Easter 2016

Happy belated Easter, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that you were able to focus on the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us.  It really gets me every year when you think of all the suffering he went through, just to save us...

We had a wonderful weekend!  Friday Brad and I both worked (he was coming home from a long week of travel) and just had a low key evening.  We played Carbels with the girls and I think we were all in bed by 9!

Saturday morning was so nice and relaxing, it was rainy and cool and we were completely lazy.  I got some laundry and cleaning done and Brad worked on the basement (we are in the process of finishing our lower levels).  We watched parts of the movie "Killing Jesus" that was on the History channel, it was a very good not-so-violent depiction of the Crucifixion. I liked that the girls got a better idea of why we celebrate Easter and especially why Jesus died on the cross.  

Around 2 we headed over to friends of ours to watch some St. Cloud State hockey and MN Wild hockey.  We ate lots of good food and enjoyed a few cocktails.

We got home around 6 and started coloring Easter eggs.

Typically we do an outside egg hunt in the dark.  I put battery operated tea lights in the eggs and they find them, it is so fun!  There have been a few Easters that I hide them in the snow, haha!  This year was rainy so we had to do an indoor one.

I fill the eggs with change and they make a haul!

Easter morning Brad woke up at 4 because he remembered that we forgot to make our jello dessert we make every year.  So, he and I were cooking in the kitchen at 4:15 am!  We went to church at 9:30 and the headed over to the farm for the day.

It was a very relaxing weekend filled with family, just the way we like it!

Linking up with Momfessionals for Friday Favorites!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope each of you is able to spend some time with family this weekend and are able to reflect on the real reason for Easter.  Tonight we have nothing going on (Brad is just getting back from being out of town all week) and we plan on doing family devotions and playing cards.  I want to make sure our girls grow up knowing why Good Friday is so special...

1.

Like I said above, Brad has been out of town all week so it's been a bit crazy!  Last Saturday we had the benefit for our friend Aaron who is battling stage 4 colon cancer.  The benefit was AMAZING!!  It is so cool to see how many people come out to support others.  Truly was an eye opening and humbling experience for so many of us.  We worked from 8 am until 12:30 that night, we were exhausted!!  But so, so worth it.

Sunday Rachel had a volleyball tournament and Emma had her school play.  Rachel's team has really been struggling this year.  She (and her friend Sarah) were placed on a 17's team, but the girls on her team have struggled to get along on the court, and couple that with college coaches that don't know how to deal with attitudes, it's been super frustrating.  Especially since last year her team rarely lost.  It's definitely been a learning experience!

2.

Emma's play was AWESOME!!  The play was a fairytale based mystery and all the kids were amazing!  Emma was a pig who was the assistant to the chief detective.  She nailed her part!  Pig was always frazzled and in a hurry, I laughed SO hard!

3.

We left Rachel's game early on Sunday (it was an in town tournament thank goodness) to go watch Emma's play.  We picked her up at Haley's house and they invited us to stay for supper, ummm yes!!

I think the girls were a wee bit exhausted, haha!!

4.

Monday night brought dance for mouse and picture day.  I didn't get a pic because I forgot but I think she would have killed me anyway.  She is in a hip hop class which she kind of likes, but the costumes are crazy!  She gets so embarrassed wearing it!

Tuesday mousey had her class concert and it was so good!  The theme was "Fit", so every song was about eating healthy/exercising.  She's been singing the songs for a couple months and I totally did the side eye thinking it would be a lame concert, but it wasn't.  The teachers did an amazing job and we laughed out loud several times!

5.

Wednesday I let Rachel drive since she now has her permit (yikes!).  She has only driven back roads, but this time I made her drive in town.  I'm pretty sure she's never been this quiet in her life!

6.

I had Thursday off and decided to dive into some spring cleaning.  I laughed out loud at Maci's little stash of balls and pom pom's under the couch!

7.

I had to laugh last night because Rachel was at a friend's house and Emma had a friend over.  Alayna watched a show with them and then came upstairs complaining of how bored she was.  I offered to play cards or a game and she didn't want to.  She also insisted she was not tired.  This was her 5 minutes later.  Silly mouse.

I pray that each of you has an amazing Easter weekend and can spend it with the ones you love!!

Rachel #15

You know I remember when my mom and dad would always say how fast time flies, but as a kid I always thought it went so.slooooow.  I get it. 

I mean how do you from this....

To this???  I just can't quite comprehend that.  I remember when she was little I literally thought she would stay 3 forever.  And I don't mean that in a nice way.  This kid was a pain in my ass!  She was SO DAMN stubborn, it killed me.  Her dad had all the patience in the world for (thank God), but mine ran very thin.

However now, I feel like her and I "get" each other.  I have way more patience for the teenage stuff than I did the younger years.  Poor Brad now feels like I did when she was little, ha!

Like I mentioned in my last post, this girl is totally a firstborn!  She is a natural leader and really doesn't give a rip what you think of her.  She is hilarious, smart and a naturally beautiful girl (she gets that part from me, the smart part from her dad:)  She has an unhealthy addiction to shopping and Grey's Anatomy, and is so passionate about volleyball.

She has an amazing group of girlfriends whom she loves fiercely and thankfully we love also!  

Saturday I took the girls shopping to Albertville and then out for lunch.  As much as I loathe shopping, it really was a super fun day!  Later that day the parents came over and Brad smoked pork chops and I made a couple salads and salsa.  I was a gorgeous day to sit on the patio with cocktails!

Rachel, we love you immensely and hope that you continue to bless our lives like you already have!!

Happy 15th birthday!!

My girls

I thought it would be fun to do a post all about my girls since all I really write about is them, haha!

Growing up I was like every other little girl...gonna get married, buy a house and have babies.  I originally wanted 4 until I asked my aunt where her baby came out of, and then I was all for being childless.  When I finally overcame the phobia that babies come out of your va-jayjay (sorry dad), I knew I wanted girls.  No offense to the boys out there.  I just knew that I was meant to be a girl mom.

When Brad and I got married, we discussed how many kids we wanted and it was always 2 or 3.  He comes from a family of 5 and there were only 2 in mine.  I wanted a big family!  Once I got pregnant with Rachel, I was fine with just having 1.  I was SO sick.  I lost 12 pounds in the first trimester.

I convinced myself with all three pregnancies that I was having boys.  I even bought a couple boy things just to prepare myself, it was pathetic, really.  I couldn't even believe it when they said, "It's a girl!!" x3!  I couldn't be more overjoyed to be a girl mom.  Most days I look straight up to heaven and ask what kind of hell he put me in, but I truly wouldn't want it any other way!

Rachel is our firstborn.  She will be 15 in a few weeks.  This girl is the epitome of a first born.  Leader, bossy, organized, bossy, outgoing, and bossy.  And for the record, if she ever sees this picture on here, she will be plotting my slow and painful death.  However, when you proceed to take 50 selfies on your mothers phone, it's game on sista.

She is in her freshmen year of high school and is doing awesome.  She has enjoyed playing volleyball and is quite the player!  We have so enjoyed watching her play, although she can slow down on the injuries list.  Sheesh.  I might need to take AFLAC out just on her.  

She has an awesome group of friends and she LOVES to talk.  Oh my word, if I had to give you one word to describe her, it would be chatty!  I love that she loves to talk, but man, some days when all three of them get talking I look like this:

Except I'd be in the bathtub with a sign on the LOCKED door that says DO NOT DISTURB!

You can imagine what a house full of girls is like...lots of drama.  I know these next four years are going to fly by, so I am reeeeaaalllyy trying to soak it all in and not sweat the small stuff.  Except when the small stuff happens over and over and over and...

Rachel loves babies, her phone and Grey's Anatomy.  And shopping.  Seriously, who's kid is this?  I can't imagine I created such a shopping monster...

Emma Jo is our middle child.  She is 12 going on 45.  It's crazy.  Some days I think she's hitting menopause, those mood swings?  It's like split personalities.  No joke.

Emma is our sensitive, crafty, theatrically musically inclined book worm.  She loves all things Pinterest that she can craft up, has taught herself to play the piano and has always been into fashion. Since she was two, she was always coming up with different outfits to wear.

Emma also has a great group of girls that she hangs with and thankfully none of them like drama.  We are so lucky that all the girls have such great friends!

Emma is the quietest of the three, but I wouldn't really say she's quiet, maybe more laid back.  Sometimes.  Just don't accuse her of leaving hair strands in the bathroom, cuz shit gets real then.

She is my book lover (yes I created this one!!) and I love seeing her excitement over getting a new book.  She is a little more sensitive than the other two and is much more of a thinker.  She loves hanging out with her family and is really becoming quite the awesome babysitter!

And that leaves us with Mousey, number three.  It's funny because we were done at 2, and then we went on vacation and boom!  Along came Alayna.  Alayna is our clown.  The things this kid comes up with is HYSTERICAL!   She's not one to really show her emotions, if she sees that we are sad, the comedian in her comes out full force.

Alayna LOVES school, I'm not sure she has grasped the part where you are actually there for  learning, but she certainly gets an A+ for socializing!  She loves playing legos and usually comes home from school and goes right to the playroom to play!  She just started volleyball this year and even though she is such a peanut, she is really quite good!

It amazes me every.single.day how different these three are!  I love the interactions they have with each other (the good, bad and ugly).  And just so you know, this is a one in a million picture.  They currently hate each other again.  It's fun peeps, super fun.

Linking up with: Andrea