Enjoying Everything

It is hard to believe. I tried really hard to narrow down my selections. Alas, this post has over 50 photos! And to think it only spans a week of our life. But, we found some beautiful moments this week. We sure had some celebrating to do.



Easter came. It happened to fall on Eric's first birthday.


So, over the course of a few days, the easter bunny came.....a few times. The baby opened gifts here and there. We finally made it to church after weeks of runny noses and coughs that had everyone within earshot running for cover.

Grandma made it for a little birthday cake/watermelon sherbet surprise.



Cam studied and aced his first exam.



We had a lot to celebrate. *smooch*



This week, Camlon stole a few moments with Finn. There are these amazing bluffs along the coast and beautiful trails that connect all the beaches and bluffs together.




How about this!!!! What a great start to Eric's first birthday!


Ally wrapped one of my scarves around him and she proceeded to tug and jerk him around the room like he was the newest Hoover vacuum cleaner.


He recovered and we had a great Easter egg hunt. While the "Easter Bunny" hid eggs in our yard, I took the kids around the block. I told them to gather some sticks and rocks so we could make him a love nest.



Grandma helped us with the finished product later.



Check out that moss. Awesome!




Finn asked, "Is the Easter Bunny Chocolate?"





On with the Hunt:

We did a little one inside with the chocolate eggs before Daddy got home from errands.


Then, after our little walk, Finn and Ally quickly dumped their love nest materials when daddy mentioned he saw the Easter Bunny! To the backyard they ran, with baskets in tow.




It took her awhile to find this one...












I love that our kids were already smeared in chocolate before the hunt began!












Finn protected his eggs like they were gold. Daddy asked Finn to share an egg with him. And Finn refused. Finn even blocked out the baby so he couldn't get near the goods.




Ally, on the other hand,




shared her eggs with daddy right away..



...even though, she had a lot fewer eggs than Finn.









Baby loves rubbing foreheads with anyone!




Happy Easter to Everyone!



Eric's favorite thing to do these days is dance!
Here, he's just realized his favorite song is playing, "Underdog." I think I know why he resonates with that song right now.




Oh yeah, he jams!



Hence, the brilliant idea of a singing card!


He opens it and the song plays. Then, he closes it and repeats the process over and over and over. "Hey now, you're a rockstar..." cuts through any other music in the house.



Seriously, he's jammin'!




The big Birthday "cake":



Ally eats it the watermelon way, even though, it's melting away quicker than she can eat it!




Baby's initial response to the cold, tart flavor...




But, it grew on him...






Unfortunately, I think that dessert might have made him sick. He was up most of the night, keeping us up most of the night. Poor baby! By the way, Jan, THANK YOU for his sweater. He wears it every day!

More kiddo news:
Finn's first set of GeoTrax. He puts the tracks together by himself now.



Ally got a new haircut.








And, she LOVES any daddy time she can get!!









Thank you to everyone for your cards and love for Eric on his first Birthday!








This morning, life goes on pretty much as always..




With lots of laughs!



Lately, I've been feeling like the gloomy kerploppus from those great Mercer Mayer books. I'm not sure why. And I'm not talking about depression. It's more like I can't stop my head from spinning each day. Or my perfectionist side takes over and can not believe how much "work" I need to do.

But, "enjoying the small things" is something I love to do. This woman's blog has been instrumental in helping me look at the "RIGHT" things each day. Why is it so easy for me, as a mom, to get totally overwhelmed in the process of raising my children? Why does taking pictures help remind me of how precious this time of parenthood truly is and how fast it goes by? I don't know. But, it does. And, it helps me truly ENJOY each day, and practically each mundane moment! Jesus is my rock, and I do rest in Him. And, he has used this woman's life and experience to open my eyes to the beauty of a creative, loving home! And the power of a positive attitude. *Gosh, that sounds so cheesy, but some days....a positive attitude just does not seem possible!

I'm sharing this with you now, b/c this woman has recently had to put this whole, Enjoying the Small Things, to the grindstone. Here is the link to her 2nd child's Birth Story. Read it when you have a few minutes. And, you may have already read it. Since publishing that post, her website has received over a million hits!

Some people that read my blog are parents, some are not. I'm including this in my post today, mostly for my personal family's sake. It's a reminder to us. I'm thankful for Kelle and for discovering the camera. Thank You!

Well, in the spirit of all I've written, I'll leave you with this photo!


Have a lovely week! Keep Looking UP!