Gleeks

Mary E and I got together with all four kiddos to watch the season premiere of Glee. We even watched the cast interviews on Oprah and Ellen beforehand - we are pretty into this little series on FOX! The kids... not so much. I don't think we were at their house ten minutes before things got very quiet. Mary E sneaked upstairs to check on Will and Carlisle and found them pants-less, diaper-less and both on a toddler potty chatting. Carlisle later exclaimed that "Will take my pants off!" which I have not yet shared with Kendal... Oh, the things those three year olds will say :)

Time and again I am just so happy to see these three best friends together. Definitely a friendship that will last into adulthood. Now, if we can only get Will to LSU with the twins... and, yes, we are already brainwashing him!

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Hop to it...

Or maybe a little "to the hip hop you don't stop-stop..." circa 1992. However you rap about it, it's hop time here in the HolyLand! Kendal just got his first shipment of hops and is growing a little brewer's garden in our backyard. The kids have really loved helping him get started! They are learning the brew process from start to finish - not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but they will definitely know how to appreciate a fine hop! Maybe we can turn this into a good recipe for bread this fall!

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We got to spend a little family time in the backyard tonight - and guess who is nearly sitting up on her own! Evie leaned against Kendal for a long time, then sat by herself for several seconds at a time. I think she surprised herself, too! This time with the kids was nothing short of a blessing - beautiful day, beautiful children.

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Twin Weekend

Our best buddies came down from Oklahoma to visit us this weekend - twin time! George and Abigail are just a few weeks younger than JC & CarCar. We talk all the time about planning trips but they are way too few and far between so this visit was a huge treat. We intentionally made as few plans as possible - just lots of downtime to play and visit. The kids got along amazingly well and just fell right into a routine together. I think this bodes very well for future visits :) George and Abigail were so sweet with Evie and I think she'll be part of the action soon!

We spent most of Saturday in the backyard. At one point, Kendal even had all four kids hauling limbs to a limb pile - and they loved it! Maybe, just maybe, chore-time won't be so challenging around the Land house!

The kids played hard all day and were ready for an easy evening at home. We had two fabulous babysitters come over so that Carrie, Kendal and I could go to a couples' baby shower for some good friends (Matt was home sick - we hated that!!). We got to enjoy church together this morning before the Janks headed home - future visits are already in the works and the twins are still taking about George and Abigail as I listen to them over the monitor! Got to love the double twins!

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Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

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The kids woke up pretty late this morning (around 8AM), giving me time to make "bunny biscuits," a special treat I enjoyed as a child at the Dickerson's house and I'm happy to share with my kids today. The kids also tore into their baskets - I didn't say they were from the Easter Bunny, just some special Easter presents. I tried not to go too crazy with candy - they did get chocolate bunnies which they devoured and a bunch of gummy treats. We've also made a point to put a lot of their spring clothes in their baskets along with a toy or two. Kendal had already left for church when they got up, but we left a bunny biscuit for him! He has started coming home around 9AM to help us get to church and it is an invaluable help!!!!

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Church was great. Breanne and had some special activities for the kids (and helped us get some quick pics). Kendal had to rush to get ready for the service, so we didn't get one single family picture! But, we have my sister's wedding coming up and are wearing our Easter outfits, so we'll get a second chance at a family pic I hope!

As always, the Easter service was really special. I have come to love so many of the Presbyterian traditions. We've been taking communion every Sunday during Lent, and each time it's meant more and more to me. The kids have even come in a few times to take it (Carlisle loudly exclaimed to the church "That's some good apple juice!" when she drank the grape juice) and I love that they are developing those experiences early. Kendal's sermon today took a closer look at various theories of atonement and the fact that so many are focused on the violence of the crucifixion and the pain the Lord endured, yet Christ lived and preached non-violence. He challenged us to look at Christ's atonment in view of his entire life and ministry and not that one singular act (I may have butchered that, sorry Kendal!) and I thought that was really powerful. We can get so caught up in the horror of the crucifixion that we forget the servant ministry of Jesus - the miracles he performed for everyday people, the parables he taught his followers that are still so relevant today, the fact that he had a mother who loved him deeply and friends who would (and some did) give their own lives for him out of love. Jesus was a servant and, though he died a violent death, the key is that he rose from the grave and lives in and through us today. This is a message of hope and truth and one we are sharing and will continue to share with our children.

Look at how quickly sweet Evie Claire is growing! She is just about ready to sit up on her own and here she is "standing" with barely a wobble! I almost put some Gerber baby food in her Easter basket, but I'm trying to wait until she officially hits six months... in just a few weeks. Just another attempt to keep her as much of a bitty baby as I can! As always, she was so attentive and serene throughout the day. The only time she really fusses is when she's hungry or tired, that's it. Otherwise, she just looks around with those big blue eyes and takes it all in. And she's still such a snuggler!

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Right after church, the kids had a egg hunt - they made quick work of those eggs and had eaten most of the candy by the time we got home! Naptime was NOT easy! We enjoyed a 5PM Easter dinner with some friends and were able to share a delicious meal and fellowship. Kendal grilled pork loin stuffed with blue cheese and glazed with a raspberry sauce (fabulous!) and we enjoyed home-made bread and mashed potatoes, Caesar salad, fresh carrots from Mary Beth's garden, grilled asparagus, "bunny cake," "Easter train cake" and more. We had planned another egg hunt but the kids were enjoying time on the swings so much that we just let them be. As it always happens, the ladies ate inside and the guys hung out on the porch - but they got to watch the kids, so that was great with us! Good day, wonderful Easter!

Party Time!

The best thing about kids - PARTIES! I will look for any excuse to get folks together for good times and sugar, so this is great for me! Kendal mysteriously disappears when it's time for a school party... hmmmm... But, I love them - stress, chaos and all - so bring on the candy!

The kids had a great time at their school party on Friday. Normally we stay home with them on Fridays since I'm part-time at OBU and that's Kendal's day off but we sent them to school so they could see the Easter Bunny and enjoy their party. I heard from their teachers that the Easter Bunny was NOT a big hit - in fact, their screaming scared the other kids so badly the twins had to be taken out of the room. Ouch. But, they did like the snacks later in the day! I got to enjoy it with them before heading to church:

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We then loaded up the car and headed to church for our Good Friday service. Our children's director, Breanne, planned some fun activities for the kids - dyeing Easter eggs! I was not about to take this on myself, but I was surprised to see that the kids did a great job, listened to instructions and did not make a mess! Good grief, who are these little people :)

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Breanne is a pro. She started out by explaining that the kids were going to do some "magic" - a la vinegar and dye tablets - and the kids just ate it up. They were mesmerized by the cups of fizzing dye and listened patiently as Miss Breanne and Miss Alyssa explained how they were going to dye the eggs. Breanne started out by peeling a boiled egg to show them what was inside - Carlisle thought there was a bunny in the egg?? What?! This is where the Cadbury Bunny really causes problems. Anyway, they understood what was inside the eggs and got to work. I love the picture of Jackson here - that is pure, absolute amazement and excitement as he watches a colored egg emerge from a cup of blue dye. I don't know if I've ever seen him so happy. I'm thinking we may have a science project pro on our hands :)

On Saturday morning, Kendal got to go fishing with his buddy Nathan and I took the kids to the Easter Fair at the Methodist Church. As soon as we got out of the car, we saw a bunch of friends, so that made the twins happy. We also got some cookies, so that was a big bonus! They were a little unsure about all of the games (okay, a LOT unsure) so we spent some quality time visiting with one of their best friends, Jorja. She was in their class at their old school and the kids still talk about her all the time - I do look forward to the day when they're all back together for kindergarten, though I don't want time to pass too quickly! They were a little shy at first, but warmed up fast and had a great time playing together. The days' activities included the reading of an Easter story and an big egg hunt. It was a great time and a morning very well spent!

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We also got a good visit in with one of our family's favorite people, Miss Nikki. She was the twins' teacher last year and they absolutely loved her. She loved on our kids and we loved on her! As soon as she saw us, she took Evie so I could look after the twins. I never realize how much I need help until someone so graciously offers it, what a gift. Nikki held Evie the entire time and our sweet girl fell in love with her as quickly as the twins did. As we were leaving, I asked her husband (who has served as a pastor in the past) if he was preaching in the morning and he shared that he was actually leaving for Iraq. He is going over with the corps of engineers for 6 months to help with rebuilding infrastructure, etc. I felt absolutely terrible that - during one of their "last" family outings for a good while - Nikki had watched MY child. But, she's just selfless like that and is just a wonderful person. If you want to be in prayer for this family, that would really be a gift.

A click and a prayer

This week has been busy as we prepared for Easter. April is also my very busiest time at work, so things have been crazy there with two huge events to plan. So, every minute I get at home is a gift - though I quickly learned that Easter candy brings out the very worst in the kids AND me!


I also broke my camera this week - and, of course, completely flipped out with Easter this weekend and my sister's wedding in a few weeks. Breathe, breathe, breathe... There is a great camera shop in LR we are going to take it to, but it will be a week at least until we can get it fixed so I had to pull out my old Kodak. It was actually fun to get it back out because I found this picture taken right before Easter in 2008:

Compared with the twins today: