I'm off

I am finally done with this difficult semester.  Yipee!

Today was my first day of my semester off and it was glorious.  I went to hip hop for the first time in 8 weeks, mopped the kitchen floor (which needed it let me tell you), went shopping, and made homemade pizza (pictures later).  It was a wonderful day!

Now I am off for 8 weeks!

We also had a wonderful Easter. I took the girls to an Easter Egg hunt which was absolute mayhem yet we had a great time.  Of course Jenna didn't want to eat her candy since it is unhealthy. 

We went to my parents house for Easter.  While there we visited my Grandmother and took her for a walk in her wheelchair.  She likes to watch the girls and was even humming.

Matthew also turned 10 months on the 20th.  He is incredibly happy and easy going.  When he gets excited he goes crazy.  I just want to pick him up and squeeze him all the time. Maybe by the third one you figure it out I guess.

In the most exciting news of all - Sarah is potty trained!  We only have one in diapers now.  It only took 1 1/2 years but she is finally potty trained.  Hopefully for good.

82 points on Quiddler today.

Church Hopping

This weekend our best friends at church told us they would be leaving our church and going to a new one.  They were the backup leaders of our small group and had been in our small group for the past 3 years.  She even threw a welcome baby party for Matthew when he was born. I was sad to hear they were leaving our church.

Why?

When asked their reasons were trivial. 

So why then?  Why do people church hop?

1.  A lack of long-term commitment.  When we look at our culture there is a lack of long-term commitment.  Any long-term commitment - in jobs, careers, marriages, relationships, houses, cars, and yes even churches.  We are not immune either!

2, We are always looking for something new.  Of course when you go to a new church it is new and exciting.  Of course when you buy a new house it is new and exciting.  The same old thing becomes boring and humdrum and we want NEW!

3.  We have become too critical.  The band is too loud (seriously...),  I'm not getting fed (I'm a particular fan of this one - whose job is this anyway?), I don't trust the pastor's leadership anymore (huh?), the children's program was not what it once was (be the change you want to see in the world). I have actually heard all of these reasons.

I'm convinced that a pastor's job is the most difficult, most stressful job you can have.  How can a pastor not take this personally when families come and go? 

How do you build a network of relationships, strong believers, and accountability when we are so transient? 

I don't know.

I wish I had the answer.

Vegas Baby

I submitted a paper to an IEEE Education in CS and CE conference.
I was nervous.
The acceptance rate is very low (20%).

And I got in!

We are going to Vegas! 

Yipee!

Fun outside in Spring!

It was beautiful this weekend so we actually ventured outside.  Luckily we have 3 swings on our swingset seeing as we have 3 kids.  Matthew fits well in the baby swing now as opposed to last year when he was floppy in the swing.  As you notice Sarah refuses to conform to the standard method of swinging. 

You can see more of her refusal while in the sandbox:

Even though it was beautiful this weekend it was back to being cold again yesterday, so we spent the day coloring eggs and going through Resurrection Eggs. If you have never heard of Resurrection Eggs they are pretty cool. The girls really loved looking in the eggs and listening to the story of Jesus.  Sarah even asked a lot of questions and seemed to understand.  I was really impressed with the Resurrection Eggs.

As you can see from the picture of the girls coloring eggs, everyone is concentrating.  Even Matthew in the background who is concentrating on some dirt he found on the floor.  He pretty much eats whatever he finds on the floor: pretzels, old m&ms, dead ants....

Erik has fashioned 3 gardens for us out of fake wood (since the wood from our old garden was....old).  You can see the gardens in this video where I've captured Matthew trying to get in one of them.  We have a plan for our gardens this year and I'm so excited.  Erik has even made a diagram.  I love him!

Two of my books have come in the library.  One I've waited for 2 months to get and the other I've waited a few weeks to get.  As I opened one of them today Erik said "STOP! We might read one of them for our book club".  Apparently I can not read any more books as they may be possibilities for the book club.  Bummer.

No update on Quiddler today.  I was left with h,w,x,n,cl,s,qu,b.  How can I possibly make a word out of those letters?

Baptism and Dedication!

On Sunday Jenna was baptized and Matthew was dedicated. It was an incredible ceremony.  Much to Erik's dismay I did get a cake with a picture of the kids on it.  Yes we did eat it too.

I have a picture of Jenna saying her Bible verse prior to being immersed. She did great! 

Matthew was also dedicated the same day. He was happy and Amanda snapped a picture of John, the pastor gnawing on Matthew's fingers in jest.  (obviously in jest, he is not actually a cannibal).  Matthew was happy the entire time which was a blessing.  

My Mom, Missy, Amanda, and Erik's parents all came to the dedication and baptism.  It was so nice to have family here to witness the ceremony.

While Missy was here she was talking about filling out a form with her favorite song.  I was trying to think of my favorite song and realized that it is hard to have a favorite song. It really depends on your mood.
Here are my favorite songs for different moods

• When I'm scared, nervous, anxious and crying out to God: Oh God you are my God
• Worship song: Arms of love
• Song to lift my spirits: Raindrops on roses
• Classic rock: The Joker
• Song to annoy my husband with: Pina colada song

72 points on Quiddler today.