the meaning of Easter

From my MOPs e-mail. Sorry for all of these, but they mean so much to me and I hope they will touch you too.

The simplest meaning of Easter is that we are living in a world in which God has the last word.(Unknown)

The Easter Story
Carla Foote, Director of Media
Acting out stories in the living room was a favorite activity of my children as preschoolers. For holidays, the living room plays became even more elaborate and included any young friends who were joining our family for a holiday meal.One particular Easter will live forever in our memories. The time came in the story for Jesus (older brother) to come out of the tomb. The angel (a visiting friend) was standing nearby, but the Roman soldier (younger sister) was quite stubborn and wouldn’t let Jesus out of the tomb.The story ended in gales of laughter as Jesus had to push his way past the Roman soldier who was quite determined not to leave her post.I’m not sure how this re-enactment of the Easter morning truth of Jesus’ resurrection affected the spiritual development of my children, but it certainly has lived on for many years in the re-telling. I’m sure when they have children and are enjoying Easter dinner as a family, versions of this story will be retold, even if some of the details become fuzzy over the years.Thankfully, the truth of Easter is bigger than our small re-enactments, and we can celebrate that Jesus is alive and came to give life to each of us, and to our families. If you have questions about the Easter story, download this free Easter resource.

Prayer From a Mother's Heart
Dear God, thank you for giving us Jesus so that my children could have life eternal.

sick again

The boys are throwing up again! Ugh. I'm so tired of this. Both of them are having issues top and bottom. Arlington was sitting on the potty this morning and then threw up and unloaded all over the floor. He tried his best, but what can you do when you're already on the toilet? And Gabe just threw up in his bed again, but thought he pooped in his pjs. Which he did. So I put him in our bed after throwing on him one of my t-shirts. Then this morning I noticed he had pooped on our bed. Yuck! I want this all to be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you are all fine. We are supposed to have another day of 50's with rain and Saturday will be in the 40's with 1-3" of snow and then rain. LOVELY! I want SPRING. And warm thunderstorms with doors open to hear the storm pass. I'm tired of the chilly weather with snow and slush. I am the first to admit I love the winter and I would be devastated to move somewhere that doesn't have it. But I'm sick of it now.

Well, I'm off to wash the bedding...AGAIN!

The handsomest man EVER!

Ladies, eat your heart out. This is why I married him.

Okay, well he has in some candy teeth that the kids got on Halloween that I wanted to throw out. He wasn't pleased I was going to put the on here, but come on...everyone should be allowed to see this beautiful face. We really got a kick out of this. And since I've been trying to focus on things that make me happier...well, here you go.

Life...for me. It's just plain ol' boring.

Have I been hiding? No, just trying to keep up with life. It has been relatively uneventful, but so busy. I've read in Arlington's classroom, gone Easter outfit shopping, shopped for Easter presents, played outside and done laundry, laundry, laundry.

I keep meaning to clean Maggie's bedroom which rivals any mess I had as a child. But I've yet to do it. It will take a lot of time and I just don't want to sit in that room by myself and work on it.

I have spent much time in contemplation of the struggles that two of my girlfriends (Kate and Em) are now going through. My heart is aching for them. I don't know what to do and that is an unfamiliar (or just uncomfortable) feeling for me. I want to help. If I knew it would make a difference, I would drive to WI and MI to do something...anything. But there isn't anything. There is just pain and emptiness and the bitter disappointment every month that reminds them of the lack of control we have on our own lives. We all feel this desperation at times in our lives, but very rarily do we have to be hit in the face with the reality of it all, over and over, month by month. So I'm consumed with thoughts of what to do. Nothing. I have to sit and wait, just like them and hope and pray for the best.

I hope the rest of you are staying happy and healthy. I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon. I'd love to have you here to join me for a cup of coffee at our local coffee shop. Think about it!

the title picture

Okay, while this isn't the most flattering picture, it is really showing what I'm longing for most. Sitting on a deck, while the option of a pool in the background, with family and friends and enjoying the warm weather. I want fresh air, outdoor exercise. I need it. I'm tired of "hibernating" in this once warm and cozy den of mine. Now it's stiffeling and I'm feeling cabin fever, stir crazy.

The boys have been throwing up for over a week now. They were rotating nights, as though taking turns to drive me crazy. But last night, bless their sweet little souls (can you hear the sarcasm???), they decided to share the night. Gabe at 9:30 and Arlington at 2:30. But the thing that was worst, we realized Gabe had gotten it in our bed and by the time Arlington was sick, we didn't have extra clean pillows. No, we were out. I'm tired of puck. The smell, the laundry, the cranky kids and me.

Then to make things simpler, Maggie has decided pooping is an optional thing. So she'll go weeks with out going. But she'll ruin 5 pairs of underware a day because it is "leaking" out of her body. This past month she's had issues with it getting over everything (her winter coat, the toilet seat, handle, bathroom floor, etc. You get the point.) So I've spent my days cleaning crap and vomit. I'm desperate for a vacation (sans kids)!