Boy or Girl?

It's hard to believe we will be adding a new little member to our family in just one month! We are getting things ready in the nursery. I am loving the simpleness of pale grays, khakis, and cream colors, along with dark hardwoods and tattered things, so that is the nursery's decorating scheme too.
I found this vintage baby scale at a garage sale last week for two bucks. I couldn't pass it up... I loved the shabbiness of it, the colors, and the idea that it weighed babies over 60 years ago. Right now it's being repurposed to hold some newborn diapers.

So if you had to make a prediction, what would you guess? Boy or girl?

Landscaping with Daddy

Yesterday we started the big job of landscaping our front yard. There were no shrubs or trees to take out (just a few tulips that never bloomed), so we got to start with a clean slate. Clay was such a big helper all day!

Here's the before picture . . . the afters will have to come in about a week.I think Clay looks so much like his Daddy in this picture. And immediately after I took that shot, Emma asked, "Can I have a picture with Daddy too?" She didn't help quite as much with the landscape project, but she was the "water bottle girl."
It was a great day of preparation (enlarging flower beds, weeding, removing sod and a brick border) and we were all excited about the work that is being done to transform the outside of our place. Next comes the best part...the plants!

Things we love...

. . . about homeschool: You can be dressed up in a lion costume while you work on writing your letters, and no one thinks anything of it.

You can also wear your pajamas to school and even have bedhead while you work on your Math!
We have homeschooled Clay this year for kindergarten and have really enjoyed watching him learn. I think the most rewarding thing for me is to see him come alive to reading. The other day Emma asked him, "Clay, can you read me a book?" And then I saw them sitting on the couch, with Clay reading a story to her.

I also love it that we finish in about 60-90 minutes each day, so the rest of the day the kids can play outside, explore nature, go on bike rides, get books at the library, learn how to use power tools with Daddy, cook or work with Mommy, etc. I know we will always remember this special year of learning at home.

This is good!

This afternoon we shared communion with the the Reichanadters. When we broke the bread, some of the pieces were pretty generous. After Emma received her piece, she said, "Do I get all of this?" It struck me that she was talking about something that represents the body of Christ. Yes, Emma, take and eat ... you get all of this, you get all of Jesus. In fact, Jesus is inviting you to take all of Him, and He wants all of you.

Then we passed the juice and everyone had their own cup. Clayton finished his drink, and with a purple mustache he shouted out, "This is good." Yes, Clayton this is very good. The body and blood of Christ is the wonderful gift of God to the world and the Resurrection from the dead is the hope of the Gospel.

Happy Easter!

Egg Hunt

Yesterday was the big Easter Egg Hunt in the woods. The dads and grandpas hid the eggs and then let the kids loose. It was so much fun for them to look and find their treats.