Charlotte gives cereal a try

Hmmm.  What is it?  Cereal?  I'm not sure about this yet.  

Okay.  Thinking about it, thinking about it . . .

I do like it!  

LSU Spring Game

Jeff took Caroline to the LSU Spring Game on Saturday evening.  The weather was a little questionable, but we thought it would be a good trial run for possibly bringing her to a regular season game.  The weather held out for the first half and she really enjoyed being in Tiger Stadium.  The highlight of the game for her was getting to go on the field to take a picture with one of the cheerleaders.  Whenever we drive past the stadium she always says, "I'm going there to be a cheerleader."  The fact that the cheerleaders are there to cheer on the FOOTBALL players means nothing to Caroline; the stadium is all about the cheerleaders to this three year old.  

On the downside, the lowlight of the game was Caroline's run in with Mike the Tiger.  Caroline always thinks she wants to see the mascot when we are at LSU events, but the closer he gets, the more she realizes that calling him over was a really bad idea.  The same held true on Saturday and as Mike approached Caroline after she beckoned him her way, she slowly grew anxious at his approach and finally dissolved into tears as he tried to say hello.  On the way home from the game, Caroline used her "phone" to call Mike to tell him that he needs to try to be a little nicer.  

April 20, 2009

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

April 20, 2008 was Joshua's due date. Today, April 20, 2009, we are holding a precious baby girl who has brought joy to our lives in a new and wonderful way. She would not be here had we not lost him. The paradox of the intertwining of loss and death with the gift of life hits home for me in a new way on these milestone days. I am not sure I'm any closer to understanding it today than I was a year ago, but I take comfort in the fact that "at the start He was there . . . and at the end He'll be there." We will never be the same.

Easter Sunday

We had a great Easter, filled with lots, I mean LOTS of candy and treats for Caroline and some time with family and friends as well as of course starting the day off at church celebrating the reason for all of the egg hunting and candy eating - the resurrection of our Lord!  Jeff played a song during church and did a great job, he's doing music again next week, and I'm looking forward to hearing him play more often.  

Caroline was so worn out after the day that she fell asleep in the car on the way home at about 6:30 and didn't wake up until 6:45 Monday morning.  So much excitement and no nap will wear a 3 year old out!  

Thanks to Jo Jo, the girls looked beautiful on Easter, here are a few pics from our full day.  

Easter Saturday

* I tried to post this on Saturday, but it wouldn't upload, so here it is now!*

We've had a really good weekend so far; we've spent time baking and visiting with friends, watching Caroline play soccer, dyeing Easter eggs, and just enjoying a little extra time off together.  Last night Caroline and I went to Barnes and Noble for a Fancy Nancy story time and some Fancy Nancy activities while Jeff stayed home with Charlotte.  Caroline really enjoyed it and as you'll see from the pictures, she got dressed up for the occasion.  

The pictures probably say it all best, so here's the real recap:  

It was a special "big girls only" outing, so I let Caroline stay out a little late and she asked for a huge cupcake for dessert, I obliged.  I think she ate all of the icing and about two bites of the cake.  

As if the giant cupcake from Starbucks wasn't enough, we baked cupcakes today and Caroline was the decorator (are those cupcake toppers the cutest things ever?).  Charlotte was her regular happy self and watched it all from the bouncy seat:  

Here are some pics from the family Easter egg dyeing extravaganza:  

Caroline playing soccer:  

He rose!

I found this Easter cooking illustration for kids and it was really the best way to talk to Caroline about Easter in terms she could understand. There is a hands on element to it and a tangible illustration, so it was better than just reading her Bible stories about Easter or trying to explain to her the reason behind Easter. I'm not sure all of it comes together cleanly enough for a 3 year old anyway; I often have a hard time wrapping my head around it all! But, maybe that says more about me than anything else . . . ?

If you can get to the store and do it today or tomorrow, I highly recommend it, or put it in the file for next year. After you read through the linked page, this will make more sense, but Caroline's response to each part of this was really funny. The basic recipe is to dip marshmallows in melted butter then roll them in a sugar and cinnamon mixture and finally wrap the "spiced up marshmallow" in a crescent roll and bake for about 11 minutes or so. The marshmallow represents Jesus and the crescent roll represents the tomb. In the baking process the marshmallow "disappears" just as we celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the tomb. When we pulled the end product out of the oven (delicious by the way, so try it even if you don't have kids to do it with), Caroline picked up one of the rolls and looked through a tiny hole and said, "Hello? Jesus are you in there?" Then looking up at me with wide-eyes, she exclaimed, "Oh, no! Mama, he's not in there! He rose!"

Success!

Nashville!

We made our trip to Nashville this past weekend and had a great time. The one drawback to being away for a few days is all of the catching up that awaits you on your return. I am in the midst of trying to get caught up, Charlotte is a little under the weather again, Caroline is taking swim lessons this week, and my suitcase still sits packed on the floor by my bed, so I'll do my best to get some pictures posted on here as soon as I am able. In the meantime, you can check out Allison's blog and Jeremy's blog for a recap of the trip and some really great pictures too.