Thoughts that count

Easter morning 2012.  Bright eyed and bushy tailed, singing "Here comes Peter Cottontail".  Blessed is he that has his king sized bed full of them.  It appears that there is room for one more on the left hand side.

The turtle tank that I forced to become my hearts desire.  I am happy to report that so far it produces no odor and if I try hard enough and stare into the colored rocks as the turtle floats effortlessly above, I become one with nature.

Spring was beautiful in Texas and lasted for about three wonderful weeks.  We went to the park on one of those perfect days and it was so nice that we didn't realize we were getting burnt to a crisp. Zac had an allergic reaction to the hydro turf and his face swelled up until he looked like a"different boy," as he called himself.

Searching for Easter eggs in jammies and curlers.

Sierra in her Easter dress.  We tried our Sunday clothes on late Saturday night together....just for fun and by midnight we were all ready for church the next day. Of course we took the dresses off and went to bed, but at least we knew how to get ready fast the next day! Fashion really gets this girl excited!

Caleb in his championship soccer uniform.  His team is in first place in the finals.  I never knew I would get riled up over sports!  Whenever the opposing team cheers in an unsportsmanlike way, I start to feel my blood boil and I say, "hold me back Sierra".  Not really, but I do get all jittery as I watch the game.  It was a 90 degree day yesterday and I was shaking in my boots.  I really was shaking.... and wearing boots. The outcome was good thankfully!  The score was 4-0!

Yesterday, Steve told the kids that if they cleaned their rooms and helped out with some other things around the house that he would play "Water Circus" with them.  "Water Circus" is something he made up at the spur of the moment, but the kids worked harder than ever and had a fun night playing water games with Steve.  The first game was to see who could rub sunscreen into their partner the fastest, until no white residue was showing.  Who needs expensive toys?  Look at the joy on Zac's face!  Water Circus concluded with a treasure hunt for red jello chunks which were eaten in a baby pool in the back yard.  When I looked out the window all six of them were in the pool, meaning Steve too.  It's a very small plastic pool, and there was no water in it when they all got out, but boy oh boy it was fun!

This is what I came downstairs this morning to find....the kids all dressed for church, bright and early, having done it all by the themselves!  Even Zac, who struggles with wanting to get dressed up, greeted me with a smile and said, "Surprise, and I love church!"  It was truly a miracle, and made my day. I am going to leave out the picture of what everyone looked like after eating breakfast and the details about a few of them having to get redressed.  It was the thought that counted!