Easter Sunday

This was by far the coldest Easter that I can remember, and the earliest. I bought the girls the sweetest outfits for Easter and then had to go shopping for dressy sweaters for them to wear because it was just so cold.

Here's an interesting tidbit. Did you know that Easter 2008 will have been a once in a lifetime experience? Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox( which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on the calendar.

Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early( 95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts:

1. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So noone alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

What a relief! I hate cold Easters. Makes me yearn for spring all the more.

So, anywhooo... here's the kids on Easter. I made the girls bags to carry to church with them, and filled them with their Easter goodies instead of using baskets. They can fit their Bibles and SS. papers in them. I got really tired of having baskets around. I mean, there are only so many uses for pastel Easter baskets. I filled a little collapsible bin for Nathanael, and he put his legos in it.

Getting them to stand still and smile without being foolish was a challenge. After several tries, I finally said sternly, "Will you kids please just smile and stand still for one millisecond!" That's the picture where their all laughing. Mama is so funny when she's frustrated!

Easter Fun

We had a fun time this afternoon preparing for Kids 4 Truth on Friday. The kids and I made birds nests filled with jelly beans as a treat to give out at club. Attached is a poem with a color that represents something about the Savior. Alana and Nathanael basically smeared chocolate from pillar to post. (of course, they still had fun.) Mikayla took over and finished the project. All that's in it is Chow Mein noodles and chocolate frosting. You mix it together to coat the noodles. Then, mold it into a muffin tin to form a nest shape. After that you freeze them, and fill them with jelly beans.

Easter Recipe With the Kids

Ingredients:

Crescent Rolls

Melted Butter

Large Marshmallows

Cinnamon

Sugar

Here is a recipe that you can do with your children or grandchildren in order for them to understand the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I just did it with my kids, and they had fun and did it with no problems. It's easy and very yummy! ENJOY!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Give each child a piece of waxed paper to work on with one crescent triangle. It's also a good idea to give each child a wet paper towel, and put the butter and cinnamon sugar in little bowls.
1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
2. Have the children dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar. This represents the spices used to anoint the body.
4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll. Instead, bring up the sides and seal the marshmallow inside. Seal it really well. If the marshmallow does leak out, it will still work.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
5. Place in oven for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb---pretend that it has taken three days.
6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls(grave clothes) and discover that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN!
Here are some scriptures to use with your explaination while the children are enjoying their empty grave clothes.
Matthew 28:5-8
1 Corinthians 15:3-6
Romans 6:17-18
John 8:36
John 1:5-10

T'aint Much!

Human/Alien hybrid transportation unit. (Got that?)

Mikayla would rather play on the computer.

So.... not much has been going on around here lately. Sort of the same old, same old. I'm thinking about a mother/daughter banquet, and working on Bible School stuff. Can you believe it's time to work on VBS stuff already! So, I made the volunteer sign-up poster and a bulletin insert announcement type thing for this Sunday. Last year I think we had near fifty kids, so we need lots of helpers. Fifty kids is a very big group for our little church to handle.

Everyone is sick around here. But not us...yet...knock on wood. I do all I can to keep Lanie from getting pneumonia.

Terry and I have been having a great time keeping up with and finding more old friends on Facebook. I think I'm seriously addicted.

I have to ask Jon and Lisa for some picts that they took out at camp when we went skating and fishing. Maybe I'll be able to post some of those.

In the mean time here are some pictures of the kids with Legos. The weather has been gross, so it seems legomania has hit our house again.

The kid's schoolwork has been very frustrating lately. The public schools have had a lot of snow days lately, and my kids figure that they should have a day off every time, too. "UHUH", says Mom! So they have been dragging their feet. They'll be happy when we are done at the end of May while their friends have to keep going, though. It seems like we've have had to do a lot of Science labs and experiments lately, which is usually fun until all three are supposed to have one the same day. Great fun for them, but not so much for Mom.

Mikayla has had a tooth poke through the side of her gum. She is not impressed! I have never heard of a kid having extra teeth, but the dentist says it's not uncommon. The dentist says she needs teeth pulled and then braces. We were able to get her to the orthodontist for a first consult and x-rays, but the price for all the work is way above what we can afford. So... we are praying about it. I know that the Lord can fill this need, I just have to wait on Him. Alana is next. BUMMER!!

On the bright side, Dad seems to be doing better lately. This week is the week of his treatments. One of his docs gave him an appetite stimulate pill. Hopefully, he'll be able to eat more now.

Terry's job is going well, and he has had many opportunities to witness. His boss came to a BJU concert recently. Terry answers loads of questions from all his co-workers daily. We are praying for their salvations.