NYLA!

Dustin & I went out of town for the weekend for the NYLA (National Youth Leaders Association) Conference!  Dustin was asked to be a speaker at this conference.  It was nice to get away for a few days & be with great friends from around the country.

One night, we went to Baskin Robbins for dessert.  I had to take a picture of the mountain of ice cream Dustin ordered.  All in the name of fun at NYLA!

Granddaddy & Grandma Goodies!

Granddaddy & Grandma came tonight to spend the weekend with the boys while Dustin & I are away at a conference.  Of course, they brought presents for the kiddos.

Ethan was super excited about his new pajamas & his new "Cars" from the movie!

Josiah was also thrilled with his new pajamas & the Z-Curve bow he's been wanting!

The kids are always thrilled when they get Granddaddy & Grandma Goodies!

Lost Another Tooth!

This morning, before school, Josiah lost his third tooth.  He was so happy about this.  His teeth haven't been falling out fast enough for him.  His dentist says it's because they're so healthy.  He doesn't like that, he wants to be like his friends.

So, Josiah was really happy that he lost another tooth!

Happy Easter 2014!

Happy Easter!

We came downstairs this morning & set out the baskets for the boys.

Josiah's basket is on the left & Ethan's basket is on the right.

They were so excited about getting their baskets!!

Josiah is both in a Lego phase & a Star Wars Lego phase.  He got two Star Wars Lego kits & a Lego Star Wars DVD.  He also got eggs full of Easter candy.

Ethan likes to play with Duplos (large Legos) & loves cars.  So, he got a Duplo police car, Duplo motorcycle, two Duplos men & Duplos that create a bank, a jail & a bakery.  His Easter eggs were filled with Hot Wheels.  He was very happy about his basket.

After going through everything, we set up their table in the living room so they could play with their new stuff while watching Josiah's new Lego Star Wars DVD.

After some playtime & breakfast, we all got dressed & headed to church.

Josiah requested that they dress alike for Easter.  I love it!

At church, Dustin baptized one of our teenage boys.  Beautiful moment!

After church, we continued our Easter family tradition by having a picnic for lunch.

After our picnic, we had an Easter egg hunt for the boys!

Ethan wanted the candy out of the eggs more than he wanted to hunt.

After some candy & naps, the boys had more goodies to open.

Granddaddy & Grandma sent us each a card with a check inside.  Can't wait to spend it!

Papa & Meme sent Easter bags.

The boys loved finding all the treats inside.

Josiah's Easter bag loot is on the left & Ethan's Easter bag loot is on the right.

The most important part of our Easter is when we remember why we celebrate Easter.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16  Thank you God for sending your son.  Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross & for rising from the dead so we will live forever in you!

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Our family went to Aaron Haward's Birthday Party today!

It was at Wild Bear Falls in Gatlingburg, TN.  This place in an indoor water park.

All the kids had a wonderful time, but especially Ethan.  He didn't want to leave.

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

They finished Narnia!

After going to the early service at church today, Dustin & Josiah decided to read.

They have been reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis together.  This has been a very special journey for them together.  Dustin has waited his whole life to read these books with his children.  We never expected to read them with our 2nd grader, but he's doing so well in reading that we decided it was time.  There have been so many life lessons learned just by reading these beautiful books.  I was doing some work in the house while they read & just so happened to be standing nearby on the last page.  As they were reading the last page, the beauty of the story had them both in tears.  As soon as the last word was read, they embraced each other & cried.  It was such a beautiful moment that I grabbed my phone & snapped a picture of it.  I'm so proud of them that they finished Narnia!

Trampoline Fun!

We had so much fun outside together this afternoon.

We started our fun by having a picnic on this beautiful day at Ethan's new picnic table.

Then, we went to the trampoline.  The boys had so much fun jumping.

It got a little wild & crazy after a while & Ethan's hair wouldn't lay down.

It was so fun & funny to watch our boys have trampoline fun!