Easter Weekend

Technically, this was Lana's second Easter, but it's the first she's actively participated in. We dyed eggs (she was less than impressed), hid eggs (more interested) and hunted for eggs. We went to two egg hunts. The first was in Colfax on Saturday morning. There Lana met a creepy Easter bunny and found a few eggs. She kept her silly blue hat and sunglasses on the entire time. At the second egg hunt at church that afternoon, she really got into the egg hunting and probably picked up 20 or so eggs. Again, the sunglasses stayed on, even inside listening to the Easter story.

 

Sunday morning we all got dressed up and took advantage of the beautiful day and headed outside for pictures. Lana's Easter dress was actually a Christmas gift from Grandma Sue and it's my very favorite of all Lana's dresses and it was just perfect for Easter. Lana even kept her bow in, a small miracle in itself.

 

After church we spent the afternoon with friends and family. There were a ton of kids and Lana had a great time, and of course, I took zero pictures : ( I need to do a better job of taking my camera out at these get-togethers.

I hope your Easter was as beautiful, fun and spirit-filled as ours.

Happy Easter Sunday

Christ is Risen!

We are set free!


Believe it.


Trust it.


Freely, blessedly, unashamedly LIVE in it.

My Girl

I have a confession to make.

Back when we first found out we were expecting a little one, both Dan and I were nearly certain the baby would be a boy. We discussed boy names way more often than girl names. Dan thought about what toy tractors in his collection he could pass down to his son. I resigned myself to spending years dealing with black eyes, muddy boots, and wrestling matches in the living room.

Ultrasound day came and gave us a shock. We certainly weren't disappointed, just surprised and our expectations shifted slightly. We bought pink things. Lots and lots of pink things.

It was also around this time when friends, family, co-workers, and random strangers offered us their opinions on boys versus girls. All offered congratulations, and most followed with a warning. Girls are waaaaay tougher than boys, My son is much easier to deal with than my daughter, The mood swings start early - be ready, My daughter can be so difficult, etc, etc. My own mother offered a different sort of advice, saying she didn't necessarily think it was a boy thing or a girl thing, just a kid thing, and every kid is different. My Grandma Carol offered encouragement, telling me how fun it was to have a little girl and how much I would absolutely love it.

I am happy to report that like usual, Grandma was right. Having a girl is so fun. I love the pigtails and the frilly dresses. I love how she took an interest in my recently pedicured blue toenails and how she was so excited when I painted hers.


I love how we do ballet in the kitchen and how she colors at the table. I love how she combs her hair and says pwetty pwetty. I love how she tries to twirl in her Sunday dress. I love how she loves being a girl.

I also love how she enjoys digging in the dirt and getting filthy dirty. I love how she chases the dog and cat. I love how she points out deer in the back pasture and how she makes pheasant sounds when she sees one.

We didn't get what we expected, but oh-so-much more.

All of this isn't to say that one day I wouldn't enjoy experiencing the wonder that must certainly come with raising a little boy, but for now, I am so, so happy I have my girl.

And lest you think our rough-and-tumble needs aren't being met, I assure you, they are. Lana's purple boots get quite muddy, she laughs and laughs when we wrestle in the living room, and currently she's sporting her first black eye.

Spoiled.

That's what we are. Or, better said, that's what we were all last weekend and three days this week.

My Grandma Carol, lovingly referred to as Grams, flew in from Utah on Friday and promptly began spoiling us all.

She made us biscuits and gravy one morning for breakfast and made chili rellano for dinner. She cooked pork chops and black bean salsa chicken. She watched Lana while I went to work and she did our laundry and took Lana out on walks.

Lana received the bulk of Grams' attention. From the neat hand-made present to the "talking" books and the constant attention, Grams was definitely Lana's favorite toy.

(Lots of love shared between these two.)

Grams shared with Lana a fun book, a re-telling of the Gingerbread Man. It's a super cute story, but to make the experience even cooler, on Tuesday Grams and Lana made their own gingerbread men cookies, complete with decorations.

(If you've ever wondered who makes gingerbread men outside of the three weeks before Christmas, here's your answer - my Grams as she created a special experience for her and Lana - so, so cute and so very appreciated.)

Grams and I spent some quality time together too. On Saturday afternoon we went to a new nail salon in Pullman for pedicures. We sat in the massage chairs and talked for over an hour while our feet got pampered and beautified. We also went to Steel Magnolias at the Pullman Civic Theatre. Grams introduced me to the theatre over 20 years ago and I still enjoy watching a play with her more than about anyone else in the world.(By the way, the play was very well done and I recommend it highly. It runs for two more days, so local friends, get dressed up and spend a few hours with the beauty shoppe ladies of Chinquapin Parrish. Be forewarned, you will cry. Even if you know the story, M'lynn's monologue in the last scene will rip your heart out, but that's also a testament to how well the play is acted.)
We also got in some much-needed shopping in Spokane and Grams helped me narrow down potential kitchen floors at Lumber Liquidators. It was a really great visit and I'm so happy my grandma could make the trip. I'm hoping it becomes an annual event.

In honor of April Fool's day today, I tried my first trick-food. "Eggs" made with melted marshmallows and dried apricots.

Are you fooled?