Easter 2014

Well, I have not been on here much in the past few days. It wasn't intended...just couldn't get it all done, and I was enjoying the time with our family.

Having Logan home on Thursday night was awesome! It gave us a whole extra day with him, and we all loved that! He has a formal thing to attend with Morgan this week, so I took him shopping for some dress clothes...also known as kill me, kill me now.

What is it with boys? Or, maybe it's just MY boys. Or maybe it's just my two younger boys. Joshua loves to shop. Holly loves to shop. Logan and Clark would rather do ANYthing other than shop...even if it's for them. Even if it's for an event that they are choosing to attend!

And not only that, it's like they have the mindset that they are gonna take me down with them. What is that about?

But we had a good Friday and Saturday...and today was full of Easter celebrations and family.

I love Easter. It's probably my favorite holidays...and even tho it was later this year, I felt like it kind of sneaked up on me. We had decided to go to the earlier service at 9:30, and then have Easter lunch at home. This morning, I got up and made Sunday Rolls (cinnamon rolls...we have them every Sunday). I had put a roast in the crock pot last night, so it had our house smelling so good! I made hash brown casserole and green bean casserole. And then, all of a sudden, it was time for me to leave for choir and I nearly freaked because I had to hurry!

After church, I made salad and rolls and deviled eggs. I just tried to keep things simple and tranditional (what Joshua says)...and my kids loved it.

I also made Jim's great-grandmother's purple punch, and nooo...it might not be what you think! It's purple Kool-Aid and pineapple juice and a WHOLE LOTTA SUGAR!

For lunch, we had our 4 kids and our son-in-law...and Clark's girlfriend, Faith, and we all sat around our dining room table.

After lunch, Faith went to hang out with her family, and my family all fell out in some sort of food induced coma. Clark was on a couch; Aaron was in the leather chair; Jim was in a chair; Logan started out in the recliner, but then moved to his bed in his room. And Holly was laid out, sound asleep, on the floor! And she and Aaron have a perfectly good house just 7 minutes away!

Joshua, who never naps, was upstairs singing his head off to songs on his ipod-touch. At one point, he came downstairs and asked Aaron if he wanted to go out and play frisbee or throw the football around...and my sweet son-in-law is always so kind to say, "yes!" I had given all the kids these little frisbee things that I got at Target for $1. I also put MACE pepper spray in Holly, Morgan and Faith's Easter basket...oh yes, I did.

Because apparently nothing says Easter like frisbees and MACE.

I'm weird. I already know it.

BUT, I was thrilled to have everyone here and that they felt comfortable to just hang out and sleep...or not. Sometimes, I worry that everything is not perfect or neat. In fact, Joshua had not unloaded the dishwasher, and so my sink was full of dishes from the night before. I wasn't even sure we were going to have enough CLEAN FORKS for our Easter lunch, but we did. Thankfully. My Mom always had everything perfect and neat. Or, it seemed that way to me. Going to her house was such a treat. But I'm not her...never was, never will be like her in that way. I DO want everyone to feel comfortable and welcome.

I love having my family and friends here. I spent about 15 minutes shoving stuff into closets and drawers before they got here.

Can I get an Amen?

Anyone?

And then I just went with it. And it was great!

My heart is full and I am so thankful. I don't know why God set me on the path that He did...but I have felt His hand on my life since I was really young. I don' know why God chose my parents for me, but I am so thankful. I don't know why God chose for me to be born here in America...into a loving family where all of my needs were met...where I heard about Jesus from an early age and was taught about Him all of my life...but I am so thankful.

I was just an ordinary girl. I never did drugs or drank or ran around with the wild crowd. But God sent His son to die for ME...because no one can ever be "good" enough to save themselves from their sins on their own. Jesus paid all of that for me...on the cross on that Good Friday over 2000 years ago. I accepted Him as my Savior when I was 10 years old, and my name was written in His book and on His heart, and it can never be erased or taken away!

I am thankful that I will be in Heaven when I die...that I'll get to see my Mom and my Grandmother...and my family and friends who have gone before me. But the BEST part of being a Christian, for me, is that He is with me EVERY DAY. And I need Him EVERY DAY.

Every minute of every day.

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish--ever! No one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28