a shot. She can't quite get the ball high enough for it to actually go in (they do lower the basket for her age), but it is something we are working on. She is the smallest on her team, she'll get it, in time! Kaitlyn was a basketball MACHINE! During the first half she did a great job -- she made a basket and tried 2 more shots. At the half her coaches switched the girl she was supposed to guard. They had a little girl guarding one of the biggest girls on the other team...so, it was Kaitlyn's job to guard this girl during the second half. Well, the girl never made another shot! She never even touched the ball the second half. Everytime the girl tried to get the ball Kaitlyn was in her face with her hands up. It was great to watch her...she really came into her own during the game and looked as though she had found her niche. Even though they did well in their games they were more excited about the stars they earned. Kaitlyn for offense and Hannah for effort. They also earned their memory verse stars...they are already working on their next verse! It is neat to see them not only learn basketball, but learn about Christ and form new friendships. We are looking forward to a great season!! You should come watch a game, if you have a chance!

Snow fun

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from New Year's weekend. The kids had fun playing in the snow. Hannah wasn't there, she was at a birthday party...but, everyone had a fun day!

Caleb would go down the front hill and carry his sled back up the driveway by himself. Kaitlyn on the other hand, would stay at the bottom of the hill until someone else carried her sled up. After this happened a couple of times the adults got wise and said 'if your 3 year old brother can do it, you can too...carry your own sled!'

We'll be having more snow fun again soon...we're getting another storm tomorrow!