What A Weekend!!

He Has Risen!!! Yes, I know it was four days ago but even now, the words still have the same meaning as we joyfully said it to each other on Sunday. The words of our Pastor still echo in my mind as he shouted, "The tomb is empty!!!" during a wonderful and powerful service. What an amazing sacrifice that our Lord made, as he died for us so that we may experience the power of forgiveness and even more so His love for us! Thank you Jesus!!
Easter - I wish those words that we say to each other would have meaning to my boyz but for right now it is all about the Easter Bunny and...CHOCOLATE (I am afraid I have created Chocolate Monsters!!!) That's okay though.. as long as it is Hershey's!
My sister in law, Jackie, came to visit for the weekend and I loved every minute of it - she was a breath of fresh air in this house!!


FRIDAY:


Connor was in rare form as we came home from church that night. I honestly have no words to describe it.... the video says it all!!

Yes, he is definitely following in his Daddy's love for RAP!!


SATURDAY:


It was a cold morning but we braved the weather to see who else but... the EASTER BUNNY! An egg hunt was held on base so we went with our good friends Bryson(his real name is Bryce but for some unknown reason this is what my kids call him) and his mom, who is also my good friend, so that works out perfectly! The boyz had a great time and were truly content with each grabbing five eggs!

The boyz, Mama, Bryson, and Brandi

Cooper was all about the duckies!

One happy boy after the egg hunt!

SUNDAY:



What a day! Our church had a wonderful service...the music, the sermon...everything! The kids also had an egg hunt which was held in doors...yes it is hard to believe that it rained that day!

The Church gang getting ready to hunt for the eggs!

Cooper and Carter ( I am all about an arranged marriage with these two!)

The boyz and Carter!

LOT AND LOTS OF EGGS!!!

We ended our Resurrection Sunday with a great evening with our friends who are also without their husband/Daddy! We had more than enough to eat and we had yet another egg hunt.... I guess you can never have too many - well at least in the boyz's minds!!
Connor and Cooper - Thank you for making this weekend so precious! Not only was it meaningful because of what Jesus did, but also because you brightened the rainy days with your laughter and smiles even though Daddy wasn't here! I love you both - xoxo Mommy

Chocolate...It cures everything!

Today was just one of those days that I was feeling sorry for myself... it could have been for a variety of reasons: I watched my dear friend walk out of the sanctuary this morning with her husband knowing that in an hour she was going to say goodbye to him for the next seven months. There was a pit in my stomach knowing that all too familiar feeling...deployment! It also could have been because I had bathrooms awaiting my cleaning! The other day Connor asked me if I had cleaned his bathroom when I answered No, he asked me to come upstairs so he could show me that it was dirty - Thanks buddy!! But basically it came down to.... I miss Nate!
So what is the cure for missing your hub??? Why Chocolate of course!!! I waited patiently for the kids to wake up and when they did.... THE CHOCOLATE PARTY WAS ON!!!!

Connor and Cooper - Thanks for being a part of my Chocolate Party... I can't wait for the next one! xoxo Mommy

My Buddy Levi!

It is amazing how Connor and Cooper already have a sense of what friendship is all about. One of Connor's ultimate buddies is Levi! Levi is eight days younger than Connor and they are like brothers in every sense of the word. Everything that Levi does Connor wants to do. Connor started wearing big boy underwear because that is what Levi was wearing... Levi actually taught Connor how to pee standing up (yes I taught him to sit down - hey what's a mom to do my hub was gone!) He even actually taught Connor to hit his bottom to shake off the excess pee (Melissa taught him that :) )but Nate quickly put an end to it saying that it was cute now but not when he is ten going to the bathroom with other guys!

Swim lessons... I would say that they definitely did not rank high on Connor's "fun list" - that is until tonight. Last Thursday Cooper was sick so our friends took Connor to swim class but brought him back before the class ended because he refused to go into the pool! Long story short I moved Connor into the next class with his buddy Levi and also his instructor was going to be a girl. I knew the night looked promising as we drove to swim lessons and Connor is in the back singing.."I am going to swim lessons and I am going to have a girl teacher, and I am going to see Levi!"

The whistle blew for classes to start Connor walked with Levi - not even looking back at me and into the pool he went. For the next thirty minutes I watched Connor and Levi walk across the pool using their arms practicing swimming strokes, lying on their backs floating with a tube, and playing games! This was one happy mom!!

Thank you Levi - thank you for being such a great friend to my little boy! Thank you for making this world a brighter place -Connor, Cooper, and I love you to pieces!!

Okay Mama I have a plan......

"Okay Mama, I have a plan....." Connor is infamous for saying this when he has this fabulous idea that he knows I will jump at! I love how excited he gets when he is ready to tell me - he has this certain expression that lets me know what is coming is the next best thing to a great shopping trip where everything is on sale and better yet I am miraculously in a smaller size! What is even more amusing to me is that some of the ideas I will just have mentioned to him, but two seconds later I am hearing that phrase........

Nothing beats a great cup of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows (because Daddy likes them!!!)

YEAH CHOCOLATE!!!!
"I know... how about a smoovie!" "You mean a smoothie Connor??? "No, Mama a smooooovie!"

"How about a picnic in the family room while watching Pocahontas???"

I can't wait for the next, "Okay Mama, I have a plan....."

Con-Man - I hope that you will always find joy in the simplest things! You make everything fun!! xoxo Mommy

Swimming, Swimming, In the Swimming Pool.....

Swimming, swimming, in the swimming pool......not so much! Tonight Connor and Cooper and I ventured to the pool for our first swimming lessons. This is all the kids have been talking about since we signed up last Friday. My two cool guys walked in - ready to conquer the pool! Connor was in his own swim class and I relunctantly had to get my incredibly white self into a bathing suit for Mommy and me class with Coop! Cooper was excited because he was going to be taking the class with his sweet (and might I add beautiful) friend Carter (you will meet her later)! The class began and it was time to get the tots (my friend uses this word... can I copy you Beth???)in the pool. It was if someone had turned on the music to JAWS.....Coop began to put a death grip around my neck as if to tell me there was NO WAY HE WAS GETTING IN THAT POOL!!! I looked over at Connor and much to my dismay he was having difficulty in the other pool too... tears were streaming down his face as he was telling the instructor that he did not want to get in the pool. As we moved towards the wall, I heard the scamper of tiny feet coming my way - Connor had managed to escape his instructor and run over to the safety of his mom and the smaller pool. Carter's parents took Coop for me (thank you again:) ) and I began to console a distraught little boy. I didn't know what to do.. I knew he could do it though because he had been swimming like a champ in the Caymans! Then I did what every good mom would do, "Connor, if you go back with your teacher I will give you a piece of gum!!!" I walked him back to class and my little guy (who I now owed a piece of gum to) was in the water swimming with the tube without the teacher's help! (I think I just got played by my little guy - rats!)
By the end of the night....Cooper's death grip had lessened, he was smiling and laughing and Connor was all smiles too!!! Thank goodness for gum!!!

UH OH... MONSTERS!!!

It seems like every night Connor and Cooper and I have the same conversation...It begins with Cooper's big brown eyes becoming even wider, he starts to look left and then right as he opens his mouth and says, "Uh Oh! Monsters Mommy!" In his sweet little mind it is almost as if he has convinced himself that since there has been a major change in our lives all of a sudden there are monsters lurking behind the closet doors or underneath his bed at night. Connor, being the man of the house, calmly reassures him that there are no monsters that Daddy has killed them. Yes, my three and a half year old uses that exact word! WHY?????? (the infamous word) Cooper wants to know. Each night I tell him the same thing, "Daddy has taken care of them because he doesn't want anyone to hurt his little boys and he would do anything to protect you!" Just with that simple answer all is well again and we can say our prayers before the lights are turned out. As I walk out of the room and turn to give them one last " I love you and sweet dreams" I wonder if the answers to their questions will always be that simple. Can they even comprehend the love that Nate and I have for them and that we would do anything to protect them from harms way. As I close the door I silently say a prayer, praying that they will always feel protected from the "monsters" in their lives...protected by God, their Daddy, and their Mommy!

All Smiles - Daddy took care of the Monsters!!!