Easter Time

I'm the first to admit that I can get really wrapped up in the cute cuddly bunny, fuzzy chick, baby animal, spring time fever part of commercialized Easter.  I love all of the beautiful pastel colors, and soft fuzzy animals pictured in the advertisements.  I love seeing big poofy Easter dresses on little girls wearing white patent leather shoes with little lacy white socks standing beside little boys in cute dressy suits.  

This year, I'm trying to really reflect on what Christ did for me so many years ago.  I'm trying, I really am trying to be continually thankful and grateful to Jesus in all circumstances.  It is hard, because I have the tendency to be so whiny and ungrateful.  After thinking of all Christ did for us and continues to do everyday, I should thank him and praise him every minute!  I want my family to see beyond all of the cutesie parts of Easter, and see what really matters and that is JESUS!  With all that being said, here are some pictures of doing cutesy Easter stuff, and some other random pictures from the past few weeks.

Jackson in his Easter Bunny ears he made at school

Will and I doing a selfie, but of course we weren't both looking at the camera

Last Sunday morning before church

Daddy and the boys dying eggs

Jackson with some of our finished eggs

Will about to dunk an egg, his hands were dyed a bright blue by the end of the night

Enjoying the inflatables at the church wide egg hunt

Jackson going down backwards

Finding eggs at an egg hunt at our friend's house

Another one from the egg hunt

At our friend Carrie's Easter party

So excited to open Easter surprises from Grammy and Pap Pap

Very happy to get a Nerf gun

Will opening up his surprises after nap

Praying for My Future Daughter-In-Laws

I loved the blog post below I read from the MOB Society website.  I hope my boys will grow up to know how important picking the right spouse is for their lives. Ever since I found out I was having two little boys, I try to pray regularly to prepare their hearts for the right women that they will marry one day.  I pray for those little girls (or little girls that may have not even been born yet) that will marry my boys one day.  I pray they will love Jesus, and have grateful hearts.  I hope I can be close with them as if they are my own daughters.  So Jackson and Will you better pick some good ones!

Letter to future daughter-in-law 

The End of an Era

Around our house for the past four years, we've had a lot of pacifiers come and go.  I'm embarrassed to say that I probably have spent at least a hundred dollars or more on them through the years, first with Jackson and then with Will.  As newborns, they both loved the soothies like they have at the hospital, and then they moved on to the Nuk brand.  The cute little designs and colorful patterns were so cute stuck in their little mouths.  At age two and a half, the Easter bunny left Jackson some special prizes in exchange for his pappies (as he called him.)  After about three days, we were doing great.  He never really asked for them any more.  

Will has had a little bit harder time giving his up.   He decided he would "mail" his pappoos (as he calls them) to his cousin Harper and her friends, in exchange for a toy sword he had been wanting.  Jackson also got a sword too for being the helpful big brother.  The first night went really well, he only cried a few minutes.  Nap times have been a little harder since he has had a hard time winding himself down with out his favorite soothing mechanism.  After two weeks, we are finally getting into a routine without any pappoos.  He will still occasionally ask if they will be mailed back to him, and he tells us he really misses them.  He isn't crying for them anymore which is great!  Just this past weekend, we also set up his big boy bed.  He has done wonderful with that transition.  I can't believe how fast my little guys are growing up!

The Easter bunny leaves Jackson a special note back when he left his pappy for him

Jackson loved them so much that he needed two!

T

Two and a half year old Jackson

Brotherly love, the last day with pappoo

Last night with pappoo

Getting their new swords since Will is a big boy!

Mailing off the pappoos  :)

Arizona

Last week, we visited Brian's parents in Green Valley, which is right outside of Tuscon, Arizona.  The mountains and desert are beautifully breathtaking, and the landscape is so different from South Carolina.  The weather was gorgeous with temperatures in the 70's and 80's.  I was nervous about flying with the boys (especially Will, since he can be a loose cannon at times.)  I was pleasantly surprised, because they did great!  While we were there we visited The Queen Copper Mine, Sabino Canyon, Madera Canyon, the Tubac Art Festival, The Tuscon Gem and Mineral show, and the town of Tombstone.  The boys also went to the Air and Space Museum while Grammy and I checked the Gem Expo.  I hope to get a chance to visit again one day.  It was a great time making family memories.

Hiking around the saguaro cactus near the Desert Museum

A little building we sat in at the top of Cactus hill

Grammy and the boys taking a rest on the rock

This picture doesn't really do this area justice.  This is one of my favorite areas we visited. Seeing all of the big cactus is really amazing!

A little father son talk

At Sabino Canyon

Another family picture at Sabino

A gorgeous view of Sabino Canyon

The playgrounds and parks in Tuscon are really awesome.  They have a lot of cool equipment.  Here Jackson is sitting on a turtle in the one of Tuscon's parks near the zoo.

Will on the playground

Grammy and boys riding the train at the park

At the house one of the boys favorite pass times was cleaning the pool, you can't see it in this picture but that is what I'm helping Will clean out.

We got pretty close to this rattlesnake at the Desert Museum, it is the closest I hope I'm ever around one again.  

Will as a tortoise

Grammy and the boys looking at the beavers

Our silly faces

Another Desert Museum pic, If you zoom in the bird is holding some sort of animal I think it is about to eat

The Pima Air and Space Museum

This is Grammy and Pap Pap's view from their back yard, so pretty!

A date day selfie from when we hiked Madera Canyon, It was awesome to have some time away while Grammy and Pap Pap watched the boys. :)

Getting ready to go in the copper mine

The mountain behind us is the mine we went inside

Riding the train into the mine

Pap Pap and the boys playing with their lights

Christmas in the North

We headed up to visit Brian's family this past Christmas.  During the week, we got to see most of the family.  It was the first time we've been there at Christmas since before Jackson was born.  It was nice for the boys to get to have a super big family Christmas, especially since they are used to my family being rather small.  They had such a wonderful time playing with all of their cousins. We even had a little snow flurry that Jackson enjoyed.  Both of the boys had a blast in the snow while we snow tubed at a ski resort near Brian's parents.

 Jackson at the natural history museum

 Jackson and Grammy exploring at the museum

Harper and Skip at an exhibit

Family picture on the lawn near the capital

We visited a hotel with an exhibit called Ice where they had huge ice sculptures everywhere.  Above are the girls and Jackson sitting in an ice taxi

This was my favorite part of Ice, the nativity scene- It was beautiful

Will's favorite part of the day a fountain at the hotel, he got soaked when the water spouted out.

Our attempt at a picture with Grammy and all of the grands

Jackson and Brian during the snow flurry the day before Christmas Eve

Sledding in a little bit of snow

Christmas morning

Another Christmas morning shot of us eating breakfast

Grammy and her sister Dianne, with Lily, Harper, and Camryn

An aerial view of Christmas Day

Several of the cousins on Foreman side of Brian's family

Pulling Will up the hill while we were snow tubing

 Jackson about to go down the hill

Loving it!

Will goes down backward