How Fun!!!

Heard this song on K-Love this morning!!! Had to share it, it brought a smile to my face, hope it does the same for you :)
I tried to figure out how to put the video directly into the post but couldn't figure it out, sorry, here's the link instead
The Cartoon Song

Ok, found it at YouTube...here it is, this video has the words but the cartoons aren't moving, the one above the cartoons are playing while the song is playing. Pick which you would rather watch, or watch both, the point is the song :)

Who needs a Nintendo DS when you can have this......

That's right it's the all new PAPER DS! It even opens up, has an on/off switch, and the other controller buttons like the "old model".

Tonight I was sitting outside on our swing while the girls were over on the neighbors back porch playing with their little girl. Elianna comes over to me, very excited, this is how our conversation goes...

E: Mommy, look what A gave me!! It's a DS!!!!! (handing me the paper version)

me: WOW, how cool. So what's a DS (I wasn't sure if she knew or not)?

E: umm, it's a thing you play

me: Oh, cool. You mean like a game?

E: uhhh, yea (in a not so sure voice). Here you can play it for a while.

She opens it up and shows me how to turn it on, she even showed me one side of the button is to turn it on and the other is to turn it off.

E: and these buttons over here... this one makes it stop, and this one...(I can't remember what the other buttons do but she knew exactly what she thought they would do)

me: looks like fun.

E: yea, play it mommy.

So I do and off she goes back to play with the other girls. I decided I had to take a picture, so I brought it in the house. A little while later Elianna comes running in the house.

E: MOMMY, where's my DS.

I tell her where I had layed it. she grabs it, holds it like a real game, and off she goes.

BTW, Elianna has never played with a real DS before, lol.

What a GREAT imagination!!

Long overdue pictures

Today I took a nap...a LONG nap. I was tired, so now that it's time for bed....I'm NOT tired. There are SO many things I could/should be doing instead but decided that sharing pictures sounded more fun, so here I am.

We had a great Easter. The day was BEAUTIFUL!! The Easter Story Cookies that I posted about did not turn out. The first night (Easter-Eve) I beat the mix for a good 30 minutes and still could not make "stiff peaks" So I told the girls we would try again the next night. I found out that it was because we had gotten a tiny bit of the yolk in the bowl. So on Easter night we tried again, I got the stiff peaks this time...only this time I made the cookies too big so the next morning they were not hard, they were still gooey in the middle which resulted in them not being hollow, but they still tasted good :) . On Easter we went to church, then went to my grandmas. Since Bethanie was born DH has only missed church on Easter 1 year (and it was a very rough year) and he has always come to my grandma's for Easter dinner and the annual Egg hunt. It has always been a tradition to get family pictures taken while we are at my grandmas while we are dressed up. This year he stayed home....and played his game. Yes, I was very upset, but I did not let it ruin our day.

The girls and I carried on the tradition without him.



After we ate, hunted eggs, and visited for a long while. We headed back home (just across the creek) I considered taking a nap but decided it was too beautiful outside to spend the day inside. So me and the girls spent the whole afternoon (what was left of it anyways) outside. I took more pictures of them....


(Elianna had found some glittery make-up)

We admired the beautiful tulips (all 4 of them) that had grown in our front yard....

and we "chalked" on the carport with their new sidewalk chalk.

We took "baby" Walter (a plant I had to grow and keep a baby book for for one of my classes) outside and got pictures of him with his big sisters....

Then we went back to church that evening. We just throuroghly enjoyed the whole day. Look at those bright blue eyes on Elianna!!! Still after 4 years I look at those eyes and can't believe I have a blue eyed girl.

And since I broke my promise to share pictures while I was on Spring Break here are some from Elianna's birthday party. We had a joint party for Elianna's 4th and my niece, Bailey's, first. We had a princess theme, my aunt made them a castle cake. Here are the birthday girls

And here is my beautiful little princess.

Oh, and I knew since Elianna was born that it was bound to happen someday and this week it did. Bethanie, who is 8 1/2, and Elianna, who turned 4 in February, now weigh the exact same! I weighed them on Tuesday and they both weighed 46.8 pounds!!

Easter Story Cookies

When Bethanie was a baby, I found the following recipe. I thought it sounded like a great idea for kids but her being a baby, she wouldn't understand. So I printed it off and saved it. Every year at Easter I would forget about it. I would run across the recipe every now and then but it was always like middle of summer or christmas time...never any where near easter (which just typing that makes me realize I could have done this ANY time of year, it's an important story to know no matter when they them learn it). This week the cookie dough that Bethanie sold for a school fundraiser came in. As I was thinking of making some for Easter I remembered the Easter Story Cookies and looked them up on line. Here I found a recipe that includes Bible verses to support what each step represents. So tonight as we get ready to go to bed, we are going to make these. I am excited that the girls will have something more to focus on than just what the Easter Bunny but in thier baskets. Now I just hope they work like they are suppose to. Here is the recipe that I found at "Home with God"

Easter Story Cookies to be made the night before Easter
You need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important - don't wait until you are half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.
Read Matthew 27:65-66

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20 and 22

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! Explain that on the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read Matthew 28:1-9


THANK YOU JESUS FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR US!

Have a Happy Easter!!!!

Monsters from Florida

Let me start by saying niether of my girls have ever been to Florida, we have never talked about Florida, and we don't know anyone who lives or has went to Florida recently.

Today on my way to take Elianna to school we saw a horse trailor at a stop light that was on the road that was intersecting with the road we were on. Elianna saw it and this is how our conversation went...
E: Mommy, look at that, what's in there.
Me: I don't know, maybe they have horses in there.
(then the trailor turns and we can see that the back is completely empty)
Me: Oh, I guess there isn't anything in there they must have already dropped the horses off.
E: Maybe they are gonna go pick up some animals
Me: Maybe so
E: Maybe they are gonna pick up some horses, or maybe they are gonna pick up some BEARS.
Me: Ooohhh, that would be scary but maybe so.
E: Maybe they are gonna pick up some big LIONS.
Me: Hummm, I don't know about that.
E: Or maybe, maybe they are gonna pick up MONSTERS.
Me: Monsters??
E: Yea, scary monsters. But Mommy, where would they get monsters at?
Me: (all that came to mind was probably under your bed, but decided not to go there, lol) I don't know, but I hope I don't ever find them!
E: Maybe in Florida.
Me: Florida?? What makes you think there are monsters in Florida? Where did you ever hear about Florida?
E: Well, I don't know if they have a zoo in Florida or not.
Me: Are there Monsters at a zoo?
E: (ignoring my question) Yea, they do have a zoo in Florida cause Hannah (her new little friend at school) telled me.
Me: Did Hannah tell you about Florida?
E: No, I just knowed about it