An Easter Treat

I'm sharing a fun Easter treat Cruz and I made last weekend for our annual Easter egg dyeing party.  This was easy and creative, and involved Cruz's favorite snack - peanut butter and crackers.  Since Cruz and I are the only sweet tooths in our family, all too often it seems I make sweets that either go to waste or I end up eating them all myself.  These treats were loved by all and were gone in a flash! 

Score!!!

Easter Egg Cracker Snacks...

-Oval or egg-shaped crackers (I bought a package of Town House Original Butter Flavored)
-1 package of white almond bark
-Peanut butter
-6" Candy sticks, found at your local craft store
-Assorted sprinkles

1.  First, spread peanut butter on a cracker.  Stick a candy stick on the peanut butter in the center of the cracker and create a sandwich with another cracker.  Make as many cracker sandwiches as you desire and pop them in the freezer for at least an hour so the stick stays put when you dip in melted chocolate.

2.  When you are ready to dip, melt almond bark in microwave-safe bowl according to package directions.  Once melted, dip cracker sticks into almond bark and decorate with desired sprinkles.  We stuck to decorating one side and dried them on a piece of parchment paper when finished.  

Tip - only take five or so out of the freezer at a time.  At first, I took my entire cookie sheet out and after the first ten minutes, I started to notice the peanut butter melting into the almond bark.  

When finished, store in the fridge in an airtight container.  These would make adorable gifts wrapped in cellophane and tied with a spring ribbon!

  

16/52

"a portrait of each of my children, once each week, in 2014"

Cruz: Favorite part of his fourth Easter...watching him confidently go up for the children message at my parents' church on Sunday.  On the way there, I told Cruz he could do the children's message if he wanted to and volunteered Beau to go with him.  I didn't think he registered what I had said until the pastor invited the kids up to the front during the service.  He was listening, because he immediately started making his way through our pew without a moment of hesitation!  I had the perfect view of his face, listening ever so carefully to the lady talk about how to measure God's love, and raising his hand every time she asked a question!  She never called on him, but boy I wonder what he would have said if she had!  He looked so handsome this Easter Sunday with his blue shirt and big brown eyes.
 

Mila: Favorite part of her first Easter...it was so very special having this baby girl here this Easter.  I've dreamed about dressing a little girl in an Easter dress and I kind of felt like I was living in a dream with her all weekend long.  Bringing her to church, pulling her tights up and tying the bow on the back of her dress, laying her on Grandma and Grandpa's bed during dinner, and congregating around her on the floor while the big kids hid Easter eggs throughout the house was exactly how I pictured her first Easter.  Having a tiny baby around just makes everything so much sweeter.  And Mila...she's the sweetest.

thoughts on a rainy afternoon...

Having one of those days where I am in awe at the wonder of God’s creation.  Spring is definitely on its way and the presence of a rainy day seemed to wake up my senses.  I sat and rocked Mila for the longest time, closed my eyes and listened to nothing but the rain on our rooftop and her warm baby breaths on my chest.  It’s those quiet moments when it hits you – that overwhelming feeling of thanks for the life you are blessed to be living, all colliding with the just-as-strong sense of how fleeting it all is.  I stick my face in the crook of her neck, kiss her soft skin, and yearn for a pause button.  How can I remember this feeling?  How can I keep it close to me when the world is rushed and everything changes so fast?  We’ve been talking about superpowers lately and I think mine would be a rewind button – not to relive moments, but to revisit them from time to time and remember these exhaustingly beautiful days of raising my babies.  How soft their skin is, how they fit on my chest, how their eyes look at me as if I’m all they truly need in this big world.  Being their mom is the most important work I will ever do and I don’t want to take a day of it for granted. 

          

Finally Spring

The saying, "in like a lion, out like a lamb" has never been more fitting than this spring.  After a brutal winter and a cold start to spring, we're finally starting to taste those first signs of a new season and they've never tasted sweeter.  Just a week ago, I remember telling Beau that I wasn't much a fan for spring - everything looked dirty, the grass was wet, cold, and brown, and the wind seemed to blow right through the house, calling for thick socks instead of the strappy sandals I so desired.  But lately, I've learned to appreciate the anticipation that exists right now.  As an educator, spring is always a busy time; however, there's nothing more satisfying than the outlook that summer and a much-needed break is on its way.  There is evidence of this anticipation all around me - our Maple tree is full of buds, buds that will soon turn to thick leaves, creating the perfect spot for books and picnics and summer afternoons.  There is anticipation in the colorful, warm-weather clothes hanging in Cruz and Mila's closet.  There is the anticipation in time spent outside, that first night where coats weren't needed and it was warm enough to lay Mila on a quilt in our backyard.  This is what I appreciate about springtime - anticipation and hope of new beauty, new growth, and so much good to come. 

    

I love Friday nights for many of the same reasons.  After a long (sometimes brutal) work week, Friday nights are the perfect transition to all the good things of a weekend.  There's renewal, rest, and the anticipation of a slower pace and time spent with family.  And since last Friday night was not only the end of a work week but a perfect spring night, we had a double whammy of good.  Beau came home early and we played in the backyard for hours, going from toy to toy as if it was Christmas morning.  We threw pitches, kicked the soccer ball, and pushed Cruz in his swing, all while Mila stretched out beside us.  She loved it outside and I think we all felt a little like caged birds who had just been freed to spread our wings and explore the open world.  We packed the stroller and headed to Main Street, pushing the kiddos up and down the parkade until Mila fell asleep.  Then, we pushed the stroller into the back corner of Toads and shared french fries and toasted glasses to summer while Mila slept next to us.

 

Friday was only the start to a wonderful weekend of all the good things.  Lazy Saturday mornings and a stocked fridge of groceries for a week of healthy meals.  A vase of pink tulips and an afternoon of baking spring treats with my three year old.  Family books before bed, a little baby girl who seems all too aware that she is cool enough to lay next to her brother and be part of such a routine.  She turns her head from book to her brother, her eyes lit up as she proudly listens and kicks her feet in response.  And Sunday, a little Cruz proclaiming, "Hosana, Hosana, Yay Jesus!" as he exited his Sunday School classroom waving a palm branch, followed by a packed house and an annual Easter egg dying party, this time with little cousins that showed a bit more interest in the egg dying thing.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

I tried the Kool-Aid dye this year and loved the results.  I used Berry Blue, Lemon Lime, Black Cherry, Orange, and Strawberry.  Just mixed 2/3 cup water with an entire packet of kool-aid for the most vibrant hues.  My favorite part - our kitchen smelled like fruit instead of eggs!    

I've always been very thankful to live in the Midwest because of the seasons.  Each season creates reflection, forces change, and leads to anticipation of good things to come.  Looking forward to this weekend - the perfect start to spring.  Easter eggs and Easter dresses, the story of an empty tomb and a risen Savior, and the hope of a new season at our fingertips.  

It's Good Friday.  Celebrate the good.
    

Your Half Birthday...

Cruz,

This past weekend, you and your little sis hit some big milestones.  Mila turned three months on Saturday and you my boy had your half birthday.  We are just in love with the stage you are at right now and I thought I would try and capture a bit of you are at 3.5...

// to my handsome boy with big brown eyes that say so much, a boy who loves superheroes and memorizes an entire book about villains.  A book with words like magnetism, headquarters, and dangerous, you know the entire thing by heart but get a little shy when I ask you to read it to me.

// to the best big brother to your baby sister.  You call her "Me-wa" and repeat everything we say to her.  This morning, you climbed in her crib and requested to read her books that you knew the words to.  You read her "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "Red Hat, Green Hat" from her crib while Mila kicked her feet and grinned at you. 

// to my sensitive one, a boy who still likes to snuggle and will say things like, "Mommy, I need a hug from you before I get dressed."  To my boy, who was so concerned for your daddy after watching him workout one night, asking to shut the program off after thinking the sweat on his face was tears.  You kept trying to convince yourself he was okay, saying "his tears will dry up soon, Mommy" over and over again and then, crying big tears yourself out of concern for your daddy.  We laughed at your innocence and our hearts hurt for how concerned you were.  And if it's any consolation, your daddy does look like he might die when he works out. :)

// to my creative, imaginative, laid back one, who drinks every last drop of the milk in your cereal bowl, who could play in the bathtub for hours, and who can hold a tune better than any three year old I know.  A boy who loves his Grandmas and Papas, loves his friend, Liam, and loves Flash, because "he's super fast."  A boy who has lots of friends at daycare, friends who form an assembly line of hugs when we drop you off and pick you up each day. 

// to my outdoor lover, who's shown lots of improvement in that baseball swing but still has zero interest in riding a bike, or a trike, or anything on wheels.  We took you to Scheel's the other night to purchase any bike of your choice, but you begged for a plastic water bottle instead.  You've just started your third round of Soccer Shots at school and the other night, I couldn't believe your skills when it comes to soccer ball dribbling.  You love Coach Marty, your very first coach, and sometimes, you like to pretend you are him as you teach me soccer skills in the backyard.   

Cruz, what I'd give to be as cool as you.  You remind me every day to soak up my present and find the funny all around me.  You have this unique gift of finding the joy no matter what you do and your big smile and brown eyes motivate me to do the same.  I praise God for trusting me to be your mommy and thank my lucky stars for this family of ours.