Easter 2014

Last Friday, my friend and neighbor had an Easter playdate at her house.  The kids made bunny faces, played, and then had an egg hunt.  

Isaac has worn the bunny face that he made non-stop!  It is currently in our car, since he wants to wear it to so many different places.  He even visited Grandma Joan while wearing it.  :)

Egg Hunt

Emma would find an egg, pry it open, and then unwrap the candy inside.  Consequently, she found about two eggs because all she cared about was opening eggs-not finding them!  

"Open, open, open!"  she'd say over and over.

Isaac, on the other hand, could care less about what was inside each egg--he only cared about finding as many eggs as possible.  The moms set the eggs out in very obvious places…after Isaac gathered about two dozen, he said, "You didn't do a very good job hiding these eggs!"  :) 

 Once his basket was nearly overflowing, he ran around to each child and gave them a handful of eggs from his own basket---unprompted!  It's such a delight to see those moments when your child shows generosity & kindness to others.  

hunting for more eggs

 Resurrection Cookies

My mother-in-law sent me a recipe for resurrection cookies.  Isaac and I had a chance to do this together last Friday night while Dave was at church serving at one of our Easter services.  

First, we read from the Bible how the soldiers beat Jesus.  

Isaac "hammered" the pecans.

Then, we added salt (showing the salty tears of Jesus' followers as He was led to the cross), vinegar (which Jesus was offered to drink while dying on the cross), egg whites (signifying new life which comes through Jesus' death), and sugar (because Jesus' death is sweet to us since it allows us to receive salvation).  Then, we put all the ingredients in the mixer until the batter became white (just as we become white as snow).  

We read how Jesus was laid in a rocky tomb, and our cookies looked like miniature rocky tombs because of the pecans poking through the batter.    When I started to take this picture, I told Isaac to say "cheese."  He said, "No, say 'Jesus is alive!' "  :)

Then, we put the cookies in the oven.  Isaac taped the oven door shut, just as the tomb was sealed shut.

The next morning, we opened the oven and bit into a cookie…it was empty inside!  

I love how you can see Isaac's smile in the background of this picture--he was SO excited that the cookies were hollow!

Easter Morning

 Isaac & Emma opened their Easter baskets early on Sunday morning.

new pajamas, which both of them wanted to put on right away

and "Isaac" and "Emma" plates and bowls

I have been looking forward to giving these plates and bowls to my kids for awhile.  They love them and have eaten every meal on them since Sunday!

Easter Sunday at Keystone Church

My friend posted this picture on Facebook of some of the toddlers in Emma's class going for a ride in the "Bye-Bye Buggy."   

A Rinn tradition--the lamb cake

cousins!  Isaac, Amanda, and Emma

Emma was much too busy eating lamb cake to smile.  :)

After Easter dinner, Isaac took a swim.  It was only 65 degrees out, but that didn't stop him from swimming.  :)

Emma and Uncle Mike

 We hope you had a wonderful Easter, too!  Jesus is alive!

Texas Bluebonnets~2014

I'd been hoping to take bluebonnet pictures today.  When I checked the weather a few nights ago, it said there was a chance of rain for today.  I checked the weather on the news early this morning, and the reporter said the rain wasn't supposed to come until late this afternoon!  I scrambled to pack a quick picnic before my kids woke up so that we could leave right after breakfast and chores!  

Many Texas bluebonnets are in full bloom right next to the interstate.  Although I've seen people parked on the side of the interstate & frontage roads taking pictures, I'm just not quite up to that with my two kids who move faster than lightening!  A friend gave me a tip that there were bluebonnets near Lake Grapevine, so we drove there first.  The field was gorgeous, but it was covered in Indian Paintbrush!  Since I was determined to find bluebonnets, I scouted out Bluebonnet Love which had a recent post from just four days ago that there was a thick patch of bluebonnets in Grapevine.   Isaac was a little disappointed that we had to drive more, but it was worth it.  I may have burst into the "Hallelujah Chorus" when I saw how gorgeous this field of bluebonnets was!

Emma "posing"

"Hol my hand, hol my hand"--I think Emma says this at least one hundred times a day.  I know "hol my hand" is a stage that won't last forever, so I'm cherishing each moment of holding Emma's hand.  

I think Isaac looks so handsome!  But, standing in a field of wildflowers really isn't Isaac's thing...

…but jumping and being silly is!

 

I told Isaac to tell Emma a secret and then heard him whisper, "Emma, I love you." 

Emma picked a bluebonnet before I could stop her.  Isaac kept saying, "Emma, we don't pick them.  They're the Texas flower."  

I'm not much of a photographer, but I couldn't get over how gorgeous these bluebonnets were.  As we walked through the field, I noticed how some were a lighter blue--almost a violet--and others were deep sapphire.  

And, in case you think all I do is chase my smiling children through fields of flowers, here are a few other pictures from our morning:

Isaac started to put his arm around Emma for a picture, and she did NOT like it.  "Isaac, I no want it!"

("I no want it" is her go-to phrase right now.)  :)

But, whether they're smiling or screaming, I absolutely love these kids.

An Early Easter

Last night, we celebrated Easter with my parents since we won't be together for Easter Sunday.

Although it's nothing compared to what other states are experiencing, our "Texas winter" has continued on and on…we are so ready for spring to stay!  But, because it was wet and cold outside, my mom set up an egg hunt for the kids in the house. 

Where are the eggs?  Under the bed….

…in the bathroom...

…hidden in the toys!

Isaac was extra-sweet and saved some eggs for Emma to find.  Well, he actually was so excited that he showed them right to her.  "Here's an egg, Emma!"

After hunting for eggs, we ate a lemon blueberry cream pie I'd made for dessert.  I often write notes in my recipe books with the date & occasion for each recipe I make.  There was a note by the recipe for this pie that I'd also made it for an early Easter dinner in 2009.  We celebrated an early Easter with my parents that year because we went to Colorado for Easter Sunday to tell Tim & Susie we were adopting a baby!   This is my favorite picture from that trip…when Tim & Susie realized what the picture said!

Surprise!  We are adopting a baby!

And, four years later, look at these beautiful babies God has given us!

Two pictures of Emma and Daddy two years apart (2014 and 2012)

And, here is my last favorite picture from last night.  We ended the evening with watching the rest of "Babe"--Isaac had watched the first part of it with my parents a few days ago when he had a sleepover at their house.  Isaac and my dad just laughed and laughed through the whole show.  As I sat on the other couch with Emma and my mom, I looked over and saw this...

When we left last night, I gave my dad a big hug and tried not to cry as I told him how special it was for me to see him watching "Babe" with Isaac.  Years ago, I dreamed of moments like this.  We prayed for years that our parents would be able to know and enjoy their grandchildren.  We continue to pray that for future grandchildren, but I am so thankful for moments like this with Isaac and Emma.  

Thank You, Jesus!