Easter

Easter is a very meaningful holiday for our family. My favorite memory each year is to hear the kids tell the Easter Story with the Resurrection Eggs- a dozen eggs each with a chronological symbol of the story of Christ's death and resurrection. David asked Jesus into his heart at age 3 while retelling the story with the Resurrection Eggs. The past couple of years we've tried to take time each day during the Holy Week to stop and talk about what was happening that very week so long ago in Jerusalem as Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, shared the Last Supper with his closest friends, and then hung on the cross. David and Abby really pondered this year about each event. Abby really wanted to hear about how much Jesus' body was broken- what did his back look like after the whipping, and what the holes in His hands and feet were like. David imagined a super-powered angel pushing the stone away from the tomb on Easter morning, and both liked to think what they would have done had they been there. We took communion together as a family on Good Friday, and it was amazing to see how much the kids could piece together the symbolism of the bread and the cup. I feel so blessed to share faith with Steve and our children, to place a focus in our house on trying to grow closer to God, and to witness the growing of two young Christians. My own faith felt so big and such a part of me at an early age, I am so grateful my kids eagerly talk, ask questions, and want to learn about Jesus. I can't wait to see what God has in store for David and Abby!

Dying eggs

The Mother-Daughter Easter Tea at church

We took Steve's mom, Debby, with us. It was the highlight of Abby's spring- she had her little purse packed with white gloves, lipstick, the whole 9 yards. We sang "Im a Little Teapot," ate tea party treats, visited with friends, and learned how much God loves us . Abby even went on stage with Mayah (right) to dance and put motions to a song she didn't even know!

We hosted 3 families for Easter dinner and a really big egg hunt!

Kids from left to right: Abby, Claire, David, Evan, Mayah (front), Hannah S., Thomas, Ella, and Hannah J.

Robin's Egg lipstick! Steve has a serious weakness for Robin's Eggs- it's a good thing I couldn't find them at Costco!

Green Day

March 19

St. Patrick's Day was uneventful at our house- we covered our bases with green! On this March 19, Abby decided it was Green Day. We were home together all day waiting for our cable hook-up- which meant I needed to get into the crawl space ("the big hole" as we call it) to get a path cleared for the cable guy- while I was down there, I found a tub of toys the kids hadn't played with in a while- musical instruments, dolls, etc.- so I brought it up as entertainment for Abby. She found a couple of green sheer scarves and designed herself a dress, to which she added a green dress from her "too small" drawer, a green felt hat meant for pets (my crazy mom bought the kids each one last year for St. Patty's day), her green shamrock knee highs from the dirty clothes basket, all of the green hair pretties we have, and green eye shadow. I hope I'm not missing anything green. She then asked for a green picnic lunch in the living room (the cable guy is here by now- I'm sure quietly cracking up at this silly goose). We dined on green milk, grapes, cucumber slices, and crackers with cheese (not green cheese!). This day made me wish my mom could have been here to share our picnic- this is the kind of thing I remember as a kid- dressing up, my mom playing along, making me special lunches in the basement or outside in the playhouse- she would have loved this! And to think, it was all Abby's idea!

March 19 is also my Auntie Carolyn's birthday! Happy Birthday! This photo was taken on Alki Beach in Seattle this past January. We had a special day with Auntie Carolyn - lunch at the Luna Park Cafe, watching sea lions, playing on the beach in West Seattle, and shopping at Trader Joe's. The elastic in Abby's pants broke while we were at the beach- it was hilarious- her pants kept falling down- and I mean down to her ankles! Oh we laughed!

Catching up on March...

I did download the March photos in March, it's just taken me awile to get the blog updated! Goodness! If it weren't for the photos, I wouldn't even remember March!

March 16

We celebrated the last day of Spring Break at the indoor water park in Anchorage, H2Oasis. What FUN! We arrived fairly early in the day when it was still empty, so we had the pick of activities. Abby and I tried the Master Blaster- although it scared her- so once was enough! David took her word for it, and stuck to the Lazy River, Pirate Ship Play Pool, and Wave Pool. Once the kids figured out that they could "swim" in the Lazy River with a life jacket on, that was it. We estimated the number of our trips on the Lazy River to be at least 20- no kidding! The kids were starving and exhausted! We ended our day with dinner at our favorite pizza restaurant, The Moose's Tooth. This is a definitely going to be an annual event for the Novaks!