The leg bone's connected to the.....

We are studying mammals in science and are on the rodent unit. 

What better way to examine a rodent up close than by dissecting a real owl pellet?! 

It was great fun and slightly disgusting-the makings of a perfect day for a 10-year old boy...

We were able to almost completely recreate a rodent skeleton from our pellet, and had a couple bonus elements thrown in, like an extra skull...

Time to move on to ungulates....(no dissecting this time!)

Resurrection Sunday

We squeaked back into town just in time to celebrate Easter Sunday. 

The boys had taken it upon themselves to go get haircuts, which I LOVED.

The next morning we did a little something different. I hid baskets with goodies, but it was a scavenger hint and they had to solve clues to find them. The clues were Bible verses that had a word missing. That word led them to the next clue. 

Church was wonderful and we found a minute to capture a quick family photo before we headed out. 

After church we met the married ones for a brunch on post and then had a little egg hunt at home. Funny that the big one still wants to find eggs. ;)

And the afternoon concluded with a much needed nap. Church again Sunday evening and then our weekend of fun was officially over! 

I am thankful.

For my family.

For my life and my lifestyle.

For my freedom.

For the Cross, that Christ bore to pay for my sin.

And for the empty tomb, that has set me free from all my sin that entangles me and threatens to rob me of joy. Because of the price Christ paid and His resurrection I no longer have to carry that burden. A debt that can never be repaid, nor is required to be repaid. It's not about me, it's about Him.

Romans 5:8-But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Corinthians 15:4-Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures..

Romans 5:10-For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

A Fairy Tale....

Once Upon a Very Long Time Ago,  a boy met a girl at the movies. They liked each other, then they loved each other. And they planned their lives together. And God smiled and showed them He would be the One doing the planning.
And they trusted Him (most of the time) and sometimes they wondered, since life didn't turn out exactly the way they had planned. But they still loved each other and they had four babies and loved them to the moon and back.
Life was busy and sometimes hard, and sometimes they forgot to hold hands and sometimes when they looked at each other it was like they were back at the movies. Him with his crooked smile and her with her heart all aflutter. And lots of times there was more laundry being folded and responsibilities being met than fluttering.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, and without either of them noticing, 25 years had gone by. Life was still busy, they were getting ready to move again for the umpteenth time, and there was no time for a big celebration.

Except that he planned one. Without her knowing, in the middle of his busy days, without any free time, he planned a wonderful, exciting, romantic trip to New York City. There she was, sitting around in her sweats and ponytail with a cup of coffee, contemplating her to-do list, when he walked in the door and announced that she had two hours to pack and be ready to go.

So she did! And their sweet boys (and the guests she ran out on) understood completely (because they were in on the plan) and she smiled all the way to the airport. And she kept smiling for three more days. Three days of how he loved her and three days of remembering those long 25 years together.

Midnight spent at the top of the Empire State Building, an evening at the Majestic, dressed up and watching Phantom of the Opera from the 5th row, a fancy dinner with complimentary dessert because a 25th anniversary is a big deal, holding hands in a crush of people, strolling through markets, eating pizza (his with meat, hers with veggies), riding on subways and in luxury cabs together, eating cheesecake with their feet on the sill of the gigantic window in their room overlooking the city.....

The trip ended and what was left was the reminder that commitment doesn't mean only during the fluttering. Commitment lasts through the hard times and the laundry folding and the moving and the responsibilities.

He made her feel special. And she loves him and he loves her and they lived happily ever after because they both know that.

 Not the end.

Just say yes

I've said no a lot of times over the years. Probably more times than I can count. One thing I've learned is the importance of saying yes. 

Like yes to Popsicles and Science on the hammock when a little boy has strep throat. 

Also, God made us some Easter eggs. And my friend Jen brought them to us.

Yes.