around the world and in my own backyard...

it was a pretty busy weekend.

there was a little wedding you may have heard about. and a 10 year old manhunt came to an end. a lot of news in the world arena. though it may not as newsworthy, there was a lot going on in my little corner of the world as well.

first there was the spring chorus concert...

if you are thinking the girls are dressed that way because we are ultra-conservative, rest assured, we are not that behind the times in nebraska. the concert had a colonial theme. and bill had em's cap which sent her into mock humiliation...

then it was girl's night at a japanese steakhouse out to celebrate robrenna's birthday...

(please note: if you are the loud mouth in your party, the guy throwing the knives and food will surely use that fact for his purposes.)

saturday, along with dance, a track meet, and a football game, was our annual ladies tea for church. i was the emcee again, a role which puts the aforementioned loud mouthed-ness to good use. this years theme was "the hats we wear"...

the woman on the far right won the "top hat" prize. she was so shocked that she won

anything and was a bit confused about what it was for.

when i explained to her that it was a prize for the one who had the most beautiful look,

whose hat was a crown of glory, she started to cry and

told me she was going to live all week on the compliment.

i wanted to try to sneak her home in my handbag.

that's the kind of gracious, humble beauty i want to have at her age...

at any age!

what a fun blast from the past to be able to wear hats for this event...

(my friends who were in charge of the event, rebecca and becky, did an amazing job)

speaking of amazing, tate lent his skills as a server...

the theme for the table i decorated was "somebunny loves you...jesus!"

i didn't win. but em was able to decorate her own table for the first time. her theme was "all things bright and beautiful"...

she didn't win either. stupid voters. :)

immediately following the tea, we headed to our end of the year picnic with our students...

college students are so much fun!

who needs a royal wedding when you can have a royally good time in your own neck of the woods?

deep, meaningful questions

does jesus care what i wear on easter?

"no, not" (said in my best mr. darcy accent). but i do. instead of a new easter dress, i went with easter shoes this year...

a few years back, i was a bit embarrassed when em offered her prayer request in sunday school, "my mom can't wear cute shoes anymore". well, we can just chalk these cute little numbers up to answered prayer, i guess. take that, bunion surgery!

how important is it for a family to be color coordinated on easter?

very. again, not to jesus, but to me. it's not important to my husband or children, but they oblige. thanks guys.

did i retouch wrinkles around my eyes and a gray patch of hair in the above pictures?

guilty as charged.

did lulu enjoy the easter egg hunt?

you tell me...

(all that excitement before she even knew there was candy in them!)

are my big kids too old for easter egg hunts?

nope. {whew}

can tie dye eggs turn out cool from a $2.99 kit?

yep. totally cheap and totally cool.

does jack ever where a shirt?

church and school. that's about all.

no easter basket? no problem..

is anyone else freaked out by how much em looks like me in this picture?

it's even freakier than the "freaky eyes" themselves.

were we sad to spend another holiday without gunga?

most definitely. we couldn't help but think that last easter, we were with her. she was loving us and laughing with us...

we were so blessed.

and we were we blessed this year to celebrate this glorious holiday with family who we love and with whom we laughed...

all is blessing.

and so it was a very happy easter...

new tradition

Last night we shared communion as a family after Lulu went down to bed...

We prayed for one another. We sang together. It wasn't perfection (dog licking my foot, a few complaints, a little bit of silliness instead of solemnity). But isn't that precisely the point of the Lord's supper? It isn't about our perfection, it is about our lack of it. And Jesus lacking nothing, but giving everything. His body broken...

His blood poured out...

He drinks the cup of wrath. We have communion with God.

There will be easter dying and easter egg hunts and easter gifts to come. But that imperfect, yet sacred moment will likely be my most treasured Easter memory this year.

what makes it good

The kids are home from school...

The weather is a respectable 55 degrees.

But what makes this particular Friday good is knowing that death doesn't get the final say. Not on that hill. Not today. Not ever.

And I cry out, for the millionth time, "I believe, help me in my unbelief." (Mark 9:24)

april

april showers...

april track meets...

(in 30 degree weather)

april foolin' any day of the month...

(wearing tate's underwear just for fun)

april cuteness...

(she likes to give her daddy thumb's up when she has done something well)

lately i haven't been giving the thumb's up to the weather around here. april is such a conflicted month weather-wise (see this clever post). but april is a blessed month of grass greening, birds singing, and kids laughing. and i am thankful.

freeze frame

i am so excited to finally have ordered our family photos (taken in the fall), so it was about time for a little bloggy botox. the fabulous, rachel ruffer took our photos. she had never photographed a family before and the poor thing got thrown into the deep end in with this crew. but she did swimmingly (pun intended) in dealing with the kids and the hardest part, the neurotic mom.

it has been a joy to watch rachel blossom as a photographer, but even more to see her blossom as a woman of god. if you are in nebraska, please check her out (especially the behind the lens part). we love the photos she took for us...

(that was our christmas card pic. i still have 100 yet to send. hey, maybe you'll get one...in july!)

my very favorite, up on our wall...

(photographer of the photo of the photo...the divine miss em)

i chose the frame background for my blog because a) i think it's super cool looking and b) it seems to represent what this blog is all about for me. i want my blog to be a frame supporting the life god has given me. sometimes that picture of my life is out of focus. other times there is so much motion that the picture is blurred. sadly, there are times you miss the shot altogether. and then there are times, those blessed times, when you get a snapshot that is pure beauty. and maybe you learn along the way, that all of the above are beautiful in their own way.

welcome to my life.