Easter 2013

Easter 2013 actually started on Palm Sunday. Our church had a fellowship after church with hot dogs, hamburgers, an Easter egg hunt, cotton candy, bouncy houses, popcorn, etc. It was a good time and Kaleb really enjoyed it. (Peyton took a nap, which was fine with me.) After that, when we got home, Kaleb took a nap and when he woke up he had his own Easter egg hunt at the house. The Easter Bunny, aka Daddy, hid the eggs. We decided to limit his eggs/candy intake. He got three eggs because he's three years old. He was just as happy hunting those three eggs as he would have been hunting for lots.
He had an Easter Egg Hunt at preschool the Thursday before Easter. They each got about 10 eggs which was great because it wasn't too much. But now I have to hear him ask for candy all day until it's out. I've started slimming down his supply myself.
On Resurrection Sunday we got up, got ready, and went to church. We decided not to do baskets in the morning because we want it to be all about Jesus. Then, after naptime, we do baskets.

It works for us. Again, the baskets aren't huge. But they're fun. Kaleb's basket had some dinosaur books, a Mater book, Rise of the Guardians, a birdhouse, and some paints.

 

 Peyton's basket had two books, orajel, a bunny rabbit, some spoons, and a birdhouse. I saw them at JoAnn's for $1 each and thought they would be fun in their baskets. They were a hit! I think I'm going to have something crafty in their baskets every year.

We spent the rest of the day reading the books, painting the birdhouses, watching the movies, and just hanging out. It was a great day!

Book Review: The Kill Order

The Kill Order is the prequel to the Maze Runner series. It came out awhile ago, but I was hesitant to read it because I was so invested in the characters from the series and I knew they wouldn't be in this one. After a year had passed though, I was ready. It really was a good book. It's told from the perspective of Mark, a person living in the year after the solar flares. For those of you who haven't read the Maze Runner series, I won't give too much away. But for those of you who have, it covers the first couple of years after the flares including the devastation, the release of The Flare, and the consequences that follow. It is told through flasbacks and present-time accounts. It was a very interesting perspective to see what happens before the series begins. And, of course, there's a little bit of Teresa and Thomas in there. I read it in a little over 24 hours because there was enough action to keep me interested. But fair warning, there are some..disturbing...scenes in the book, too. (Think about the Cranks and their origins)

If You Knew You Couldn't Fail

We've all heard the question: What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? I used to say that I would do exactly what I'm doing. But I've realized a secret passion so I now have a new answer. If I knew I couldn't fail, I would go on Broadway. I love musicals and think it would be amazing to sing them for a living. To be Elpheba or Eponine or even one of the Newsies would be awesome. I don't know how much I would like living in New York during the winter, but it would be bearable during the rest of the seasons I think. I would also like to try my hand at wedding planning or home decorating.

A New Next Generation

I was talking to another adult/parent today about the expectations of kids today. We use the term "entitled" to describe them because many of them EXPECT you to entertain them and EXPECT people to drop everything for them. They EXPECT you to clean up after them and they EXPECT you to bend over backwards to make them happy. Failure is not an option because it's not allowed to be. Now, saying all this, I have a feeling this is exactly what my grandparents' (and even parents') generation thought of my generation. And to a point they would be right. We didn't have to get jobs as kids to help pay for things. We didn't do so many chores we were exhausted at the end of the day. However, we did: play outside, entertain ourselves, earn our allowance by doing chores, obey our parents, take the responsibility for our mistakes, and fail a test if we didn't study. Hopefully, my generation feels the way I do about younger generations and will raise their children to balk at the word "entitled." Hopefully there will be a new next generation instead of a continuation of the one we have now. Things swing back and forth in America and I'm hoping that this next swing will be towards modesty, hard work, honesty, and good old fashioned play. Because these guys

will NOT be entitled if I have anything to say about it.

5 Month Update

Age: 5 months old
Weight: 16 lbs
Length: 26 inches
Sleep: I think we have finally made it! March may be our lucky month. He's slept until waking up time (at least in the school sense) for the past two mornings. Of course, that's still 5:30 in the morning. But hey, it's a start.
Likes: being thrown in the air, watching his brother act silly, eating, and being held and talked to
Dislikes: Being hungry and losing his paci...those are really the only things that make him cry.
News: We're really squeezing into those 3-6 month clothes. He's moving into the 6 and 6-9 month onesies. He has also mastered rolling over from his front to his back and is rolling over the other way some, too. He likes eating carrots, squash, green beans, and sweet potatoes. He has also had a little bit of apple juice with some of his meals.

5 Month Comparison

Kaleb at 5 months

Peyton at 5 months

Basic Training Part 4: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Yes, I realized I skipped Lessons 2 and 3. I'll get there. I wanted to type this one while it was fresh on my mind.

This week's lesson was essentially on the roles of each part of the Trinity. It is one of the core beliefs of Christianity and still is something that must be taken on faith. (Sidenote: Have you ever noticed how all of our core beliefs are those that must be taken on faith? No wonder it's so hard for nonbelievers to join us.) One thing that was said that I've never thought about is that all of the illustrations of the Trinity have one major flaw. Ive heard the Trinity illustrated as water because it can be liquid, solid, and gas or as corn because it can be kernal, creamed, or popped. But the flaw is that it can't be all three things at once. I thought that was interesting.

God the Father: God has 4 essential roles. He disciplines, provides, protects, and cares for His children. What He does for each person at this time in life may be different. He is a living God and, therefore, can specify His qualities to our needs. The gods of the Romans weren't living. If you wanted love you had to pray to Aphrodite. If you wanted good crops you had to pray to another god. And if you wanted money you had to pray to still another. These gods were silent and stoney because they were just that - stone creations of man. Not the living Father.

God the Son: Jesus came to Earth as a sacrifice for our sins. He is 100% God and 100% man. He said that it was better for Him to leave the disciples because then he could send the "Helper" or "Advocate." Jesus lived among us but the Holy Spirit lives in us.

God the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit's job is two-fold. For sinners, He convicts them of their sins and impresses on them the fact that judgement is coming. I thought this was a very key point. It is not our jobs as Christians to convict lost people of their sins. That just leaves them with the impression that we are judemental (which they would be correct). That's the Holy Spirit's job. We can edify and correct believers, but our job with nonbelievers is to love them, share our story, and tell others the gospel. Not to convict. Love the sinner, hate the sin. For believers, He is our Advocate. He intercedes on our behalf for God. He speaks to us and tells us what is right and what is wrong. He is the living God in us. He is who our temple is for.