Dressed Up

 We RARELY dress up for anything. It must be living in Colorado- its SO laid back here and people are very informal overall and that translates to clothes too:) 

But I do LOVE a couple of cute kids all dressed up and looking polished! 

Easter morning was such a day! 

Of course, by the end of our lunch at Grandmas, Elijahs sweater had chocolate cake smeared on it, Ellas dress was all crumpled up and she lost the sweater and the twins hair looked like it had gone through a tornado:) So by 4pm when church started we didnt look like this!

But for an hour or so- they were spic and span- the picture of cuteness!

 I absolutely LOVE traditions- something I picked up from my family

(many traditions I did as a kid I still vividly remember)

So every Easter, we read the Easter story using Resurrection Eggs- 

an amazing tool to retell the death and resurrection of Christ! 

Then we pray as a family and thank God for His sacrifice and for the GRACE which He so lavioushly poured out on us, His children. Then we sing a few songs...

It brought tears to my eyes to hear everyone (even Elijah) sing 

"Christ is Risen from the dead, we are one with Him again!"

Of course, we also have an easter egg hunt every year in our dressy clothes! 

We give small trinkets in an Easter basket..

and we dye eggs! 

I truly hope my children pass on some of our family traditions to their children 

and remember with fondness the fun times we shared as a family! 

Tuesday Tumbling Twins

 The twins started gymnastics 3 weeks ago and they go every Tuesday for 45 minutes at our local rec center! They are LOVING gymnastics and are getting better and better every time.

I think Sophia has shown a LOT of improvement and looks the part of a gymnast.. Arianna is a bit more clumsy but is doing really well and improving every time as well!

I love that after Gymnastics they are all sweaty and drink a whole bottle of water- 

exercise is SO good for them!!

Ella Bella Ballerina

 My little Ella Bella Ballerina started creative dance today! She has been counting down the days and she could hardly believe it when I told her today was the day! We signed her up at a local rec center and it was perfect for her. Its sorta an introduction to dance and lets them move a lot which at the age of 4 is a good thing.

 Ella is taking this class with her friend Julianna and they seemed to really bond during the class. 

They were holding hands randomly and always stuck by one another. 

The parents had to watch through a little window.

Daddy and all the kiddos came to watch too- Ella was SO excited that we all wanted to be there to see her dance. It was pretty tight so they didnt watch for long.

Ella took the whole class pretty seriously and paid very close attention to all the teachers instruction. I love that about Ella- she seems pretty focused overall- She was pretty shy when they asked her to go out by herself and perform what they learned today, but at least she went out and did a few things! 

The class lasted for 45 minutes and I can hardly wait for next Saturday to watch my little

Ella Bella Ballerina!

Vintage Royal Wedding Hats

Gazillion of Easter Activities, Gymnastics, A First for Sophia and A field trip to the Zoo are all topics that I really need to post, but I just had to show you the finished products of the vintage hats I recreated since all the buzz in the blogging world is The Royal Wedding!

I stopped at a really cool antique store by our house that is HUGE and has some really good deals. I found these 3 vintage hats for under $10! I spruced them up with some fabric and satin flowers and pearls and some tulle and feathers! 

They turned out perfect!

Why would I need a vintage hat?

Am I invited to the Royal Wedding?

Sort of:) 

I am headed to a friends to watch it tomorrow morning

  complete with scones and crumpets, 

cucumber sandwiches and little muffins

and even a wedding cake:)

And dont forget the pearls and hats!!

Oh and a gazillion little kids running around, 

but it will be fun to be sure!

He is Risen!

Easter 2011

The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,

The agony of Calvary

You the Perfect Holy One,

Crushed your Son

And drank the bitter cup reserved for me.

Your blood has washed away my sin,

Jesus thank you.

The Fathers wrath completely satisfied

Jesus, thanks you.

Once your enemy now seated at your table

Jesus, Thank You!

Nature Hike

 We had such a great hike the other day in the great outdoors- actually it was the Audubon Center and we did see a LOT of birds! I made up a scavanger hunt game so that helped keep an interest!

The kids overall did REALLY well! Hardly any complaining:) and we hiked for around 2 hours

 They loved the river- we spent a bunch of time throwing rocks in it. It was so relaxing and peaceful.

 We came to this area where TONS of trees where chopped down by beavers! It was amazing! I cannot believe the size of the trees that they were able to chop down. We saw their dam and then a HUGE hole that probably was their home too and access to the water below. Very intriguing!

 Then, they met a horse along the way! Her name was Star and the lady let us pet her and we visited with her for a while! I LOVE that we saw a horse out on a path in the woods- too cool

 I think this pic of Elijah in the tall weeds was my favorite from the day:)

We are thinking that this summer, we will test our kids love for nature by doing an overnight camping trip somewhere close by so if needs be we can come home! 

But I have high hopes-I think it will go well! 

Clouds are Rolling In

Yep- its cloudy and overcast and cold here today- thinking I am going to try a new recipe- curry cashew chicken over rice. I REALLY like curry but have never tried my hand at making it- today is the day!
If I take a picture of it and put it on my blog, you will know it was a success!

Here is a video of Arianna "skating" for the first time back in December. It was a LONG 2 hours and my arms were about to fall off afterward. I have WONDERFUL memories of our church renting out the rollerskating rink and blasting Patch The Pirate while we skated to our hearts content:) I was pretty fast too! Enjoy! Happy Wednesday!