Hooray for Shae!

We've been praying every night for a little girl named Shaelyn, the daughter of a childhood friend, for a year now. Just shy of her 2nd birthday, she was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, a nasty form of cancer.  She went through 6 rounds of chemotherapy, 2 surgeries, a month long bone marrow transplant, 12 rounds of radiation, 6 rounds of immunotherapy, and essentially her entire 3rd year of life in the hospital. Her parents endured a year full of trials more difficult than most will ever be asked to bear.  They were able to make it through with such strength, courage, and grace. They maintained an unbelievably strong faith that carried them through. They are truly amazing.  And as of yesterday, finally, Shaelyn was able to come home.  The cancer is gone!  We will continue to pray that she stays healthy, but now are just so joyful that she can be home and be a "regular kid" again.

Sammy

Seeing how much Clayton loves the neighbor's dog Sammy almost makes me want to get a dog, for their sake. Almost.

ahh spring....

The kids LOVE to pick dandelions in the spring.

 This is where I found Clayton the other day - halfway up our evergreen tree in the front yard.

 This is how I found him a few days before that - entertaining his new hobby - decorating anything he can find - mailbox, bushes, garbage cans, etc. with Christmas lights.

And Austin learned how to peddle his bike! Woo Hoo!

Caroline's first trophy

Caroline got her first trophy - 3rd place in the K/Pre-K girls Bible Blast group! We started in September and read through the whole picture Bible, were quizzed on what we learned, learned the 12 disciples, the fruits of the spirit, and are learning the Apostle's Creed.  Go Caroline! I'm so proud of you!

Science Experiment - flower and food coloring

We did a science experiment yesterday. We observed how flowers "drink" water.  We put a yellow tulip in a cup of water and food coloring (about 10 drops). After several hours, you could see the blue-tinted water traveling up the veins of the flower petals.  Our yellow tulip turned blue! (or green when you stand back). Cool!

Making apple slices that don't brown!

For Clayton's preschool class last week, I was assigned the task of providing a fruit snack for the class. Clayton requested apple slices with caramel dip.  And thus my dilemna - how do I prepare apple slices for 22 kids,  two hours ahead of time without them turning brown (and without having to buy a dozen lemons).

The answer? Seven-Up!  Pour some Seven-Up in a large bowl or tupperware. As you slice the apples, toss them in the bowl of Seven-up.  Keep the apples submerged in Seven-Up until you are ready to serve them. Drain the Seven-Up and rinse the apples with water and you have freshly cut apples that aren't brown!

finally - some "artwork" for the boys' room

I've been wanting to hang something on the wall above the beds in the boys' room, but have yet to find anything that's I like that's not really expensive.
I saw this sign on Pinterest and it inspired me to make similar ones for the boys.

I picked up a cheap frame, some burlap, some red paint, and wooden letters from Hobby Lobby,

and created these signs for above the boys' beds.

 Yeah! Their room is finally starting to look decorated!

My Caroline

Oh, how I love you Caroline Elizabeth!
I was able to take some great shots of her in my parents' backyard over Easter.  I just LOVE how they turned out!

Easter

Happy Easter everyone! We went to the 9:00 church service at Christ Church, then headed to Westmorelend to meet my parents, Taylor, and Jess for a fabulous brunch and egg-hunt for the kids.

Easter Family Picture - 2012

 BB and Papa and the grandchildren

Jess and Taylor

 Egg Hunt at Westmoreland

The little girl that kept trying to join our family and then dissolved into sobs when her mother pulled her away. I'd love to have another little blonde girl in our family! Please join us!

Back to BB and Papa's house for another egg hunt and easter baskets!

Sarah Y turns 9!

My niece Sarah just turned NINE! Happy Birthday Sarah!

Planting an Easter Garden

Thanks to Pinterest and the facebook post of a friend (Thanks Jennifer!), we planted an "Easter Garden" this year. You line a shallow flower pot tin (or in our case, a disposable cake pan since that's what we had on hand) with soil and pebbles. Embed a mini flower pot turned on its side to make Jesus' tomb. Cover it with soil. Find a rock about the size of the opening.  Make the 3 crosses of Calvary with sticks and rope. Plant shade grass seeds in the soil. Spray with water a few times a day and put in a sunny location.

 The grass began to grow about 5 days later.  On Easter morning, the kids roll the stone away from the tomb to reveal...an empty tomb. Jesus has risen!

Dying Easter Eggs

Every year, I think we hard-boil a few more eggs than last year. And every year, it still feels like we want to dye more!

Making snickerdoodles

Mmmmm...sugary-cinnamony goodness!