Easter

Easter weekend was sunny and beautiful. The first one that I can remember where we've been able to do our Easter-ish festivities outdoors.

In the days leading up to Easter, we opened the Resurrection Eggs that I made a few years ago. This was a highlight for the kids every day, and Micah and Keziah especially are starting to grasp the Easter story and the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection.

(Micah thought a "cross" pose was appropriate for an Easter picture...)

One afternoon Grandma set up a egg-decorating station in the backyard.



Silas joined the action straight from bike-riding. (And has some eye-liner "whiskers" on his face from playing kitty earlier that day...)



On Sunday after church we hunted for Easter eggs...




Silas sinking his teeth into his big white choc-wat bunny...


Then the kids got to do another Easter egg hunt when their cousins arrived later that afternoon...


Another chocolate bunny?

Score!


Now we have a bit of chocolate overload happening around here. And paska that still needs to be eaten... But it's all good :)

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead"

1 Peter 1:3

Heaven

Today marks another year since Erik's brother Nathan was taken from his earthly family. There's not a day that goes by that we don't remember him or feel affected by what happened on that day. It's forever changed us. It will always be a marking point in our lives. We refer to things in terms of whether it happened before the accident or after the accident. It is an event that is irrevocably stamped in our history. And we still wish it wasn't so.

But there is a bigger picture. A greater story. And as much as I know in my heart that Heaven and Jesus and all of it is real, I think it can still feel very distant and disconnected from the here and now.

But then I read this book. In fact Erik and I both read it in less than 24 hours.

It wasn't hard.

It has really affected me since then... in a really good way. And I love what God spoke to me through it all - that God hears our prayers... that he really, REALLY loves us... and that Heaven is a real, tangible place. More than ever, it makes us want to be there and see Nathan again, but even more than that - to meet Jesus face to face.

The Goodness of the Lord

I remember, not too long after the accident that changed our family forever, I came across a passage in Psalm 27. Even in the midst of complete hopelessness, I knew the words would ring true for my sister-in-law, Rosanna, someday. Not then.

But I'm seeing it now.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

~ Psalm 27:13-14

Rosanna and her fiancee James will be getting married this spring and it's such an encouragement to see how God's faithfulness has played out in both of their lives. Though this isn't what anyone had pictured 4 years ago, it amazes me to see how God's love can redeem brokenness...

New Things

With the hectic-ness of December behind me, I have fully welcomed the regularity of January. It's only as busy as I make it. And I like it that way. And it's a good time to think about new things...

I was reading my friend Kelly's blog tonight and feeling a little bit inspired in the "new-ness" of January. I guess I'm talking "New Year's Resolutions" though I feel that term almost insinuates things-that-one-does-not-follow-through-with. And what I'm trying to convey is the sort of change that is lasting, one that results from maturity rather than just a phase.

I didn't set myself a resolution this year, but then I got an email from a friend in our church Life Group about a week ago. She was wondering who wanted to join her in her quest to finally read the Bible in a year. Without really thinking about it, I emailed back and said that she could count me in. It's something that I have always wanted to do too, but of course procrastinated. When it comes to Bible reading I get a bit lost as to where I should be reading. Without anyone/anything to guide me, it just tends not to happen. So, I figured the accountability would be helpful.

Since I was getting a bit of a late start, I had some catching up to do (and still have some catching up to do). When I was halfway through reading that first day I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by what I had committed to - even though I probably spend an equal amount of time or more (probably more) reading novels and blogs and... procrastinating. Now that I am fully immersed in this regular reading, I have to say that I am really, really enjoying it. Like, way more than I thought I would. And maybe that's because I'm mostly reading in Genesis and Matthew and there's a good story line happening that keeps me interested... But I think I'm also surprised at how many new things I seem to be gleaning from each story, and the questions I have that make me want to read more.

Anyway, I write this to hopefully keep myself even more accountable. As well as to recommend this to anyone who's always wanted to do it but never gotten around to it. You can click HERE if you want to see the reading plan that we're following. It's been helpful to print it out and stick it in my Bible. And the feeling I get from highlighting each reference that I've completed -- this is for all you list-crosser-offers -- is almost worth it alone :)

An Unexpected Gift

Amazing how BIG the small things can be. During a week filled with worry and discouragement and unknowns, we had an unexpected blessing in our house today. It started this afternoon when I glanced out the window and was surprised to see snow falling. I called the kids quickly because I knew this would be a huge deal for them - the poor souls who, last year, went through an entire winter without snow (other than one brief morning, I think).

As they stared at the big flakes with wide eyes, Micah exclaimed to me that he had been praying for snow. In fact, he said, he had prayed just this morning that it would snow. I told him how much God loved him to give him such a special gift today. I felt a bit choked up at the thought of God loving my little boy so much to answer this prayer.

We immediately headed outside to enjoy the brief snowfall:

After I took this video, Erik was outside with Micah and they were talking more about God's answered prayer. Erik asked Micah if he believed that God loved him and whether he would like Jesus to live in his heart. We've asked Micah about this before (never wanting to co-erce him into the decision) and he never wanted to do it before. This was the first time that he eagerly agreed. He ran in the house and told me that this was what he was going to do! So, we all prayed together right then and there. And then we had hot chocolate -- very important!

I think one of my favourite parts was when he left an unscripted message on Grandma's voice mail this afternoon exclaiming that he had asked Jesus into his heart because God had given him a "wonderful gift"! My prayer is that he will grow to fully understand the even greater gift that God has given him in the life of Jesus.

Thank you God for the unexpected.

Easter

Easter seemed more meaningful this year. Now that the kids are getting a little bit older, we're being more intentional about explaining it all to them and I suppose it naturally makes us reflect on it more ourselves.


I wanted to start some Easter traditions this year. So, I decided to make a homemade version of the "Resurrection Eggs". I did a quick online search and found this simple website. It gave me instructions for what what to put in the eggs - most items were things I could find around the house - plus Bible verses to coincide with each item. We opened one egg every day for 12 days leading up to Easter Sunday. On the last day (yesterday) the egg was empty to signify the empty tomb.



We've also been reading a fantastic kid's Bible. We're borrowing it from our church library but I'd really like to have one of our own because it's so great. It's basically the entire Bible summed up into 52 short stories. There are pictures on every page and just the right amount of words. Plus the stories are written in a way that's really easy for kids to understand. This past week we read several of the stories leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. That, along with the resurrection eggs (which Micah also did at his preschool), seemed to reinforce all the truths of the season of Easter for the kids and for us.

(you can't actually click to look inside here, but you probably can if you go here)

Of course there's all the other fun stuff about Easter too. Keziah got to make this cute bunny craft the day we visited Micah's preschool.


And don't forget Easter egg decorating.


And Easter is the season of tulips and daffodils. We've been enjoying these tulips picked from outside our front door. Of course, the kids are under the impression that dandelions also deserve a place of honour on the table...


Here are the big kids dressed for church and squinting in the Easter morning sun.


Silas was looking quite dapper too :)


We did a little Easter egg hunt in the house after lunch (can't wait until we have a nice big backyard for this someday!).


Easter afternoon turned out to be the perfect windy weather to fly our new kites. Micah got the hang of it quickly and both kids were pretty thrilled to watch their favourite Disney characters dancing through the sky.



A picture of myself just to prove that sometimes Erik takes pictures too.


Keziah made a bee-line for this dandelion patch as soon as she spotted it.

I wanted her to take off her red fleece for some "prettier" pictures of her in the grass, but she was not to be convinced.




Oh, and I have to share my favourite Easter day quote. After we came home from the church service, Micah asked if we could sing the "Up From the Gravy" song again.

I love how a 5-year-old's mind thinks :)

My Comfort Zone Expansion Project

I've spent the past several weeks contemplating a big decision. At least it feels big to me. And no - you Facebook commenters, it is not about whether or not to have 4 kids. (Besides, I think that decision has already been made... :)

No, this decision is more "career" based.

I attended a couple of Norwex parties over the last few months (courtesy of Rebekah) and both times came away with this overwhelming sense that, I could DO this. The feeling grew stronger over time and while I spent A LOT of time hemming & hawing over it all, I think I knew in my heart of hearts all along that I would end up taking the plunge and becoming a consultant.

For those of you who don't know me well, I'm not much of a risk-taker. I'm more of a play-it-safe kind of girl. And while this mentality has served me well in terms of keeping stress and trouble at bay, I would admit that it's been a little bit.... boring. Even lonely at times.

Of course, there have been times when I've stepped out of my comfort zone. Like when I was a worship leader at our church in Calgary (Erik & I have a good laugh when we think about this now), or when I tackled the task of teaching English to a class-full of Peruvians during our missions trip 7 years ago, or when I agreed to join family and friends on a ministry road trip in a small motorhome across the country with a 6-month-old baby (yes, that one really makes me laugh). But, since I've had more kids, it's been easy to settle into a very predictable rut. It's been easy to have a million excuses for not trying new things.

So, while I may or may not use this blog to promote the environmental, time-saving and financial benefits of Norwex cleaning products, this post is more about my journey of getting to this point. It's a decision that has become less about the products and benefits and more about God challenging me to try something new.

I'm not saying that God loves Norwex (though I'm sure I could make an argument for wise stewardship of our money, time & environment!) but what I am sure of is that God loves me. He loves me enough to gently coax me out of my rut and bring me a fresh challenge. A challenge that forces me to rely on him and trust in him (despite the fears and doubts that creep in); to believe that I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

So, yes. My journey to Norwex has been surprisingly... spiritual.

And now, with fear and nervous excitement, I will step forward and push the boundaries of this zone of comfort.