a quick easter recap...

easter came and went this year in one big blur. resurrection sunday was one day before moving day, so we did not spend Holy Week exactly how i would have liked. we did talk a lot about the significance of easter... but then again, Jesus dying for our sins is a year-round discussion! we did make it to the passion play. and Jesus ascended to the same incredibly awesome worship song as last year. brian and i spent friday and saturday prior to resurrection sunday cleaning out our new house, so i just was not on the ball this year. ethan had no new pants (translate: the cuffs were at his ankles) and his hair was long overdue for a haircut. but i knew he could sing "Christ the Lord is risen today" with a shaggy head in his highwaters... and that's exactly what he did! thankfully, i'd bought caroline's dress at a consignment store last year, and amelia is always the proud hand-me-downee from caroline's dresses (which were hand-me-downs or consignment to begin with!). i usually take a picture of their easter clothes all pressed and hung up the night before... but did i mention we were moving!? so this is as good as i could do this year:


the clothes on the kids. and a whole bunch of boxes. 'cause we were moving. and every room pretty much looked like that.

so when we got to church, i tried to get a shot of the kids outside. i thought i could get a better one than this, but our friends pulled up, and my kids were totally distracted by their kids. (we got them back later when our car alarm went off while they were doing their pics right in front of our van!) this was definitely not the year for perfect easter pictures, but hey- we're showcasing real life here at tenlittletoes. :) (and i'm sooooo glad i carefully ironed caroline's dress only to have it crumpled up by the car seat.)


after a wonderful worship service, we headed over to jeff and kristie's for a delicious steak lunch. we bribed the kids with jellybeans in an attempt to get some pictures before they went crazy. apparently jellybeans do not motivate amelia....


kristie and i melted when the girls got together for these sweet cousin pictures. they were loving the talking eggs from nana!



and here's a close-up of each kiddo in their easter duds...

ethan is looking way too grown-up these days.


i love caroline's lil' finger sticking out!


amelia even kept her bow in her hair. i guess that makes up for our family picture.


these sisters are growing closer and closer every day. i love hearing caroline include amelia in her play. and amelia pretty much does whatever caroline does. amelia really does love her sister... despite her expression in this precious picture!


easter sunday was a few weeks ago now, but we continue to praise God for The Lamb Who was and is and is to come!

the difference a month makes

exactly one month ago, our house was put on the market.

one week later, we had an offer! (thank you, God!)

another week later, we'd finally agreed on a selling price with the buyer. (nothing short of a miracle.)

and now, here we are...two and a half weeks from handing over the keys to our first home.


so. it's been a busy month to say the very least. lots of praying and house-hunting and praying and number crunching and praying. we've found a house that we absolutely love. it's charming, it's spacious, it's in a beautiful neighborhood... and it's a short sale. so we are living the saying "hurry up and wait". i expected the house-selling to be the part that would take awhile. boy was i wrong. we've jumped through several of the hurdles involved with selling, and now we are so close to our new house that i can just taste it. i can picture my dishes in the cabinets (that um, need to be painted. yeah.) and my food in the pantry (cue hallelujah chorus). i can picture my grandmother's dining room table next to the fireplace with room to stretch. and i can picture my children grinning from ear to ear as they ride their bikes up and down the quiet street. i can also picture us with our new list of projects to make this house our home. :) don't worry. we are not going to touch the kitchen cabinets for a long, long while.

if i had the phone number of the short sale case manager, you betcha i'd be calling him every week to see where he thought my couch should go or to ask what color he would paint the bathrooms. by week 4, surely he'd stamp "approved" on that paperwork, don't ya think?! we have no idea how long this short sale process will take, or even if it will be approved at all. we are praying for patience and God's guidance through these unchartered waters... and praise the Lord our realtor is awesome. to quote her, she is a bulldog, and she is not letting go of this bone. :)

we are still working on where we will live as of april 29. i ask for your prayers with that as well. i know God will provide. my heart knows this. but my head freaked out just a little bit this afternoon. i've been the one telling brian, "we will NOT be homeless!"....and then about 2pm today, after several unsuccessful phone calls, i called him, crying, "we're going to be homeless!" God will provide. God will provide. God will provide.

in the meantime, we have lots of boxes to pack. i have lots of memories to go through. we'll start with this one...


7 years ago, april 10, 2004, brian proposed to me in the gazebo in our future backyard. and for the last seven years, God has blessed us in this little house. He truly has blessed us. i hope that in the next two weeks, in the midst of wading through boxes and packing paper, i can take time to enjoy our last little bit of time in our first house. more reminiscing to come...

happy valentine's day!

buy this cd. trust me.

you know a kids' worship cd is a good one when just about every song is a convicting one.... walking with the wise by sovereign grace music is worth listening to even when the kids are in another room. this album is right up there with seeds family worship in my book. these songs stick in your head, and you don't mind at all! i do have to warn you, though. if you don't want your children hearing songs about their sin or what Jesus has done for them, you will not like this CD. at all.

in a nutshell...
right-on theology + musically well-done = a hit at our house!!!

and i just noticed that the album is available to download for $5. are you kidding me!? skip your starbucks or chick-fil-a today and download this album! following the link above will enable you to listen to samples, but here are some of the lyrics that get me choked up every time....

from the song "i don't have to hide":
when i have done something i know i shouldn’t do
and I’m tempted to hide it
when i have spoken words
i know i shouldn’t speak
and i want to deny it
if i confess my sins,
i’ll find mercy
blessed is the one who fears the Lord
and admits his sin
blessed is the one who trusts the Lord
who alone forgives
Jesus died so i don’t have to hide anymore

from the song "make me wise":
make me wise, make me wise
so i’m pleasing in Your sight
Lord, i want to bring You glory
so i’m asking You to make me wise

from the song "to tell the truth":
to tell the truth is what i want to do
because You love the lips that speak the truth
to tell a lie leads me away from You
so help me, God, to tell the truth

ok! last one!

from the song "all ears":
i wanna be all ears when Mom is speaking
all ears when Dad is teaching
there’s a lot i don’t know
and they’ve been around a whole lot of years
and have covered some ground
their words will make me wise, so i’m all ears

have i convinced you to buy this yet? once you listen to it, i'd love for you to leave a comment telling me about your favorite song on the album. (sovereign grace did not ask me to promote their album. and if they did, i guess i'd have to use capital letters, huh!?)

our jesse tree on christmas eve

fear not, for behold, i bring good news of great joy that will be for all the people. for unto you is born this day in the city of david a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (luke 2:10-11)


in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth...


and from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (john 1:1,14,16)


there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest up on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord... (isaiah 11:1-2)


for to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of david and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. (isaiah 9: 6-7)


our jesse tree is complete! merry christmas! happy birthday Jesus!

what a week!

last week was a long one for our family. shocking. surreal. sobering. that was the vocabulary of last week around here. our priorities were most definitely realigned, and all the material things in this world did not seem nearly as important as the precious, precious people that we call family.

last week was a roller-coaster of emotions... one minute we'd be pulling out the kleenex, knee-deep in the reality of the day... and the next, we were laughing and enjoying the fellowship of brothers and sisters by our side. i can't tell you how many times i said, "wow, it feels so good to laugh." God shouted His goodness and His blessings loud and clear to us last week. the phone calls, the help (the help!!!), the love, the prayers, the support. we are humbled beyond words at the way that our friends, church family, and people we hardly know have rallied around us during this challenging time. we have been encouraged. thank you.


i love this picture of brian, his brother, and their mom and dad. it's a great picture of all of them, but the reason i really love it is because this was taken last thursday, and they are all smiling. these folks experienced what was possibly the worst week of their lives, and look at them. they are smiling. and this is why...

God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. my mental itunes library has been shuffling through several songs over this past week that focus on that central promise of the Bible. He will never leave us. nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. i have believed those verses to be true, but now i know them. "blessed be your name" has been the theme song in my head, coupled with my one of my mother-in-law's favorite hymns, "o rejoice in the lord". i love the first line: God never moves without purpose or plan. that needs to go on a pillow, don't you think!? the other song that has tended to refrain in my brain is chris tomlin's version of "all the way my savior leads me". take time to listen to it if you don't know it already... i can't listen to it without a kleenex.


we can truly feel God carrying us close to His heart. and there's nowhere else i'd rather be. His goodness and mercy have followed us... to Him be the glory.

celebrating our independence!

since we've been studying our country's journey to independence this past week, this year's fireworks were extra special to me. yes, i knew the gist of the history from 1776, but i've been living and breathing it with the kids lately... so the determination and sacrifices of our founding fathers and the brave colonial soldiers were especially on my mind as the night sky was illuminated with such vibrant colors last night.

we did the same thing we've done most years on the fourth. we met up with friends and family down by the marina and hung out until the show started. it was a rainy evening right up until it was time to head down to our spot, so it actually ended up being a not-so-sweltering-almost-cool night. besides trying to keep the kids from getting too close to the edge of the water or burning each other with the sparklers, it was a relaxing evening!

here are the kiddos at home waiting for the rain to stop...


as soon as we got to the marina, the kids fired up the sparklers.




the kids (and my husband) always love these shots after they've twirled their sparklers 'round and 'round...


ethan and aunt kristie weren't gonna let the girls be the only ones to match on the 4th!


brian had all the kids in awe of his all-powerful green laser. i cracked up when i saw a line forming to get a 5 second turn with that thing.


tricia and i tried to contain our toddlin' girls since our "compound" was right next to the water. we tried the back of their pick up truck, which only lasted until they got tired of playing with the water bottles...


and then we tried the back of jonathan's crv. that didn't last that long either, though olivia is looking quite happy about it at the moment.


the baby girls ended up on our hips or in daddy's lap for the rest of the evening... and before we knew it, it was time for the show to start! the kids excitedly hopped in their chairs....

ethan and his buddy, joseph


caroline and "the other caroline"


oh, say can you see!



after a few minutes, the kids hopped up in mr. art's truck for a better view.


as you can see, caroline was very into the music that was broadcasted to go with the fireworks. it was loaded with country, much to brian's dismay. :)


the fireworks were still a little too loud for ethan sometimes...


and joseph felt the same way!


this is one of my very favorites from this year. i love that you can see both the kids and the fireworks...


after the big finale, we visited a little more before packing up and heading back to our car. ethan and caroline both sucked down capri suns on the way back, which is a huge treat to those water-drinking kids. :)


it was another enjoyable 4th of july! here's the whole star-spangled family.


i will close with this quote from john adams... he wrote the following words to his wife after the second continental congress approved the resolution of independence on july 2. the declaration of independence was of course not adopted until two days later, and the document bore the date of july 4, 1776. john adams was just off by a couple of days in his prediction of our country's celebration of independence (though july 2 is a day we celebrate at our house because it's ethan's birthday!).

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means... (The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784, Harvard University Press, 1975, 142).
may our celebration of independence be indeed solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty! praise God we are free!

dependence

we're doing a little unit this week and next about america's independence. my little history buff is eating it up, and caroline is having fun with it too. today, we talked about the declaration of independence. we reviewed what the word "independence" means, and i asked the kids to draw a picture of something they can do all by themselves. ethan drew himself carrying a big box, and caroline.... drew herself carrying a big box. :) (she loves her brother.) i took a quick potty break, and when i came back, this is what my son had added to his picture....


ethan told me, "that's God." (he hadn't written it yet.)
"cause i can't do anything without God."

their daddy

you do not have to be in our house very long to figure out that my children love their daddy.


they run to the door to say goodbye to him every morning, and they cannot wait for him to get home from work everyday. most evenings after dinner, you can find daddy here...


or here.


daddy lays down the law in our house, and he sticks to what he says. though the kids may not take delight in the immediate situation of being disciplined, i know they love and respect their daddy for the godly discipline he gives them.


even though daddy is gone at work all day, he is far from forgotten! after ethan learned how to write a "y", i told him that now he could write my name! and look what he decided to write instead...


ethan could not wait to show daddy when he got home! ethan and caroline both pile up things (whether physically or mentally) throughout the day that they want to show daddy the minute he walks in the door. :)

and caroline saves up a few of these...


(that picture is my new favorite.)

so it was easy to celebrate their daddy on father's day. it was easy to tell him how thankful we are for him and how blessed we are for the way he takes care of us. because it's true.

brian recently moved into a different office with lots of wall space, and he has mentioned several times that he has no pictures of the kids at work... well you and i both know that i can't let that office be photo-deprived for very much longer! i stealthily uploaded and ordered pics at walmart, ran to hobby lobby (frames not on sale!), michael's, and walmart all on saturday during various parts of the day while brian thought that i was running other errands. (chickfila and the grocery can take awhile, you know!) ;) this was totally a last minute thing because i was sorta busy last week with throw-up and my birthday and all... oh, who am i kidding?! this would've been a last minute deal anyway!

here is daddy after lunch with his present... don't you just love my "father's day" wrapping!??! haha.


he loved the frame with the pictures, even the one where from epcot where he's wearing a viking hat. :) most of the pictures in this post were taken on father's day evening, so i am tempted to replace a couple of pics with some of these new ones...


i can't find his father's day cards... i was hoping to take a picture of them to put on here. they were pretty funny. one alluded to the kids throwing up, so of course i couldn't resist that one. :) but the other one i remember. on the front, there was a picture of a dad and son sword-fighting, both dressed up in pretend armor. the inside read, "you are my knight in dull, plastic armor." i thought it was cute, and brian laughed out loud. :) i love this man. he is far from perfect...as am i. but every day that he gives our children a teeny tiny peek at the love of our heavenly Father, every day that he guides them to that vital understanding of obedience to authority, i fall more and more in love with their daddy... my knight in dull, plastic armor. :)


matthew 7:9-11
which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? if you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!