Easter Blessings

At this Easter time may you know the love that He has for us all and the greatest gift that was given by His sacrifice.  By His holy cross, the Christ has redeemed the world.

Life Has Taken Over

My updates have been on the bottom of my to-do list and I have not yet reached the bottom.  Do we ever?  Here's a quick update on what we have been up to.  Life has been busy with visitors, homeschooling, and changes in the works.  God is good and is guiding us every step of the way.  Here is a glimpse of the many blessings we have been give the last few months.

Some Wallace family time over the holidays.  Not everyone was here at once, but everyone was here at some point.  The gift of two family pictures to capture us all.

 

Nana stayed on the east coast for some extra time with all her grandsons.  We love having her and can always use some "Nana time".

 

 

 

Then Grandma Duffy came and then the snow came (and kept coming).  With everything cancelled due to the weather we were given the gift of celebrating her 80th birthday with her.  Priceless!

 

 

 

 

We were blessed with more wonderful guests.  Our friends, the Kiernans, all came to share some time with us and see the sites.  They exemplify the gift of friends who become family.

 

 

These past few months have gone by so fast with all the comings and goings.  In the midst of it all these boys of ours have blessed us each and every day.  Sam has walked into the world of legoes and creates and recreates daily.  He is curious about history and enjoys learning about every aspect of it.  Zeke has become another fireman in the house, talk about deja vu!  When he's not putting out fires, or hopping up in his "daddy truck", aka the little tikes car, you will find him cooking up a storm in his kitchen.  They love to play and I love watching their imaginations bloom.

 

 

 

The BIG 5

Our first born turned 5 on Christmas, how is that possible?  I avoided thinking about this for months leading up to his birthday.  He would turn a whole hand worth of years!  I feel the innocence of the preschool years slipping away and he is turning into a young boy.  Yet, he still loves to snuggle up for a good book and is always up for extra hugs.  He's a blend of sweet and sassy and his imagination keeps us entertained.  I have explained to Sam that no matter how old he is, he will always be my baby.  He doesn't grasp this, but it's true.  I remember the exact moment he came into this world and how our lives changed in an instant.  I hope I have taken enough photos to remember every little moment, because when I grow old and my memory fades these photographs are what I will have left to prove that he will always be one of my babies.

To celebrate this BIG 5 Sam chose to have a Gingerbread themed party with his friends.  We have been so blessed to find wonderful people to make us feel welcome here in Virginia and to help us celebrate with us.  We even had another party when all our family was visiting.  I think that fulfilled Sam's dreams of turning 5.

I made sure to capture Sam in a quick photo session.  I love this imaginative stage and hope he never loses that sense of adventure.  

I love those baby teeth and had to capture them.  By this time next year it is very likely they won't all be there :(

Christmas Rewind

We were beyond blessed to have family come to us for Christmas this year.  My parents, ALL of my siblings, and my nieces and nephews all came out to visit us over the holidays.  It was a FULL house, but a house full of love.  Of course we packed in some local touring, because everyone always wants to see something in DC.  On the flip side, we had lots of down time, play time, and time to catch up.

We counted down to the arrival of our guests for weeks and filled our time with lots of Christmas preparation of our own.  This year was the first year we cut down our own Christmas tree with the kids.  There is something magical about a real tree.  We even camped out under our Christmas tree lights one night.  So many memories were made and this time of year is made all the more special with the awe of children.  We all should try seeing through their eyes more, especially at Christmas.  More pictures of family here to follow.

Just Life

A catch up of some ordinary life the last few months.  We have wrapped up half of our school year and are learning so much together.  The boys experienced Chuck E. Cheese for the first time...what kid doesn't love that circus?  We've just been trying to live in the now.

Every Childhood Should Have a Merry-go-round

The title says it all.  It is difficult to find an old school merry-go-round that goes fast enough to make you sick to your stomach.  Every child should experience this wonderful spinning sensation.  We found a great one that goes fast.  Reminded me of one they use to have at a park in our hometown....but that merry-go-round was taken out years ago.  Children are so missing out these days.

Rewind to the Turkey

We opted to spend our Thanksgiving at home with our family of four.  I love to cook a big meal, and I do mean big.  We had a 20 pound turkey and a 12 pound ham, plus a handful of sides, bread, and of course a few desserts to choose from.  I didn't have to cook for days, as these left overs sustained us.  Sam enjoyed learning about the history of Thanksgiving and we celebrated in some traditional get-ups.  It was a relaxing day and the weather was beautiful.