Easter

I'm a little late on the Easter post. Things have been a little crazy these last few weeks, so I'm finally getting the time to sit down and share our Easter activities.

Andy and his family came for the weekend. It was a little misty and rainy all weekend, but Janelle brought some Easter crafts, and we did manage to get the kids out for an egg hunt, so all in all it was a success!

There were a few naps taken

And I got some snuggle time with my cutie!

Eggs were colored

We ventured out in the rain in search of eggs

We made it out to our favorite eats

And we had Easter dinner with the missionaries, because we love our missionaries!

One of my favorite videos this year was of two young children telling the Easter story. Out of the mouth of babes. I love it! It's pure, it's simple, and I'm thankful for the gift of the atonement in my life. What a blessing to know we will all live again. Death is not the end. We will see, hug and visit with all of our family members who have passed on. I love this knowledge. I love this gift. I love this message! #Becausehelivessoshallwe

He's coming home!!

We received his flight itinerary yesterday!! Our missionary comes home in less than 100 days!!! We are so excited!!!! Let the countdown begin...

He is seated next to another missionary flying home who is from Macon GA. They both served in the same mission. How fun is that?! His mom contacted me, so we will be there together waiting on our Canadian missionaries to come off the same flight. What an amazing, fun, exciting, life changing, uplifting, good, wonderful, and purely intense two years this has been for all of us!!! I'm so ready for a hug!!!!

Organize It

With the world at our fingertips via the internet, there are so many possibilities when it comes to self-help. Whether it's fixing our cars, fixing our homes, or fixing ourselves. Experts and ideas flood the space of our world with solutions for any and all quandaries. One of the best sites that has come our way is Pinterest. I have pinned more than I will ever use. But it is such a brilliant idea - all of our self-helps in one place! No traveling or buying book after book, we simply pin it with a press of a button and our knowledge of home improvement, health & fitness, style and design, or any other myriad of categories are at our beck and call. I have pinned more desserts than I will ever make, let alone eat, but the idea that I have so many recipes at my fingertips is, for some reason, extremely satisfying. It's how I plan my weekly dinner/dessert menus, and I love it. It saves time, energy and money, and for that I'm eternally grateful to the creators of this fantastic venue.

My cupboards were overloaded with recipes stashed from my pinterest adventures, so I decided, as one of my new years resolutions, to organize that cupboard. Thanks to Pinterest, I realized I don't need the dozens of magazines I've kept over the years full of recipes I've barely glimpsed at, so Casey & I went through my stashes, which I'm embarrassed to say, contained many duplicates(I should've taken a picture of that pile). The result is a 3 ringed binder filled with our very favorites. I love it, and can't wait to add more.

A few of our favorite recipes over the years:

Christmas

We had a busy and fun Christmas. Andy and family came and stayed the week of Christmas. Alex and Kaitlyn flew in and were also here the week of Christmas, and we were able to skype our Canadian missionary on Christmas, so it was a great week with lots of fun activities.

We had our annual Gingerbread house construction. Everyone took their time and created their own masterpiece. Kaitlyn's had lights, Andy had a cozy house complete with a Christmas tree with lights, Alex's house was reaching the skyscraper category, Ry had a fire and a pooping dog, Seth decided to play it safe and just have a flat roof, and Josh(who just decorated a tree) was given free reign of a couple sprinkle bottles, which he used up within minutes. They were all very unique in their own "special" way.

We also went to the movies and saw Star Wars - I was in the 2nd grade and with my grandma when I last saw Luke and Leia on the big screen, so it was a pretty nostalgic afternoon for me.

Josh and Seth posing at the theater with a movie prop.

We also had a temple night in Atlanta.

Our weather was warm and wet for the most part of the break, but there were a few nice and sunny days we were able to get out and play(thank goodness!).

Somebody loves to swing.

I had a very special helper all week. He was always asking to help. "I a good helper" he'd say, and yes he was! The very best....and the very cutest!

We had a wing night

And a El Sol night

(I think Casey's tired of my picture taking)

And last but not least, we had a very nice Christmas

with a very special skype. He is doing so good. We miss him so much, but it makes my heart happy he is loving where he is at and the people he is with.

It was a very Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very Happy & Healthy New Year!

Annual Christmas Card

It's always my favorite! I look forward to receiving it every year, and this year was no exception. I love Greg & Darci's Christmas cards!

(front) (back)

So cute & creative!

The Mighty Hunter

A picture says a thousand words....


And this one really does. Casey became the town celebrity with this catch, but it was quite the miracle in and of itself. Never mind the fact that a year ago we didn't imagine that life would be anywhere near normal again. We hoped it would be and longed for it to be, but it was a long road of recovery for Casey. He's still not 100%, but he's better than he was. Andy's father in law is a member of hunt club and has invited Casey over several times to hunt. Casey's finally at a point where he feels better more than he hurts(most days), so we decided to venture over for the weekend and let Casey have his hunt. The week before Casey had work meetings in Kentucky. He had just gotten home from an 8 hour drive, and was very worn out and tired. We almost cancelled the weekend hunting plans, but decided we'd make the 2 hour trip and enjoy a visit with the grand kids, if nothing else. We made it to the hotel late and Casey was exhausted and didn't know if he would be up for the 5 a.m. wake-up call. The night before Andy had went over and set up a spot for Casey, so he wouldn't have to do a lot of walking. They call it a blind(where they sit, wait and watch for the deer). Andy arranged the space, so all Casey would basically have to do was sit and wait. It was the only way Casey could manage hunting at this point. So, after arriving in his designated area Casey sprayed his deer scent(deer urine) that is supposed to attract the deer, and within a few minutes he had a deer in sight. He took his shot, and after only being out in the woods a little over an hour Casey brought down the beast(buck). A one shot wonder, and with a gun he hasn't sited in or shot for over 15 years - A miracle of sorts. To say it was a morale boost is an understatement. Janelle's dad was so impressed with the size, he wanted to take it around town to show a few people. Everyone said that it's the biggest deer they've seen. Casey was the man of the hour/morning/weekend, and it did his spirits good!

Funny thing is, Casey doesn't really like deer meat. I grew up eating it and love it, so we took a few good portions of meat home and left the rest for Andy and family to enjoy.
Janelle and I took the boys around town for a few pictures while the men were hunting. The scenery is always so beautiful in the mountains, and I love taking pictures so the boys endured a few shots for Grandma's picture taking frenzy.




I love that they had these signs up around town.


We went to their house for a while and played with the chickens....well, watched Josh play with the chickens.

They follow him around like he's their momma until he tries to touch them, then they run for their lives. Janelle captured one, so Josh could get up close and personal. He was thrilled!

We were also able to catch a basketball scrimmage of Seth's while we were there.


Go Sethie!

After the game was over, we grabbed a bite to eat for dinner and then headed back home. It was a great weekend full of lots of adventure!