Happy Easter 2012

We had a wonderful Easter this year! And you know what that means...PICTURE OVERLOAD!

Saturday night, we kicked off our Easter festivities. First, we made Resurrection rolls with the girls. (You put a marshmallow in a crescent roll, representing the body of Christ. After it cooks, you open the roll to see he's not there. He has risen!) It was a really great tradition to start and I think it helped give them a visual of exactly what Easter means.

**Disclaimer: Travis was in charge of the camera. And, I am keeping it real here...I have on NO make-up and a headband that Catherine insisted I wear.

After making resurrection rolls, we dyed eggs. I LOVE to dye eggs and could do it for hours. The girls really had fun. Travis got to keep Catherine from drinking the dye on task. It was such a fun night!

After the girls went to bed, the Easter Bunny stopped by and filled their buckets with lots of goodies!

Sunday morning, we got all dressed up a headed to church. It was a little bittersweet on Sunday. This is only the 2nd Easter we haven't spent with my parents and grandparents (the first one fell a couple days after Hannah's birth and we opted to stay home.) I missed them terribly.

But, we are SO fortunate to have such wonderful friends. Kim and Jake invited us to their family Easter lunch. The entire family was so kind and treated us as if we were just a part of their family. No one seemed to mind the Williamson clan bombarding their Easter lunch! They all made being away from our family much easier. THANK YOU ALL!

We left Easter lunch with full tummies and headed home to take a nap. Hannah and Catherine didn't even make it home before falling asleep.

After nap, we hid eggs and let the girls go find them. Emma got a little pouty when she found out Hannah was beating her in the egg hunt. But, the roles ended up reversed when Emma made a come back!

Every time Catherine found an egg, she said "UH OH! DERE'S ONE!". That statement was immediately followed by, "Emma and Hannah...I beat you!". Nothing like a little healthy competition! ;)

We had such a wonderful Easter and are so very blessed.

Can You Imagine?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

I am going to state the obvious here (especially if you have read this blog for very long):

I love these three little girls to the moon!

I have never been what most would consider a very affectionate person. I drive my mom crazy because I am just not a hugger.

But, the moment I held each one of my girls in my arms, I wanted to hug them, hold them and love on them every second of every day.

I would give up my life in a moment to save theirs. I would lay down my life to keep them from feeling one ounce of pain. I would do ANYTHING, I mean anything, to protect them.

But, what if I had to give them up? What if I had to sacrifice one, or even three, of my sweet children for someone? Can you even imagine!? And, what if that someone didn't even deserve it?

It's a shame that it takes Easter for me to think about the great sacrifice God made for me (and YOU!) to have everlasting life. But, this week, it has been heavy on me. As a mother, I cannot fathom watching one of my children go through the ridicule and physical suffering that Jesus went through on this earth...and all to allow forgiveness for those same ones who were causing the suffering.

When I think about that, I am reminded of just how much God must love me (and YOU!). I am reminded of the promises that He has made. I am reminded,especially during Easter, that we can be made new. With the blood Jesus shed on the cross, we can and WILL have everlasting life.

What an undeserving sacrifice that was made! Can you imagine?

Birthday Interview

I found this idea on pintrest and decided that we would start this tradition in our house. I started off just asking Hannah the questions and writing them down. Then, I decided I wanted to always remember what her sweet little voice sounded like at this age, so I made her answer the questions all over again. :)

Name: Hannah Brooke
How old are you? 5
Who is your best friend? Lolo (Lauren Williams)
What is your favorite thing to do: Play on my iPod Touch
What is your favorite color: Red
What is your favorite food: Carrots and Broccoli
What do you like to do with your family? Play some games
What is your favorite toy: My play house
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Teacher
What makes you happy? Love
What is your favorite show to watch? Phineas and Ferb
What is your favorite book? Bumble Bee Boy & Ladybug Girl
What do you love to learn about? Math
What was the best part of your birthday? Having my family over
Where do you like to go? Bowling Alley
Who was your teacher? Miss Karen
What is your favorite treat? Cake
What do you think about before you fall asleep? Fun stuff
If you could meet someone famous who would it be? Lady Antebellum
What was your favorite birthday present? My Make-up Box

Hannah Brooke,
I think I say this every year, but how can you be FIVE? You are so sweet, kind and loving to your sisters. You and Catherine do fight some, but you are usually nice and just like to pick on her. Your favorite person to play with is Emma. I hope all three of you girls stay close as you grow up. Daddy and I are so very proud of you. You have a laugh that is contagious and your dimpled smile lights up a room. I cannot believe how quickly time has passed from my fussy baby Hannah to my always happy 5 year old Hannah. You are so very special and I can already imagine the great things that you are going to do with your life. Keep smiling and be true to who you are. We love you SO much, Banana Boat! Like your cousin told you, the middle child is the cream in the middle of the oreo...you hold everything together. I love you to the moon!
XOXO,
Mommy

5 Years Old

My sweet Hannah Brooke turned 5 yesterday. We have been celebrating her birthday since Saturday, because...well...WHY NOT!? :)

Saturday morning, we got up and headed to Ft. Smith. Honey and Daddy Brooks were on their way to Portland, Oregon and were passing thru town. We met them for breakfast and Hannah got her first birthday present. Later this month, Honey, Emma, Hannah, Catherine and I will be at the Walton Arts Center watching Mary Poppins! Hannah is beyond excited for her girls night!

Saturday evening, GrandDa, Daddy Ben and cousin Travis stopped by for dinner and some fun outside. (I cannot BELIEVE that I didn't get my camera out!) They had been to Crystal Bridges for the day and brought KFC to the house for dinner. I made chocolate pie and we enjoyed getting to see them! They dropped a present off for Hannah, but she wasn't to open it until her birthday!

Sunday evening, Grammy, Uncle Jon and Aunt Nicole came over for Hannah's birthday party. One of Hannah's favorite things is to eat outside on the patio. During the dead of winter, if we get a peak of sun, she is begging to eat outside! So, since she had a big tea party last year, we opted for a small party and eating outside. She had the best time jumping on the trampoline and playing wall ball with everyone!

Tuesday, Hannah officially turned 5. Let me tell you...my kids are always excited about their birthdays, just like their Mommy, but this girl has been on pins and needles for pretty much a year to turn 5. To Hannah, this is the magic age...the age of Kindergarten and tons of big girl stuff. We all woke up before her yesterday morning and woke her up together singing her the birthday song.

**funny story: Monday, on the way to school, I asked, "Han, what are you going to do on your very last day as a 4 year old!?" She was quietly thinking for probably a good 2 minutes. Finally she responded, "I'm gonna do 4 year old stuff."

After school, we picked the girls up. It's a tradition in our house that I will cook whatever you request on your birthday. We did things a little different this year. Hannah has been begging to go to Red Lobster for about 2 months now. So, on her special day, we headed to dinner at Red Lobster, just the five of us. We had so much fun as a family laughing, specifically about the random nicknames that Travis and I call the girls.

Finally, we made it home and Hannah got to open the presents that had been wrapped and teasing her for the past 12 hours! Keeping with the "big girl" theme, Hannah's "big" gift was a caboodle filled with REAL make-up. (No...not for every day, but to play dress up in). She also got the game TROUBLE! from her sisters. So, after bath, we had a little family game night and played her new game. It was a great ending to a great day!

Stay tuned later this week for Hannah's "Birthday Interview" and of course the traditional letter from mom. :)