The Resurrection Eggs

For the week and a half before Easter, Addie and I went through the book Benjamin's Box and opened the correlating egg from the Resurrection Eggs set. We had such a wonderful time doing this together.

Then she asked me if she could tell me what each of the items in the eggs stood for. I should have pulled out my camera and recorded her on her first attempt. She floored me!

I decided to have her do it again (this time with my camera in hand). We did this twice. Our first take is actually my favorite. Addie was completely Addie. But some of her "facts" were way off (like when she said, "Jesus said, 'This might be my blood, but it's really not.'" I understood where that came from- my trying to explain that they weren't really drinking His blood- but if someone else didn't understand the "why" of why she said it, it could be taken the wrong way) and her expressions in some of the more solemn and somber parts are actually funny. She is such an expressive little girl. A total actress!

I am playing the second "take" for you today.

As you watch there are a few things I would like to point out.

1. I love how she says "Jerusalem". Way beyond cute! And I have no intention of correcting her anytime soon. She'll learn enunciation soon enough and all of her cute mispronunciations will be long gone.
2. Her verb usage is completely off but completely adorable! "Standed for," "roded on," etc.
3. She is very confident in what she is saying. Even if she is way off on something, she says it with such conviction that unless the listener knows she wrong you would think she is being very accurate and factual.
4. She says that there was juice at the last supper. Juice. Wine. It all comes from a grape as far as I am concerned right now. She's 5.
5. I do ask her a few questions about the cup trying to get her to say what she told me in the first take- that this was the Last Supper. I had no idea she even knew that! It is amazing what they really do pick up.
6. "Stinky egg!" When something doesn't go the right way in our family, we usually say "Stinky coffee maker! Stinky crayons!" Why? Who knows! It is just our expression :)
7. She has a hard time understanding that the soldiers put the spear in Jesus' side after he had already died. Maybe she will understand it next year.

The beauty of parenting is that we are laying building blocks every time we do something with our children. Every day, week, month, season, or year, we add another layer to what has already been laid. I look forward to next year when I can compare that video to this year's video and see how much her understanding of the Easter account has grown.


Resurrection Eggs Take Two from Suzette Ladouceur on Vimeo.

Happy New Year!

May your New Year be filled with expectation and hope for the wonderful blessings that God intends to bestow upon you and your family.

 

May this year be a year of opportunity and break throughs.

 

May this year be the best one yet.

 

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Our 4th and a Freebie!

Last year, Addie was so excited about the USA's birthday. It was the first 4th of July that she could actually understand and get excited about.

This year, was more about making the 4th fun for her. I picked up outfits for the kids that were patriotic and made sure that Addie's food reflected the 4th.

So a donut is not the "healthiest" breakfast, but what's the difference between a donut and a Pop Tart? She loved it! And she licked off the icing first before eating the rest :)

For lunch, I arranged her fruit into the shape of the American flag (woohoo, Old Glory!). Again, she was beside herself about what she was going to get to eat. It was gone in no time!

After naptime, we headed out for a great time at my cousin's home with her family.

But I think my favorite part of the entire evening was seeing the girls in the fireworks viewing section they had set up so they could see the fireworks going off in the neighborhood and surrounding area.

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If you are interested in a free apron, click here to go to the Get it Free website to redeem your free apron. I've applied for mine and cannot wait to get it the mail!

Happy 4th of July!

Our country has a beautiful, humble, and proud history. Sadly, we as a a nation no longer reflect what our country's founding fathers intended when they signed the Declaration of Independence 236 years ago. Our nation's moral strength has declined, and instead of looking to the God that our founding fathers worshiped, we are looking to every type of medication and television personality to fix our issues. Instead of acknowledging that we are "one nation under God," our leaders prefer to ignore Him and hope for the best.

Despite what our leaders say and do, may God bless America for the sake of us who still serve Him.

Happy Father's Day

His dad.....

My dad.....



Their dad....

Happy Father's Day.....

How Do You Explain to a Three Year Old?... Independence Day

In all honesty, teaching Addie about the 4th of July was not something that I really thought about.  In fact, most of the lessons that we learn are learned on a day to day basis as subjects come up, life happens, and questions are asked.  It is how I feel more comfortable teaching.  In fact, it is how I taught my students when it came to life and moral issues in the classroom.

On Monday, during Addie's nap time, I began watching America: The Story of Us through Netflix at Kristi's recommendation on Face Book.  Half way through the second episode, Addie woke up and came out to the living room where I was and asked what I was watching.

As you read the following conversation, remember that when I speak to my daughter, I speak in terms that she can understand, using phrases that make sense to her, and pulling from past lessons learned.  In our school time, we refer to the United States as USA.

"I'm watching a movie about USA's birthday.  Today is USA's birthday!  When we go to Grandma and Pop's house, you are going to wear a dress that has USA's colors on it because it is USA's birthday!"

Brian came out of the office (he was watching a Rays baseball game- America's game- during this time), and Addie was so excited to tell him, "It's USA's birthday! We're watching a movie about USA's birthday!" (not that she was actually watching it)

In the "movie" we saw an actor portraying George Washington.  Because we have already learned about him during our school time, I was able to remind her of Washington and who he was.  Can I even begin to tell you how excited she was to "see" George Washington on TV!

We went to Grandma and Pop's home for a cook out and to spend time with one of Brian's brothers and his family.  Of course, Addie had a blast running through the back yard, looking at the neighbors' chickens, and making Grandma and Pops work hard for a perfect picture of her. 

The one thing I wanted the most for her this 4th of July was for her to get to see fireworks.  However, because Brian had to go to work today, I knew making him stay out to see fireworks and then drive home later would only leave him tired for work. We have lots of "neighbors" who set off fireworks every year, so I was happy to just sit with her at the dining room window and watch. Brian was now watching the America: The Story of Us that I had watched earlier.

We heard them going off all around us, but we couldn't see anything.  Finally, I decided to go outside with her to the front yard and wait. Again we could hear a lot of fireworks going off, but we could see nothing.  I looked at Addie and said, "Let's pray to Jesus and ask him to let us see some fireworks."

"Okay!" She replied.

I prayed.  Within a minute some neighbors down our street behind some trees began setting some more off.... and we could see them over the trees!  We both said, "Thank you, Jesus!" out loud and then watched the fireworks.  During a lull, we ran back inside to get Brian so he could enjoy the fireworks with us.  The three of us stood and watched, and Addie told Brian that people were happy because it was USA's birthday (we had been talking about the reason for fireworks while we were watching them before he joined us). 

There is definitely much more for her to learn concerning our nation's history, but for now, I am satisfied that she now knows that our nation's colors are red, white, and blue, that it was USA's birthday, and that it is a day for celebration.  The deeper lessons will come in time.  Names, dates, and battles will be learned.  But for now, my three year old knows that yesterday was USA's birthday.  It is enough.... for now.

Happy 4th of July!



On our way to church yesterday.



From our family to yours, we just want to wish you a happy 4th of July.  If you or your family have served or are currently serving our country, then we also want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the sacrifices that you and your family have made so that my family can enjoy the freedoms that we do. 

God bless America, and may America recognize God once again.

Our Memorial Day Weekend

Sigh.........

Just thinking back on such a great weekend.... good memories... great food..... time spent with family..... watching Addie connect with my mother's side of the family....

On Friday after Brian arrived home from work, we began the preparations for heading south- washing our vehicle, mowing the lawn, making sure all of our laundry was done, laying out all of the clothes, and planning the fastest way to get out of the house in the morning. (Isn't she cute helping Daddy wash the car?)

Saturday morning we were out of the house by 8:15 and on our way.  We were making great time until we came upon a horrific accident.  The interstate became a virtual parking lot as we watched a medivac fly in and whick the injured away.  When we reached the scene (an hour later but only a mile away from us), we saw a vehicle overturned and crushed.  All we could do was pray that the passengers survived.

About 2:15 we arrived to love and hugs and kisses from GrandTiti, Uncle Jack and Cousin Belinda.  Addie and Ian opened gifts (I opened Ian's gifts) and Addie's eyes practically popped out of her head when she saw the three story dollhouse that Uncle Jack and GrandTiti bought her. They also gave us Addie's new bedspread set complete with a big girl pillow, sham, bed sheets, dust ruffle, and curtains.

We celebrated Belinda's birthday and ate more food than I needed too. After a nice walk looking for ducks a chasing them, too (a yearly tradition), it was time to call it a night.... after Addie got her toe nails painted by Cousin Belinda.

On Sunday night we asked Addie, "What was your favorite part of today?  Was it.......

Making blueberry pancakes with GrandTiti?

Riding the Merry-Go-Round?

Going down the slide on the playground?

Eating ice cream?

Spending time with Uncle Sammy (my mom's brother) and Grandma (my mom's mother)?

Being in the pool?

Playing with the dolly house?

Eating pizza?

Her answer was "yes" to it all.

Monday morning after our favorite GrandTiti breakfast of bagels with cream cheese and apricot jelly, Addie began asking for Grandma Che-che.  Brian, Addie and Uncle Jack went to the pool again while GrandTiti and I went to pick Grandma up.  We spent some more time at the pool until it was time for lunch and to pack up the car. 

Addie is now old enough to feel the emotions of leaving loved ones behind after a long trip.  She stuck her little lip out and whimpered that she didn't want to leave GrandTiti, Uncle Jack, and Belinda.  She was a sad little person for at least the first three hours of our trip back home (when she wasn't napping).

I love our visits with family.  The conversations that happen.  The way you can speak without being corrected, criticized, or ridiculed.  The way Addie can be a three year old without being questioned on why she is doing or saying something.  The way we can be totally free with each other without having to keep our gaurd up to protect ourselves.

Thank you, GrandTiti, Uncle Jack, and Belinda for you generosity and love.  We love you, too.

Happy New Year!

From our family to yours, we want to wish you a Happy New Year!

I was going to post the second half of my December Daily album, but because my computer has been defragmenting since Monday (I really don't think it is supposed to take that long!), I decided to give it a rest.  I'll post those photos next week.

Today, I will be carrying on the tradition that my mother used to have every New Year's Eve.  Her home was thoroughly cleaned and all of her laundry was done by the stroke of midnight.  She had a thing about going into the New year with last year's laundry. 

My house has been cleaned, and now all that is left is for my floors to be vacuumed and mopped and my laundry to be done.  We will also get to spend some time with Jim and Faye tonight (really looking forward to that!).

May your New Year be a wonderful memory for you and your family, and may God bless you all in the New Year!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to Julia from Team Mac! Love you, Sweetie!

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to take this time to thank you all for being such faithful blog readers and for being such an encouragement to me.  May you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful intro to the Christmas season.

I am going to take a very short break from the blog (I have Brian home for a four day weekend... woohoo!).  But Lord willing, I will be back here on Monday with a Mommy Movie Review and then updates about our Thanksgiving...and my Black Friday adventure!  December is only one week away!  Are you as excited as I am!

Our love to you all!

Father's Day

Father's Day was wonderful in every way.

We began the morning by giving Brian a gift from Addie and me.  I had Addie carry the gift bag to him, but as she handed Brian the bag, she announced, "Shirt!"  Oh, my!! Things were a bit easier to keep a secret before she could talk!  We did have a good laugh about that, though.

During church, Addie sat with Brian for the whole service and never made a sound.  When the service was over, she loudly said, "Now I talk! Now I talk!" Her former Sunday school teacher was sitting behind us and just laughed out loud.  We were so proud and Brian told her it was the best Father's Day gift she could have given him (hey, what about the shirt!). 

Can you tell that she is trying to get away from him?  He was following her around just wanting to hug her.  It was really very cute!

Fantasy baseball never takes a break!  Brian should have had a sports career.  He is the most knowledgable person I know concerning anything sports related.  He comes up with plays and team decisions before the coaches and GMs do. 

This was another one of my dresses from my childhood.  Grandma Adelaida (Addie's namesake) made it for me.

For both of them being only children at this point, they did a really good job at sharing toys with each other.

Can you tell she is happy about finding an Elmo toy at CJ's house?

After the service we went to Brian's brother's home for another family cookout.  It was such a nice time with family, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and family by marriage. 

It was raining outside...but they were going to get wet in the pool anyway!

Daddy stayed in the pool with her.  I love them so much.

Aren't they just so cute!

It was raining at one point, but since there was no thunder and lightning, the brothers took the babies into the pool.  Brian is such a good dad to Addie and stayed in the water longer than he wanted to because his little girl was having such a good time.  When they came out, she simply asked, "More the pool?"  Haha, you can't blame a child for asking.

By the time we arrived home, Dad was here waiting for us.  Addie gave him our gift for him (thankfully she didn't know what it was or she would have told him) and then we sat around and talked and watched an episode of Little House.

Brian, I love you! Thank you for being the wonderful man that you are, for working hard to provide for our family, for being an involved father, and a loving husband.  You are the best! I love you dearly and think the world of you.  You are my prince, my knight in shining armor, my best friend, my soul mate, and the love of my life.  I am honored to be your wife and the mother of your child.

It was an exhausting weekend, but a good weekend.  Now to get back into our weekly routine. Next weekend will be upon us soon, but it should be an easy one.  Have a terrific Tuesday!

Mother's Day

I went into Mother's Day with a plan. Brian had left the events of the day up to me, and I knew what I wanted to do. We were going to go to church, come home, give Addie a nap, pick up subs, go to the local beach, visit Titi Elsie, and have a great time as family.



Brian gave me the morning off. It was very strange for me to sit back on a Sunday morning and only get myself ready. He made me coffee and got breakfast for me and Addie. He gave Addie her bath and dressed her. Then he got himself ready. On our way to church, he mentioned how how tired he already was, and I smiled to myself. He is such a sweetheart.



During the Sunday service, God changed my heart and our plans for the day. We decided to accept an invitation from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for a lunch barbeque. Because we arrived before all of the other guests (my in-laws and my sister-in-law's parents, brother, and sister), we had a chance to spend time with them just chatting and catching up and playing with my adorable nephew, who is exactly 361 days younger than Addie.



Maybe you moms of more than one can tell me how it happens that your love grows with each child you have. As I held my beautiful nephew, my heart broke for Addie that I wasn't holding her (in fact, I'm tearing up as I type this). She was completely fine with it and was running around trying to catch the cat, but I kept trying to talk and play with her while holding him.



Two cousins watching Toy Story. Eventually they both fell asleep, and all of the adults continued watching it. Funny how that happens.


Brian (isn't he the cutest!) and his brother, each with their little one.



After our time with them, we went back home to catch up with Faye and then we all headed out to visit Mom's grave site. Faye picked up some beautiful flowers and arranged them with some of the flowers that someone had already put there. There were also three carnations already in place which we later found out were from Dad's visit earlier in the day.



Do you like my dress? I made it! Brian has been telling me that he would love to see me in a sundress, so I went out, got the material, and made it. I kept it on all day just because.








Each visit we make to the grave site is a way for us to measure Addie's growth. Our first visit to Mom's grave, three Mother's Days ago, Addie was only two and a half months old and had slept through the night for the first time. Last year, Addie was getting comfortable with the idea of walking on her own two feet. This year, we were following behind Addie making sure she wasn't grabbing the "pwee fwowahs" (pretty flowers) from the other headstones. Ummm, yeah, Brian is holding my sunglasses for me on his head:)








Mom, you will forever be remembered on Mother's Day. Even though you are no longer here physically, you will always be my mother.

We then went to Titi Elsie's house to spend some time with her and Uncle Johnny. Titi Elsie's house is so cozy and welcoming. We shared a cherry pie and pink lemonade. I love that I can totally be myself, share my thoughts, feelings, and dreams, and ask her for godly council. Addie loves her "Lala" and Uncle Johnny and gets excited when she sees the house as we pull up. She doesn't like having to say goodbye at the end of our visits. As we were walking out the door, my cousin- Titi's Elsie's daughter- and her family came walking in.

We arrived home to find my dad and Faye waiting for us. He, of course, had brought Addie another Elmo toy/gadget (that little guy is literally taking over my house!) which she spent the rest of the evening with, and I was given a gift card to Ruby Tuesday's (date night!). We watched the final episode of the Amazing Race (totally disappointed that my favorite team- the cowboys- didn't win) and River Monsters from Animal Planet (that will give you nightmares!) before Dad decided that it was time to leave. Brian and I continued our evening with two episodes of Little House on the Prairie before calling it a night (had to undo the scary-fish-living-in-Florida-rivers thoughts before going to sleep).

This had to be the best Mother's Day I have ever had. It was completely different than I had originally planned it to be, but that is actually totally okay with me (GrandTiti, I'm improving!). Maybe next year, I will get to spend the day with only Brian and Addie, but if God has other plans for my day, I am willing to change course and go in the direction He wants. His plans are always better than mine.

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If you enjoy giveaways, be sure to check out Kristen's blog over at Windy Poplars.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Mom, thanks for teaching me by example of the kind of mother that I need to be. You never wanted it to be about you; you always wanted it to be about us. Thank you for staying home with us and making the sacrifices you did instead of going to work.



Thank you that we were more important to you than stuff was. You didn't put a price tag on your love; you always gave it freely. One moment that really stuck out was after Christmas, you asked if you could return some of the clothing you received because they were too big. When you got the money back from the gifts you said you were going to use the money to buy your granddaughter some items you thought she needed.





If we ever needed help, you never treated it like a barter system. You treated our feelings as being valuable.


You were always on the other end of the phone when we called. You always wanted the best for us and were so happy when we succeeded.



Your grammar may not have been perfect, but your love for us was. The words you used were always covered in love, never criticism. Thanks for being the mother that you were. I miss you...

Easter Weekend- Some pictures

Our Easter celebrations began on Saturday morning. Our church had an Easter Party for the children of the church and community. There were hundreds of people there, but it was so well run and organized. We had a wonderful time.
I love how she snuggles up to Brian to get her picture taken. She is her daddy's girl!

Part of the fun was the petting farm. There were several goats and donkeys. Oh, you are so brave, little girl!

She loved the donkeys. She just wanted to keep petting them. Of course, we made our way to the hand sanitizer right after. The point was made to each child that pet the donkeys that every donkey is born with a cross on its back. Very cool!

We weren't sure if Addie would sit still to have her face painted, but she did. Even the woman doing the painting said she was amazed at how still Addie sat. She is such a girl! She loves to be pampered.

She had a little heart painted on her cheek. Her cheeks happen to be full of gummies!

At my aunt's house, we had a delicious lunch/dinner after reading the Easter account. Then it was time for the annual Easter egg hunt. Addie's big cousins love her to pieces. The twins are two of her closest friends.

We had to show her what to do with the eggs (at first she picked up the eggs and then put them back), but then she got the hang of it and was on a roll! She was still looking for eggs after the hunt was over.

Grandpa lent a hand when there were some eggs spotted in some of the hanging baskets.

A child on a mission!

A proud daddy!

Her little heart was fading at this point. And she's still looking...

Our girls. Such a beautiful bunch.

Counting the eggs. She collected 24. Because one of her eggs had stickers on it, she also won a prize...a chocolate bunny.

I love how Brian and Jim just get along with each other. After spending the afternoon at my aunt's house, Faye and Jim came back to our house. What a great time we had...even if they beat Brian and me at Wii Sports. We want a rematch!

We are so excited for them. They make an awesome couple!

Easter morning. The dress was courtesy of Titi Tita (one of my aunts). Daddy bought her the bonnet. Team Mac sent us the shoes. Her hair was pulled up in a pig tail of tumbling curls with a big white bow in front.

For dinner we met Brian's family at his parent's house. We brought Addie's car and let baby CJ have a little ride. I was so proud of how well Addie behaved while CJ was in her car. She cheered for him. It made me comfortable with the idea of adding Baby #2 in the near future. (Just for clarification- we are not expecting yet.)

Hehe... what a squishable little person! Ooooh, I love you!

Yesterday, Faye offered to watch Addie for me while I made a quick run to the store. When I came back, they both had blue noses (thanks to Aunt Faye's eye shadow). I got into the action too, and we just had to get a picture of it.

Oh, my little cutie patootie! Mommy thinks you are such a fantastic little person. Your smile and laugh brighten our day. Daddy and I thank God for you everyday. We are so proud of how well you are growing and how well you are eating. You are loving the Resurrection Eggs that Aunt Kristi sent us (we are doing them as our devotions right now). Just remember that with as much fun as you had this past weekend, without the Resurrection there would have been no celebration.

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I am going to take a few days off from blogging this week. My sister is home for her Spring Break and I only have her until July. I need to make the most of the time I have with her.

I will be posting on Book Club Thursday and Recipe Swap Saturday so don't worry about that. I will keep those commitments.

Lord willing, today, my dear friend Cathy and her daughter Kenberly will be coming over for the day to scrapbook! I am super excited about this. I have let myself get so behind, it isn't even funny. I think I need to go back and read my simplicity posts on scrapbooking just to calm myself down.

Have a super Spring Break and I will see you all on Thursday morning, bright and early!