Push-Ups

For a girl who doesn't like to be on her feet, this is major progress...

Same trick two years later...

Charmers

Makayla actually let me put her hair into pigtails...

And then, five minutes later, they were gone...They were cute while they lasted!

Joshua has this new thing where he winks, instead of smiling, every time you try to take a picture of him...

Just keep that winking away from the ladies, please : )

Easter

I'm finally getting an Easter post up...

We had a very special Easter, as we were able to celebrate Jesus' resurrection with all of our immediate family! We are so fortunate to have families that enjoy one another's company. I know it's not the norm, but we praise God that He has blessed us with such sweet relationships.

While we want our kids to enjoy the egg hunts and Easter baskets, our priority is for them to know why we celebrate Easter in the first place. In the days leading up to Easter, we worked our way through our children's Bible and read the stories of Jesus' death and resurrection. We did a craft that involved making a cross and a tomb. We first put Jesus on the cross, and then put Him in the tomb behind a big rock. On Easter, the stone was rolled back and Jesus was alive!

This year, we decided to try dying eggs with Joshua. I heard of a tip to help little ones, and it involved sticking the egg in a whisk, so it was easier to hold. What a life-saving tip! No messes, and no broken eggs! Joshua had fun turning the eggs colors, and the adults were able to put their creativity to work. 

We started Easter off in the perfect way by celebrating Jesus' resurrection with our friends and family at Redemption church. Gigi (Jeannette) made this cute dress for Makayla awhile ago, and it was the perfect outfit for Easter.

After naps, we headed to my parent's house for dinner and an egg hunt. Last year, Joshua had just learned to walk. This year, he was running to each egg. He had a blast searching for the eggs and giving each one a shake to see what was inside. Daddy helped Makayla search for eggs, and she ended up with some good loot (Goldfish crackers). After hunting for eggs, and re-hunting for eggs (once wasn't enough), the kids looked through their winnings.

Gigi and Grandpa's Visit

Gigi and Grandpa visited this past week! That means only one thing...lots of spoiling occurred!!! The kids enjoyed the extra hugs and snuggles, and of course the extra attention. 

The beautiful weather allowed us to get out in the sun. Joshua overcame his fear of going down the slide alone, and Makayla actually swung on the swing (okay, so it was on Gigi's lap, and it didn't last long, but it was still a tiny success!).

On Friday, Joshua stole the show... 

Great-Grandma Rahe sent Joshua some Easter money, and told him to use it for donuts. He was, of course, very excited! He bought us a dozen mini donuts, and also bought himself a special Easter donut. He even bought our dog, Ally, three mini doggy donuts (what a big spender!). Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Rahe, for treating us to a sugar high ; )

To top off the day, we made a trip to the mall. Joshua adopted a cute little puppy from Build-A-Bear. He clothed him in a firefighter suit, and named him Sparky. It was quite the (fun) process, and he loved every step of it.

Giving Sparky some stuffing

Kissing the heart that went in Sparky

Giving Sparky a bath before he gets dressed

He wanted to carry his new friend the entire time

And to top off the day, Grandpa took him for a spin on the merry-go-round...