Ashlyn turns five!!!

Ashlyn just turned five years old.  I can't believe that she's already turning five and even though we talk about it a lot, it's hard to believe that she will be starting school in the fall!  She's growing up so fast and we've been noticing it lately.  You can tell when your child has reached another maturity level in speech, actions and behavior!  She just went up another step in that ladder of life.  I love to watch her play and skip around the house so carefree!!!  She runs outside and swings on the swing with her little legs just a kicking and swinging.  She gets so excited about gardening and her seeds that are growing!  She can't wait to plant seeds outside once her little garden is ready.  I love how she pushes most meats aside and reaches for the vegetables.  She was really going off to the dentist the other day of how she likes mushrooms, black olives and corn.  It's a mixture that she loves to eat all together.  She also told the dentist that she likes candy but that was a great moment for the dentist to remind of her of how important it is to brush her teeth!  :)  And since I'm on the dentist topic, she only sat on the dentist chair to have them count her ten teeth on top and ten teeth on the bottom.  She will have a real appointment in the fall.  Ashlyn also loves to play with her cousins.  She is blessed to have cousins her age and all of them are her favorite!  :)  Her favorite iPad episodes right now are: Jake and the Pirates, Paw Patrol, Wild Krats and Dinotrux.  She still plays a lot with her doll house we gave her last year for her birthday.  It was well worth its money!!!  She has many pet shop animals and polly pockets that she sets all over her doll house.  Pippa Pigs family is always welcome in her little home too.  :)

Here she is listening to her upbeat "Happy Birthday Song" that we always play on birthdays from youtube!

Mommy Lapp gave her her own Lego set!!! 

She even got to have Hunter here all day!!!  What a fun playmate!

Sister Jody stopped in and gave her a bubble set!!!  She loves this!!!  The only problem is that we now need more bubbles!!!!  She was running around in the garage making huge, fun bubbles!!!  Thanks Jody!

When we were praying for a baby years back ... God blessed us with Ashlyn.  She was born in March healthy and sweet!  She pretty much broke any parenting technique we thought we had down pat.  :)  As a two year old, she wanted things done on her time, her will, her pleasure.  It got so trying but you know what ... she turned out sweet and is a darling little five year old.  She is my biggest helper with Austin right now!  Austin loves her to death and she can do so much for him!  She holds his bottle.  She tries to carry him around but I must monitor this!  She loves to snuggle and cuddle him on the couch.  It's so cute how she cares and loves Austin!  She will make a wonderful mother some day! 

Recently, Ashlyn kept talking about going to school.  I keep mentioning it to her too and I would say, "When you turn five then you will go to school."  That's true, right?  Well, she kept saying things about school and acting all nervous about it.  I realized that she thought that on the day of her fifth birthday, she will go to school.  I then explained to her that she won't actually start school till the fall.  :)  She smiled and relaxed.  I know she will love going to school but it looked pretty huge to her at the moment.  :)

On this special birthday day she wanted a few things.  Paw Patrol things ... so we gave her the character toys, a pj set with Paw Patrol on it and a coloring book.  She helped pick it all out.  She also wanted a cake from Costco.  Those cakes are delicious but so big.  Way too big for our family to eat so I promised her that we would stop at a bakery and pick out a small cake.  We went to Bird-in-Hand Bakery and she picked out a Easter cake and then we bought some Paw Patrol rings to set on top.  Normally, we go out to eat for our family birthdays and she wants to go to Red Robin.  Mostly, so she can play with the games in the restaurant but that was her pick.  Matthew still thinks she needs to pick going to DJ's Diner.  :)

Up first thing to celebrate her fifth birthday!!! 

 

After Red Robin, we came home for dessert!!!  Happy Birthday, Ashlyn!

Her day is special with friends and family calling and stopping in.  Thanks everyone for all the gifts!!!  Even a simple card in the mail from Mommy D. made her smile!!!  Thank you for making her day extra special!!! 

Easter Season 2016

We had a fun packed full Easter weekend.  With family.  With friends.  At the mountains.  At home.  At church!

Thursday evening we packed up the Yukon and headed for the cabin.  We did a quick stop at Chickfila for chicken and fries.  Not a very healthy way to start the weekend but it was an easy way for supper and we all like it every now and then!  Austin and Ashlyn feel asleep on the way there.  It was 11 PM till we pulled into the cabin lane.  We were so glad to be there!

We always have big breakfasts at the cabin.  No lunch but then a big supper again.  Most of my family decided to go for the weekend.  (Jason's stayed home.)  Mom and dad had plans to come Thursday as well, but because of a funeral at Spring Garden, their plans got changed.  We were disappointed that we didn't get to see dad's at the cabin but knew they were busy serving others.  They did get to the cabin till Saturday night and we had already left to come home.  LaVern's and Tony's were still up.

The kids always have a great time with cousins at the cabin!!!  The ladies play games and relax.  My brothers don't ever just sit up there, no, they are busy working in the food plot or working in dad's field or fixing something.  Always.  :)

This little guy was fun at the cabin!!!  He loves all the action going on around him!!!  Almost 9 months old.

Austin's buddy Colson is just a few weeks younger but is passing him in size!!!  Colson has bigger feet and broader all around.  We love taking pictures of these two together!

One of Austin's favorite people on earth!!!

Cousin boys ... growing up so fast.  Austin does something and a few weeks later, Colson is doing it.  Funny and cute.

Adorable with both blue eyes!

Mim finally gave them both oranges so we could get better pictures.  Colson kept trying to crawl over Austin.  Then one would cry.  Or smile.  :)

Austin loves it outside. 

So precious and love him to pieces!!!

Everything still goes in the mouth.

Colson Wade ... adorable!

 
The girls playing by the teepee again!

We took Ginger along this time to the cabin.  She was no problem.

Love these men in my life!!! XOXO!

We stayed at the cabin till 2:00 Saturday afternoon.  Then it was time to leave so that we could go to Mike's family dinner that evening.  Mike drove us home and we unpacked and showered quickly and headed out the door again.  I had a slight headache and wasn't sure if it was from going to one thing to the next so much or what? 

We ate mom's yummy Easter food and then she hid the baskets for the kids to find.  This is something that they all really enjoy and even though the REAL Easter meaning is of Jesus dying on the cross, finding their Easter candy baskets is so much fun for them!!!  Ashlyn could not wait for this!!!  Thanks Mom!!!

Gotta get a picture of Hunter!!!  :)

She was so proud of her Easter Basket!!!

Great friends!!!

Austin's first Easter!!!  Precious!

Still working on getting ALL my pictures clear on Manual.  Sigh. 

I love these kids so much too!!!  They had a blast with their Lapp Cousins!

Jeff was on the floor spying out the little girls baskets.  :)

We stayed till Austin was ready for bed!!!  We were all happy to be back home and get some rest!  ;)

Sunday morning we woke up early.  We had plans to attend the sunrise service but because the weather was too chilly for Austin, we decided to skip out on that.  We had communion service early though so we still needed to get up and get moving.  8:30 AM, we all gathered in the cafeteria and shared in communion.  It was different and neat this time.  There was a whole loaf of bread on each table with cups of grape juice.  Pastor Ben spoke about the meaning of communion and read scripture.  Then we took the bread and juice, blessed it and took communion.  The kids joined us too.  Doing this as a family is special.  After that, we all ate a breakfast served at church.  At 10:30, we all went to the sanctuary and sang worship songs and finished the morning service!!!  It was a blessing to be part of this service!

Mike went on a 30 mile bike ride in the afternoon.  I watched the life and Crucifixion of Jesus on TV.  So gruesome and a great reminder of how much Jesus was wounded for me!!!  Matthew was at Benson's house for the afternoon.  The girls and Austin were here with me.  When Mike got back, we all went to John and Suz for burgers and fellowship!  Dave and Suz and Elvin's were there too and it was a great time!!!  Thanks so much again John's for hosting us!!!  It's always fun at your house!!!  :)

Easter Season is when Jesus died on the cross.  He was beaten.  Wounded for me.  To save the world from their sins.  Then he rose again!!!  Alive and now in heaven to welcome all his saints through those pearly gates after we die. 

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and rising again so that I may have eternal life everlasting!!! 

Easter Week ...

This is the week of Easter. 

The week where Jesus knew what was ahead of him in only a few days.  Even though he knew that he came to earth to save ALL men from their sins, he still prayed earnestly for another route.  He knew how terrible crucifixions were.  He knew they were brutal.  Beyond recognizing the man being beaten and spit upon.  BUT he prayed for God's will to be done.  Oh, what a great reminder for me to keep praying those 'same old prayers' for those hurting around us!!!  People dying of cancer.  People with broken marriages and homes falling apart.  People not seeing the "light".  I need to keep praying!  Praying for God's will to be done!!!

Palm Sunday was a day that Jesus was worshipped by many.  How wonderful it must have been for the crowds to wave palm branches and sing and smile and have children being so happy as they lead Jesus through Jerusalem.  Jesus surely would have felt then like the King of the Jews!!!  For truly is was and still is!!!  He loved how everyone was loving him! 

It even says in John 12:17 & 18 that, "The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised  him from the dead, gave record.  For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle." 

Jesus rode on a colt right into Jerusalem and the whole city was saying, "Who is this?"  The multitudes that followed him said, "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."  Then Jesus went into the temple and when he saw all the merchants buying and selling in the temple, "he overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves."  He said to them, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."  When all these merchants were scattering and trying to figure out all that was going on, the blind and lame came to Jesus in the temple and he healed them!!!  Right after destroying their marketing moments, he healed the hurting! 

What made the crowd turn on him just days later?  Why in only a few days did they crucify him and kill him?  Where was the happy crowd of people then?  Why did everyone seem to turn so angry? 
 
It was when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that Jesus did.  It was when they heard the children crying in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David."  It was then that the chief priests and scribes were very displeased!!!  They had enough of nerve to ask Jesus, "Do you hear what these people are saying to you?"  Jesus said back to them, "Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?"  Then Jesus left them and went to Bethany and stayed there.

The leaders back in the day were so mad and hated how the majority of the people were always drawn to Jesus.  They had to stop this!!!  They wanted the people on their side.  In their control. 

This is a song I heard this morning and how I love it's words!!!!

 

Read the whole story of Palm Sunday in John 12 and in Matthew 21.

 

"Hosanna to the Son of David:  Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."  Matthew 21:9 

  

Spring is here!!!

The first day of Spring is never hard for me to forget!!!  March 20 ... my sisters birthday!  Happy Birthday Jody!!!

Spring is the one season that we CANNOT wait for!  Why does winter seems much longer than all the other seasons???  The other seasons we seem to hang on to for dear life and wish they would never end!!!  We love, love Spring, Summer and Fall.  Winter comes at the end of our favorites but making snowmen and slowing life down a bit is a must too. 

Spring means "growth"!  Ashlyn and I really get excited about buying seeds and planting flowers.  We love greenhouses!  I love to sit on the mower and mow the lush, green grass!!!  And that is why I was excited this morning to see the 'work crew' pull in and pull out their shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows!  With all the renovations going on last fall, our outside needs a whole new make over!!!  We are beginning with sowing grass.  Then we hope the front walks and back patio get poured!  Then landscaping and mulch!!!  It looks like a huge project and again ... it's too big for me to do!  As much as I would like to be doing the prep work for mulching, the flower beds that are still here are not even functional.  I am confident that after a few hard working days with the landscaping crew ... things will be looking lovely!!! 

I did mow a few strips of grass on Friday.  I hopped on the mower (that was still in our disgusting barn) and backed it up.  Well, only a few inches before plop!  I didn't think about it that with the barn still in the field, it would be a bigger dip pulling the mower out.  The back wheels on the mower just spun.  I called Mike and asked for help.  Not able to come home right then.  I called Jody ... eating lunch.  I called my dad ... Yes!  He was out doing errands and was able to stop in to help me.  He pulled in and out jumped Dad, Jason and LaVern!  Wow, it didn't take them long to have me on my way to mowing our lawn! 

The only grass we have to mow is around the swing set, a tiny bit by the gazebo and some out front.  It was so windy and dirt and dust were blowing terrible in my eyes!  It only took a short time to mow this little bit but it looks green where I mowed!  :)

The garden is another project being slowly worked on.  Mike took Mom's little tiller through the new garden grounds but it needed something more.  Leon Lapp came and took his bigger, deeper tiller through the dirt!  I stopped by the hardware store and got some organic fertilizer and lime.  I would love to have a picket fence around the new garden grounds and then get some seeds planted!  Again, this project will be for my man to help me with!  Exciting! 

We would love to make a little garden for Ashlyn too!  Her playhouse needs to be put in the right place and then we will plow her a tiny garden!!!  She will love it and it excited to see her seeds in the garage grow!  We should have some pretty sunflowers this summer!!! 

Our seeds are growing!!!

I'm so happy to say that Spring is here!!!