Ahoy sailors

I couldn't resist the matching nautical outfits. And, no, Haley isn't about to push him off the chair...he thinks she is the funniest person on the face of the planet. Look at him light up for her.

They welcomed all the babies born since last Easter at church today and I took the kids up for the little prayer. There were a dozen other little ones who will all grow up with our guy. Despite the two little colds the kids have it was a great Sunday.

Haley is so sweet in her reverence for Church. She doesn't always sit still, but she is very interested in what's going on around her. She absolutely loves going down for communion and insists on walking in the line by herself, she kneels at the rail and puts her two tiny hands up in the air as she silently awaits the host. She then, crosses her arms as the cup passes her by then silently walks back to her seat. On special Sundays, she will return to the pew only to kneel and say a prayer. It is precious to see her want to participate. If you ask her why she takes the host, she says because Jesus lives in her heart.

On the other hand, there are Sundays where she waves at everyone as she heads down the aisle or blows kisses from my arms:) Either way, I am glad to see her excitement to join the service.

Circus Date

Tonight, Haley went on a date with her dad to the circus. Her first circus experience was great. She and Jed shared the evening with John and Hannah Lawson at the Carson & Barnes circus in Allen, TX. Hannah and Haley are 6 months a part and have been friends since Hannah was born. The two had so much fun watching the elephants, dogs, ponies, clowns and Haley's favorite the Trapeze artists. Haley even held a boa constrictor with dad. What a brave little girl!

My favorite story though had to be Haley's recap of an incident at the end of the night when Hannah saw all the ponies running in the center ring and desperately wanted to ride. John had told us about the rough moment and he was glad to have survived. Haley however told us at dinner (with the Lawsons) that Hannah wanted to ride the ponies, but they were going too fast and John scooped her up into his arms and "rescued her". According to Haley, John was a hero. He liked Haley's version. I did too. John was the hero. Just when we parents feel as if we are always stepping in to say "no" maybe we really are rescuing are kids from the dangerous things in life.

Jesus in Your Heart

Last night when I was getting Haley ready for her bath, for whatever reason, she reached up and placed her hand over my heart. Then, she hopped up on the potty and said, "Mom, I just felt Jesus in your heart." If only it were that obvious to everyone else:) Do we ever wear Jesus so that others can really feel Him when we are near. For one night anyway, at least Haley could feel him!

He is Risen Indeed

Happy Easter! What a glorious day as we celebrate our Risen Savior Jesus Christ. Although there is a cool breeze it is still a nice Easter Day. We are celebrating tonight with Gigi, GDaddy, Vicki, Papa Bean & Gammy V at our house. It wasn't easy but I was determined to get a picture of the whole family this year: robe, Madonna mic and all! It was great to catch at least one minute together as a family at church after the service.

Words of Wisdom..or Something Like That

Haley is cracking me up these days and I realized I better just start writing things down before I forget all the cute things a 3 year old can say. Just yesterday she had taken apart a wooden block alphabet puzzle and proudly shouted across the room, "Look Mom, I spelled my name H-A-L-E-Y, aren't I amazing?" She is! She did spell her name all by herself with letters that before she'd only placed carefully back in their respectful places in the puzzle. You know, if you always wait around for someone else to think you're great, you might be waiting a while so she was quick to encourage herself. Can't we all be more like that instead of hoping someone will notice how great we are:)

She also starts many sentences with, "actually". As in, "Actually Mom, that isn't our car". And, of course she's correct. Ours a few more spaces down the row. Or, "Actually, let me show you how to turn that toy on. I can do it myself." Indeed she can.

When friends were visiting from out of town, she looked back from her chair at the dining table and said, "bonjour mama". Then, at dinner looked up and reminded me that if you want someone to pass something to you at the table, you should always say, "si vous plait". The thing is, I haven't been teaching her French. She's just been picking it up from her Madeline storybook.

And, as we drove to the church today for an Easter event and she was asked why we celebrate Easter, she said, "because the last egg was empty" AKA the tomb was empty and Jesus was risen. What a angel!

It must be exciting to be three. The whole world seems a little more accessible and more interesting than before.

Reunions

It was such a fun morning seeing friends from college. Sarah Cassida stopped by first with her 9 month old Gracie. Then, Sarah Stokeld came for lunch with her 9 month old Ann Elise. So cute to see all the little ones together. Haley also had a great time coloring Easter eggs for the big day on Sunday.

Arboretum Outing

Another glorious day means more time outside for us. We spent the morning with Gigi, GDaddy, my friend Lisa and her daughter Hannah at the arboretum in Dallas. It was magnificent. They are celebrating "Dallas Blooms" at the arboretum and the tulips are out of this world. What a wonderful break from the craziness all around!

Fun with Friends

We've been blessed with glorious weather the past two days so we've made two trips into Dallas to see friends near our old house. How fun to spend time with them. Each time we get in the car to go home Haley already is saying how much she misses her sweet friends. Moving to Frisco has been great but hard not to see our friends every week. Praise God for wonderful friends. The picture of Ainsley and Haley is crazy b/c the girls look so old. They've been friends since they were 5 months old. Wow, how time flies.

Great Grandparents Move to Town

Great Grandpa Bean and Great Gran Vana just moved to Frisco and we snapped a quick pic at our house:)

Spring is in the Air

From snow to spring, that's Texas for you. We worked in the yard and planted some flowers. Not many yet, more to come. Haley loves helping out and hauls a small wheelbarrow around while I work. Mommy's little helper. We also had the chance to join some friends for a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. They had face painting, balloon animals and a cute train as well. Although it was getting chilly, it was fun to think about spring arriving in Frisco:)

Snow in Frisco?

We can't believe we had to wait until March to actually get some snow in Frisco. A couple of inches of snow fell during the night and we awoke to a beautiful winter wonderland...at least Texas style. Haley was so excited to go make a snow angel, something she'd only seen on Backyardigans, and quickly discovered that the snow would get up into her clothes. She instantly popped up and asked me to get the cold wet snow off her. That was the end of our snow adventure. Evan was more interested. He wouldn't even look at me because he was so mesmerized by the glistening white stuff.