Our First Garage Sale

We had our first garage sale on Thursday and Friday.  We knew we had stored items in our crawl space (this house doesn't have much storage) that we could part with.  So, as we started going through and choosing items to sell, we found that we had quite a bit.  Clothes that don't fit, toys that don't get played with, duplicates of many things, old home decor...there was lots!  So, we set up and sold stuff...John was the garage sale master.  He loved it!  I had to keep him from going inside and picking up more things to bring out to sell for a quarter.  Haha!  Our whole neighborhood has sales this week, so we just jumped on the bandwagon without having to put up signs or advertise at all.  Easy-peasy.  What made it even easier is that everything was either $3, $1, or $0.25 - clearly we didn't spend much time preparing.  It was pretty fun because Friday is one of John's days off work, so we just hung out in the sunshine as a family while we did the sale.  It was enjoyable, but hopefully we won't have another one for quite a while longer.  :)

Family Music Night!

For the first time in two years (or more!), John got to join us for family music night!  Each semester of music class, we have an evening where families are invited to come and participate together.  As you can see from the photo - its a little crazy with the two boys!  I was so glad we could be there, as Logan would says, "All the four family."

Easter Sunday

This was our first Easter Sunday where both boys woke up excited about the Easter Bunny and enjoyed finding eggs around the house.  It was also our first Easter where Logan understands so much about the amazing meaning of Jesus - he loved to talk about how much Jesus loves us and that he came back to life!  Logan has learned so much about it from school and church - its been incredible!  This year is truly a new start for us and Easter was really healing for me - realizing that we are so loved and nothing we endure can separate us from God's love.

The boys woke up and hunted for eggs left by the Easter Bunny...this was the only egg hunt Bennett enjoyed!

A leapster (for L), bubble maker (for B), special new placemats and plates - not to mention treats for the boys!

John went to church early so we had a nice breakfast - one of my favorite times of day!  The boys have been such good sleepers lately, its so fun to be with them in the morning when they are rested and ready for the day!

The boys looked so cute in their new "fancy pants".  We never wear anything other than jeans or comfy pants, so Logan was like "What am I wearing? Are these fancy pants?"  Haha!

I wanted to get a photo of all of us, but that just wasn't going to happen.  So, I wanted to try to get all the boys together in their "fancy pants".  This is what I got.  Oh well!

Egg Hunt 2011

Today Papa and Nana came over early to join us at the Carson Park egg hunt in Eau Claire!  It was a chilly morning, so was bundled up (but not enough!) and headed out!

Logan shook the Bunny's hand, but that was close enough.

Bennett kept his distance with Daddy and Papa.

Logan was so excited I couldn't even get a photo!

The eggs are divided up for age groupings, so its a really nice way for little kids to participate.

Bennett was not so sure about the crowds.  I think we should have practiced the egg hunt thing with Bennett - he did NOT want anything in his bucket!

Papa and Nana took Logan out in his age-group section and we joined in after Bennett was done.

Logan was the last kid on the hunt...

Mr. Photogenic.

Look at this!

We went out to a yummy lunch after warming up for a short bit at home.  

My parents brought some baskets for the boys, so my mom then hid the upstairs.  

Logan found his basket and then showed Nana.

Papa helped Benny find his basket...

And then the boys played with their new toys all day!  It was great!

We went to church later on and had another egg hunt there!  I didn't take my camera along, but it was fun - Bennett was still not into it.  It was a great day!  Thanks to Papa and Nana for visiting!

Eggs!

Thursday is now like Friday for us because John is off on Friday and Saturday.  Thursday comes so fast every week!  Tonight, we dyed easter eggs...it was so fun!

Logan loved dropping the dye tablet into the vinegar and watching the colors change.

This always brings back memories from when I was a kid!

Bennett wasn't so sure he wanted to participate...but he later changed his mind.  And, knowing Bennett's fashion, we had to change his clothes before he started in on the fun!

No fancy schmancy eggs for us yet, just solid colors (sometimes more than one color = brown eggs!).

Bennett's turn!

Happy Easter!

Really?

Today this is what we woke up to!

I think this robin has to be a little confused...snow on April 20th?!

When we can't find the boys...this is the new place to look.

We did a lot of projects today, trying to ignore the white outside.  

Spring, please come back!

The Week Without Blogging

Last week I didn't blog at all...we had some fun things to take photos of, but we had a lot of other stuff going on too.  The kids both got sick, the weather got nice (only for a couple short days), and we started to prep for a garage sale at the end of April.  Phew - it was a little crazy!  But, I have to say...I am loving this crazy life.  We are a completely different family than we were a few months ago and all the changes have been positive.  You might get sick of hearing us say it, but its been such a measure of God's love for us and His grace that we'll probably keep repeating it over and over!

We had Grady over to play again to give his mommy a break with the new baby.  The boys love Grady and he's such a nice boy!  We hope to have lots of playtime with Grady this summer.

Nana came to visit and brought some easy cookies to bake with the boys!

The kids also spent the weekend last weekend with John's parents in Stillwater and visiting the baby animals at the Minnesota Zoo!  What fun!  Thanks for having them, B & B!

New BIKE!

Last weekend was quiet.  It was our first official weekend "on the job" at Jacob's Well.  John was off Friday and Saturday so we took advantage of no interruptions and spent lots of good time together.  On Saturday, we ventured down to Eau Claire Bike & Sport - a local bike shop to get a new bike helmet for Logan.

When the weather started to get nice enough this year, we pulled out the bikes, trikes, etc and noticed that Logan is waaaaaay to big for any of them.  He is also too big for his helmet.  So, Bennett has gained ownership of the old helmet and all the bikes/trikes.  We knew Logan would need a new bike, but we were set on just picking out a helmet.  Well, he found a super cool helmet...

and, you guessed it....a SUPER cool bike!

It was right by the door when we walked in and Logan immediately said, "My new bike!"  John couldn't resist.  We bought the bike, but in a different color, so it had to be put together.  We couldn't pick it up until Monday, so all weekend Logan carried around a picture we printed off the internet of his new BIKE!

On Monday, John left work early enough to take Logan downtown and pick up the shiny new bike.  They even stopped for ice cream and a little inaugural ride.  How fun!  When they got home, they rang the doorbell and there was Logan, with the BIGGEST smile on his face - so excited to have his new bike!

Check it out!

Getting a boost from Dad.

We have some work to do getting Logan used to his bike, but it sure is FUN!

For now, Bennett seems to be sticking to his favorite outdoor activities: hockey and shoveling.

Bring on the Spring!

Today we had our friend, Grady over to play because he just became a big brother!  Woohoo!  While his mom and dad checked out of the hospital with the new little brother, we got to spend the morning with Grady.  We played outside all morning!  Thank goodness for SPRING!  It sure didn't come too soon...but we are happy it is here.  The snow has melted and we are spending as much time as we can outdoors.  We ran around, rode bikes, played baseball, a few rounds of golf, a game of soccer and even had our morning snack on the deck!  (And now, extra long naps from all the fresh air - Yahoo!)

First Day

John's first day at Jacob's Well.  What an amazing day for us!  The boys and I packed a gift bag for him full of snacks for his office and some of his favorite treats.  The boys made pictures to send along and we said, "Have fun at your new job, Dad"!  And...  he did.  John's day was great and our day was great.  There was a sense of joy about this new chapter for us - finally starting!  I was so happy knowing that he was being cared for, loved well, and supported at work...what a joy!  Let the adventure begin!

Vacation Week Two (March 25-April 3)

We enjoyed the second week of our vacation together at home.  We loved our "stay-cation"!  We got back to our normal routine with music class, sport tykes, preschool and playdates.  John was able to be a part of all of it and the boys just loved it!  We also worked on a few projects around home, took some family naps,  and had friends over for dinner.

I didn't take too many photos this week, but I got to take a few a music class since I wasn't there by myself with both boys!

The boys love it when Mrs. Anderson lets us use the drums!

We had lots of times like this: hanging out in pj's and reading books.  The boys developed this great new sense of independence and started to enjoy playing together more than ever.  Here they are reading books to each other.  I melted!

Another day, while I worked on something the boys watch some "Clifford" in the storage closet - just for fun!

To celebrate the end of the staycation - our friends all over for dinner!  It was the best!

Hooray for vacation - and stay-cation!  We've had the most amazing two weeks that have made us a new family.  We have learned who we are and who we want to be.  We can now begin our new journey with open hearts, ready for the adventure!