Painting Birdhouses

We used to have two birdhouses hanging from the garage in the backyard, but during a wind storm this past winter, we lost one of them. I found some new wood ones for the kids to paint at Big Lots, and they were so excited to work on them this evening. Here they are "in progress" and with the finished projects:

Gabrielle is very specific in where she paints each color on her birdhouse

Jacob takes a different approach and mixes all the colors together

Gabrielle

Jacob

Sick Baby

When I walked into Emmaline's room to get her up from her nap, I was overwhelmed with a horrible smell. As I peered into her crib, I saw that her clothes and hair were covered in throw-up. Poor thing! It was evident that she didn't feel good because we couldn't get her to smile at all (very unusual for this usually happy baby). After a quick bath, I put her on the floor in the dining room so that I could run to the basement and put her crib bedding and clothes into the washer. When I came back upstairs, this is what I found:

Oh, to be this flexible and to have the ability to fall asleep anywhere!

Nathan and I are part of the new pastor search committe and were supposed to attend a meeting at church tonight, but Emmaline's sickness put a kink in our plans. I ended up staying home with Emmy (thankfully, my parents were already coming over to watch Jacob and Ellie) and holding her until I went to bed that evening. She was so worn out that she couldn't even hold her head up, so we spent lots of time cuddling.

Luckily, whatever virus she had didn't last long. Her stomach isn't quite back to normal, so her menu consists mostly of nursing and some baby cereal, but at least she is smiling again.

Please Pray

I don't usually post prayer requests on my blog, but thought that this one needed to be prayed about by as many people as possible. Janet, a friend from church, was just diagnosed with invasive breast cancer yesterday. She is a mommy to 5 great kids (ages 15-5 1/2) and has been my personal mentor in regards to homeschooling (she teaches all 5 of her kids) and raising a special needs child (her oldest daughter has a chromosomal disorder and many other special
needs).

If you could pray for the following, I know that their family would greatly appreciate it:

1. That the cancer has not spread to anywhere else besides her breast & surrounding lymph nodes

2. That the daily chemotherapy (starting next week) would kill all of the cancer cells

3. That her husband, Mark, would remain strong and that he won't have to travel as much for work during this trial

4. That all of the needs of the kids (schooling, physical, etc.) would continue to be met while Janet undergoes treatment

5. That Janet would not become discouraged and that friends and family will surround her with the love and support she needs right now

6. That God would choose to miraculously heal Janet from this cancer

Thank you, in advance, for your prayers!

Lunch with the Brammers

Our church is in a state of transition as we look for a new pastor. In the meantime, our interim paster has been Howard Brammer. Our home group wanted to get to know him and his wife, Martha, better, so we hosted a lunch for them after church today. There was lots of yummy food to eat and plenty of good conversation. We are so thankful that God sent the Brammers to us!

Waiting for the guest of honor to arrive

What a spread!

The kids watched a movie while eating (to keep them quiet!) so the adults could talk

Emmaline

Pastor Howard does a magic trick for the kids

Enjoying dessert...Mom (in the green sweater) is talking to Martha

Gabrielle

Fun times can wear a baby out!

Happy Birthday, Papaw Kevin!

Nathan's dad's birthday was April 4th, but everyone was sick last week, so we celebrated with dinner tonight at LaRosa's. We had a good time visiting and eating together.

Granddaddy, Mema, Grandpa John, Emmaline, and Kevin

Grandpa John, Emmaline, Kevin, Ginger, and Gabrielle

Coloring with Uncle David

Gabrielle

Emmaline (wearing Ellie's headband)

Ellie, Uncle David, and Jacob

Enjoying some yummy chocolate cake

Helping Papaw open his gift:
a Sudoku book, pencils, and a gift card to Big Lots (his favorite store)

Happy Birthday, Elliot!

One of the kids' friends from our home group, Elliot, had his 2nd birthday party today. The kids had so much fun playing games and eating with the other kids there (mostly ones from our home group). Here are some of the highlights:

Jacob shows some brotherly love

Emmaline enjoys her cheese, grapes, and cheerios

Gabrielle throws cookies into Cookie Monster's mouth

Jacob puts the nose on Elmo

Elliot opens our gift (with some help from his mommy)

Enjoying cake and ice cream with their friend, Kaia

At the Childrens Museum

Climbing the net on the playground

Emmaline Daddy and Jacob look up birds in a book

Ellie does some birdwatching in the treehouse

Mommy and Emmaline watch the kids below

Dr. Gabrielle interviews a rooster

We saw lots of animals. Jacob liked the red-spotted newts

Watching someone clean out the turtle pond

Nap time

We told the kids to stand on these rocks and pose.
It must be in their blood to pose like cheerleaders!

The kids ran into their friend, Peter, at the museum

Ellie makes a jump for it

Jacob does a great imitation of a flying squirrel