Front Teeth

 Sometimes life gets busy and I don't always get to post as soon as I plan. Last week got crazy and Brent got sick and I just never got to the computer. Anyway, in this case it worked out that I waited. Last Monday after work, I sat down for just a few minutes with our tablet in the den and the girls were in here playing also. Suddenly, I hear Rachel say "Look, Mom!" I look to see her holding out bloody fingers and my first thought is "Oh no, she is having a nose bleed!" I then focus in on her face and realized that "Nope, her nose is not bleeding" at the same time I realize she is walking toward me with something in her fingers. Yes, she pulled another of her own teeth. This makes 4 teeth she has lost and to her, the really big deal was that this was her first top tooth to come out.

 Yesterday I clocked out and met Brent and the girls for lunch and to take care of Bethany and noticed in Rachel's mouth that the tooth beside where she lost the tooth last week was almost sideways. I said "Rachel, why don't you go ahead and pull your tooth?" She said "No, it is not ready yet." This is from the child who has pulled all her own teeth so far and just hands them to us, so I said ok. Later in the evening when I got home from work, of course, there was a little clear cup waiting for me on the counter with her tooth in it

 Yes, both top front teeth gone in one week. I asked her earlier today how it was eating without these teeth and she said "It's going great!"
 I hope they will grow back in before she loses too many more though. I guess she can say "All I want for Easter is 'My Two Front Teeth'"

Palm Sunday

 Today we celebrated the beginning of the week leading up to Easter with our celebration of Palm Sunday. Our children and some of our youth and young adults led in the procession with their palm branches during a special hymn.

 Palm Sunday celebrates the Biblical account of Jesus entering Jerusalem the week before His death of the cross and the people praising and welcoming Him into the city. After the hymn the kids all shouted "Hosanna" and "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD" as the Bible tells us happened on that first Palm Sunday.

 Brent preached a great sermon about the Last Supper and we had the Lord's Supper as part of our service as well.

Palm Sunday 2015

 Here is Bethany after our Palm Sunday evening services this evening. She is a happy "Daddy's Girl"

 I got a special blessing today as well. I really enjoy celebrating fun days and events with the girls, such as "Sisters Day" or National Siblings Day. I usually notice when fun days are coming up throughout the year. But I didn't know that March is Pastors' Wives Appreciation Month. Apparently, several sweet ladies in our church family did know this though! I received several sweet cards, notes, gifts and kind words over the past few days. It was a rather long and hectic week last week and your kindness really blessed my heart and encouraged me. Thank you to all of you for the blessing you are to me and to our family!

Thanking God for the blessings of today that He shares with me and looking forward to celebrating His Resurrection this upcoming week. Thankful that He was willing to go to the cross for me that I may have forgiveness in Him and for His huge grace in my life!

Easter Eggstravaganza 2015

Today was our annual Easter Eggstravaganza at FMBC. The girls have been looking forward to today for weeks and when Rachel woke up today the first thing she asked me was "Is it time yet?" Since it was 7:40 am, I told her not quite time yet, but they were certainly ready and excited by the time we had to leave for church. As the kids arrived before the event they were coloring and drawing pictures. Somehow, they decided to make an Easter banner. There are lots of names of here of the kids who helped and here are Rachel and Rosie with Bekah after they helped hang the Easter banner.

 The Easter Eggstravaganza started with a cookie walk. Here is Rachel with the first cookie she picked when her number was chosen.

 After the cookie walk, the kids made an edible craft using a graham cracker and green icing for the ground and a half of a doughnut for the tomb and a doughnut hole for the stone that was rolled way from the front of the tomb when Jesus arose.

 Here is Rachel's craft. She wanted to write her own name on her plate when I came around with the marker to write names on each plate. We have been working on cursive handwriting in her schoolwork for a few weeks now and started on her whole name this week, so I was excited to see her using cursive handwriting on her own.

 After the cookie walk and craft, the kids were divided into two groups of Little ones through Pre-K and Elementary through Middle school. Rachel and Bekah are now in two separate age groups so I was running back and forth between groups with both big girls. Thanks to Sherry for her help with Bethany today too!
Here is Rachel's age group before the balloon relay. This was taken just after I said "Make a silly face!"

 They also had an egg tower game. Rachel was really concentrating on this one.

 Here is part of Bekah's group showing me their eggs before the egg relay.

 Here is the littlest egg hunter and her Daddy and her Mommy.

  Before we hunted eggs, Mrs. Judith did a presentation with the kids using eggs in the colors of the salvation bracelet to share the Gospel with all the kids there.
The first egg stands for our sin. The next egg, red, stands for Jesus's blood that He gave in dying on the cross for our sins. The next egg stands for Jesus washing our sins away and giving us His forgiveness and new life in Him when we put our trust in Him. The blue egg stands for water representing being baptized to show that we have put our trust in Jesus to forgive us. The green egg stands for our new life in Jesus and the gold egg stands for the promise of heaven and eternity forever with Jesus because of what He did for us in dying for us and rising again from the grave.
                          
 Last, we hunted eggs. Two interesting tidbits about this egg hunt: 1) Yes, it SNOWED this morning before time to hunt eggs which is why you see the very large ski jackets. Thankfully, the snow stopped before it was time to hunt the eggs. Last year it was around 70 degrees, this year it was in the lower 30s... The girls were still excited and didn't notice too much!
2) Thanks to our awesome helpers, there were close to about 1,850 (!!) eggs hidden ( and I think maybe a few to still be found!)

 Here is Bethany at her first Easter Eggstravaganza with one of her first Easter eggs.

 Bethany had friends her age there today too. Matt and Molly brought Hannah and Aleah over today for the fun. Here are Bethany and Aleah together. Bethany's friend Brody also came. Brody is just sitting up on his own and this is one of their first pictures side by side.

 We had a great time at the Easter Eggstravaganza today. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this such a special event for each of the kids. We are looking forward to Easter Eggstravaganza 2016 already!

Easter Eggstravaganza 2015

At the Drive-In

 Last night brought about opening night for our local Drive-In, Hull's Drive-In. We really enjoy having a local Drive-In movie theater right here only about 10 minutes from our house. I had been watching on Facebook to see when opening night would be and what movies were coming. I was excited to see that Paddington was one of the movies for opening night and I knew the girls would like to see the movie and love the chance to go to the Drive-In again.
 

 Paddington was a really cute movie and fun to watch on the big screen. The girls loved the movie but I thought they were going to have a complete meltdown in the car when they thought something might happen to Paddington during the movie!
Our tickets were for both movies but we had to get the girls home and ready for bed. Before we headed out they did a drawing from the tickets we were given when we came in. Let me say, first of all, I am one of those who very very rarely wins drawings. So I was busy looking at Rachel's ticket to see what her number was and not even really paying attention to the other tickets when Brent handed me my ticket and said "You won"
Surprise! So I actually won a ticket for an adult for another movie at the Drive-In. I am thankful for this and look forward to using this ticket when we get to go back to the Drive-In again.
We enjoyed a fun night as a family at the Drive-In and are glad Hull's is back open for the season and looking forward to other fun movie nights there this year!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 It has been a day for green, that is  for sure! We are so glad to begin to see a little bit of green grass coming up on those hills! When the girls got up this morning and realized St. Patrick's Day was here, they were excited. Of course, we learned about St. Patrick today and how he shared the good news about Jesus with those around him in Ireland. The story is told that one of the ways he taught people about the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit was through using a clover with 3 leaves.

 
Here were our clover for the day. Rachel wrote her own verse on hers and the big sisters took charge of making one for Bethany too.
Late this afternoon, we had to run up to Staunton for a car repair. We stopped for a treat of ice cream for St. Patrick's Day. They had green mint oreo ice cream. While I knew Rachel would eat it, there was no way Bekah would. They ended up sharing raspberry ice cream together.

 They got to order their own ice cream

 and enjoyed it thoroughly!

 Here are the Girls in Green today.

 

 Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 
 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you; 
 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’
Numbers 6:24-26

Maple Festival 2015 with the Sangers

 The second and third weekends in March bring about the Maple Festival in Monterey for us. This was our second year taking part in this festival with Brent's photography. Maple Festival 2015 started out with some rain and lots of mud...here are the girls helping put down hay around Brent's booth.

 Though it was a little rainy on and off all day, our day got brighter when we got to see this sweet little face!

  Melissa, Randy and Hannah came over from West Virginia to see us for the day! We are so glad to get to visit with them again!

 I was in the photography booth for the day but the rest of the group headed to find a snack. They were out of maple doughnuts (sad times) but they found funnel cakes instead.

 Bethany was her Daddy's buddy for the afternoon.

 After the festival finished for the day, we headed to eat supper with the Sangers. This was both Bethany and Hannah's first Maple Festival since their arrivals. I love this picture. They look like they are making plans together. They were so cute together. Bethany kept trying to hold Hannah's foot or rub her hair.

 Here are Melissa and Hannah with Bethany and me.  Of course, the big girls were glad to see "Miss Lissa", as Bekah calls her, also.

 Here is the whole group together! We were so glad to see you all, Melissa, Randy and Hannah! Thanks so much for making the trip to come see us! Before we know it, Maple Festival 2016 will be here!

Family Portraits

 I am looking forward to getting some family pictures especially this spring with the warm weather and with Bethany getting bigger. However, these are some of my favorite family portraits made for me right now. Rachel loves art and loves to draw. Recently, she and Bekah were playing down in their play area in the basement and when Rachel called me down to see their decorations, this was the first sign I saw. Bethany is between her two big sisters. Yes, this is a picture I plan to keep always!

                                        
 Then she was drawing in her room earlier this week and this was the family portrait this time. Yes, that is her hand. Apparently, she also has her mom's love of art created with handprints.  Again, this is one Mommy will be keeping.

So thankful for our little artist and the special family portraits she has created. We love you too, Rachel!