And I thought it was hard with two...

Hats off to SAB-Mad (mother of 4 under the age of 5 at one point) and all other friends who have managed to get 3 or more of your own children under the age of 5 to look good in the same photo! Here was my first attempt. Needless to say, I will be refining my skills.

Titus Ray

An Adventure to Share...

So this will again be another summer for change...in fact, I don't know of a summer yet since marrying Michael that has not possessed much change! We learned last month of our relocation station, and needless to say, we are ecstatic! All of us keep thinking of new questions and looking into the answers of our new hometown and all that it holds, yet we also have a lot going on here before the big move. First, I have to complete my last week of work and Micheal his last week of school. Then we will immediately leave town to celebrate Joseph's graduation from Med School, and spend time with our dearly loved friends (of which you will soon have many posted pictures I am sure). On the return home, Michael will be off to Europe for military duty, and I will accompany the kids to Grandma and Grandpa's for a week. When we get back, it will be time for VBS, then Mimi will be flying in for a visit. I look forward to having her help me sort through clothes as well as play with me and kiddos while awaiting the birth of her 7th grandchild! Hopefully the baby will come around the first week of July, and after the baptism we will be loading a truck to head east! It should be a fast but wonderful time! A few pictures to catch up on the last few weeks...

A Spring day at the Botanical Gardens.

Attempting our own skills at gardening!

Vicarage call service....he looks pleased!

Michael and I on vicarage call night.

Some of my best girls!

Me and the little one to come.

Indispensable Friends.

The crew of cousins jumping on the trampoline.

Do we wonder where their oddities come from??

Jamie and I patiently waiting.

A Towel Princess and a Sleepy Boy.

Love to all of you, Amy

Out of Order...

I noticed that there was a collection of pictures that I never posted. I think that this error occurred when I was self diagnosed with 'dramatic posting stress syndrome' (a disorder that flares up when all of my friends want to know why I have not posted in a period of time). So, without further ado...some pictures!

The first selections are from our wonderful night of dancing and dining with our Sem. friends at the Valentine's Dance. It was a great time, reminded me of Prom...without all of the drama of finding dates!

Good friends Ryan and Anne (this picture redeems the egg-blowing photo of Anne posted previously:)

Charming Bill and Miss. Mary

Some of my girlfriends....

and finally, my love Michael and I!

Sweet Elise took ballet classes this year and enjoyed most of it...

that is if mom accompanied her through the lesson.

I do believe her favorite part was receiving the flowers from her teacher on the last day. She was so proud of these!

I had taken this picture in the beginning of March to show my mom my belly... I feel I have doubled since then!

Michael enjoying a day.

On an appreciated warm day we headed to the park to do some 'Spring Training' as a family.
Josiah caught up to dad for the tagged out.


Elise and Ziah worked as a team.


Ziah played catcher while Elise got some batting practice in.
I, worked on my shots (photo that is) and got a couple of hits in, but the kids were less than impressed with my 'sprinting speeds' this year. Love to all.

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

We had a wonderful weekend visiting Grandma and Grandpa. There was an assortment of activities including:

bike ridding,

bird watching, tree identification,

reading and just hanging out with family.

The most standout memory for the trip was definitely our time at Build-a-Bear. Although there were no bears built, the kids were overjoyed with their selections. Josiah picked a Triceratops that he named Dino-Mite. Elise picked a pink Cheetah and named her Princess Aruzia.

They took great care filling the huggies.....

Giving them baths.....

Combing their hair.....

And hugging them up and down! Thank you Grandma for such a fun date!

On Sunday Michael was the guest speaker for Trinity's Confirmation luncheon. The whole family was there, so we snatched a quick picture. Don't we look good?

He Has Risen....He Has Risen Indeed!

This year's Easter celebrations have been shared with many friends and family. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by such a great group of people who love and trust and believe in the same Lord Jesus Christ as us! May we share his name and life with all people...

Our dear friend Anne called up and asked if we would like to partake in an activity that she remembered her grandfather doing with her when she was little. Always up for adventure and celebration, our response was YES! Here is the account of our efforts of this new skill...Decorating Blown Eggs.

The first skill to master is the appropriate size hole to 1. blow into the egg through in order to get the yolk and whites out appropriate sized hole #2. When either hole was inadequately small, this would be the appearance of the blower:

If the blower, in frustration, tried to enlarge either hole too much...the dismal result would be as follows:

Josiah took a try and did quite well. Out of a baker's dozen he completed 2...

Elise and I did one (together)

and Michael and Anne got the awards for stamina as they successfully finished the rest.

We all enjoyed dyeing them together:

And here is the outcome of the hard labors:

Unfortunately we still have one unsolved problem: How does one get the needle and thread through the little holes to turn these hollow shells into decorative ornaments?

On Maunday Thursday, we drove down to Grandma and Grandpa's house and enjoyed a party with all of their friends and special guests Uncle Charlie and Aunt Barb. The next morning we continued south to visit our family's great friends. Lou, Christy, Destiny, Moses, Hannah and Chaco were great hosts! We played all over the city and had much fun continuing friendships. Destiny was a love, so caring and ready to help with all the kiddos, they really look up to her.

Moses and Josiah acted as though a day had not past since their last playtime together. Superheroes and PowerRangers were in full action.

Elise enjoyed all the delights of having a girlfriend her age, and Hannah was always sweet and ready to take part in everything.

We all enjoyed an egg hunt at the YMCA, but the true excitement came when finding the baskets that were hidden around the house in precarious places. After that the children hunted for the eggs that were meticulously set about the house.

We also praised the Risen Lord together on Sunday at their church. It was a great church that is so fitting for their family. We got to visit with past friends from Fairchild, the Shiftlets, in the bible study that we attended. Josiah especially liked that he was picked as a volunteer to help lead the "Shake a friend's hand, shake a hand next to you" song. Elise loved the candy in the little egg and basket she received from her teacher!

Happy Easter!!