Our Easter!

Hello Again! It's been a while!

Lent was wonderful, peaceful and relaxing. I read Ginger Plowman's Don't Make Me Count to Three, and spent lots of time trying to properly discipline my boys. They can be very wild and whiny at times. The main thing I learned was that I need to take much more time each day to discipline them. There are no short cuts. Also, there is no need for me to have a sharp tone of voice ever--even when my boys are bouncing off the walls ignoring me. Gosh, I could go on and on, but maybe I will write on that some other day.

I did not get around to reading Crazy Love, because I think my small group might do it some day. I mainly read my Bible instead. And you can't beat the Bible.

And I sewed. A lot, a lot, a lot.

But instead of being overwhelmed trying to give you a vast update on my previous 40 days, I think I shall just update you on our Easter festivities.

Otherwise I will never get a post done.

Here are the boys' Easter baskets this year. Nothing too fancy or special, but I still had lots of fun putting them together with love.

I am so excited that Twain is now officially in the 'kitty club'. He kept trying to steal Calvin's orange kitty, so I got him one just like it in gray.

Isn't it cute??

I thought it would be a good idea to take photos in our Easter clothes BEFORE church--before we turned into the inevitable train wreck that defines us most of these days.

So I dragged my boys onto the deck for a little photo shoot.

And yes, you must be in shock. Finn is sporting a new hair cut. I took him to have his hair cut on a total whim a few weeks ago. I think that deserves a post of its own! Yes, I shall write a whole post on that later this week.

It took me a loooooong while, but I am finally getting used to the new do.

And yesterday was the first day he let me spike the front. Actually, I forced him to let me spike it, but that's another story.

I love this photo because John and Twain look so sweet in the background.

John actually took this shot below of the boys' playing monster and I think it's my favorite shot of the day.

John actually took most of these photos because Twain was fussing and wanted me to hold him.

Oh and you are probably wondering about the white ruffle curtains in the background. Hm. Yah, I got new curtains for my family room. I know what you are thinking...

"Are you CRAZY??? What happened to your other curtains ??? They are not even that old!""

Yes, I am hopeless when it comes to curtains. Judge if you must. I totally deserve it.

I feel very sheepish to admit that I could no longer tolerate the previous curtains. The orange and black combined with the modern vibe just felt very jarring on my eyes. I think it was just too much for me.

So, I saved up and bought these white ruffle curtains instead. I must say, I like them so very much. They are very soft and romantic. I will have to show you how they look inside the house some other post.

Ollie and I have been hanging out non-stop lately. He's my little shadow. John was off for Easter break and so every morning, he let me sleep in(THANKS HONEY!). Ollie would come in to my room and hang out with me every morning until I got up. And show me each and every booboo. And say, "Oucht". Ollie is so very sweet to his mama.

Me and my barrel of boys. Oh how I love them!

We then went to church and enjoyed a wonderful service. Our pastor made a valiant attempt to prove that Jesus really DID rise from the dead. Basically, hundreds of people saw Jesus with their own eyes after he was raised from the dead. And these people were probably not lying, because they were willing to die for this belief. Someone might die for something they think is true, but rarely is someone willing to die for something they know is a lie.

There was much more to his sermon, but I shall not attempt to write it all out here!

After church, we changed into comfy clothes and went off to have lunch with John's family and do a little Easter egg hunt.

Here is Twain with his letter "T". It is tradition to have the eggs spell out the name or initial of the baby.

Twain kind of scares me--He knew EXACTLY what he was doing hunting for eggs.

Who does he think he is? Such a big shot.

He started walking at 10 months. I was kind of sad to have my baby grow up so fast. But he was giggling and clapping with each step he took. It was just too cute. I could not help but laugh too.

Twain officially is one of the boys. Or at least he thinks so!

And Ollie. Dear sweet Ollie.

He did not quite get the concept of hunting for eggs. We tried to help him find all the eggs first, and then eat them. Or save them. He would just rather crack the egg open on the spot and stuff his little cheeks with candy. We were not expecting that, and so next year we will force him to have more self control.

We had so much fun at Grandma Betty and Grandpa Ron's house.

Back at home, Finn and Calvin inspect their loot.

I got them some Football warm-up clothes in their Easter basket. Finn is really into Football these days and Calvin loves the color orange, so it was win-win for the boys! They begged me to let them wear them.

And they are wearing them again today. I am not too crazy about these uniforms, but it makes them happy. Such boys.

This post was longer than I intended. But it will take too many brain cells for me to decide what to cut out, so you get the long version!