Christ is Risen!

We celebrated Resurrection Sunday yesterday by going to church with my dear husband, kids, mom, sister, 2 brother-in-laws, mother-in-law, and father-in-law. We took up an entire row, and it was great having most of the family there. Ray gave an excellent sermon and preached to the validity of Christ's resurrection, probably answering some questions for the skeptics in the audience, or at least challenging their position. I know I was there too and came to the realization during my search that the death and resurrection of Christ really is real, and I now know I will spend eternity with our Savior, Jesus. Ray challenged people yesterday to "Prove to him it isn't real!" Seek and you shall find the truth and the truth shall set you free. It also says in the Bible without the resurrection of Christ, our faith is futile (I Cor. 15:17).

It was Ethan's first Easter, and while he is too young to look for eggs like his sister, we filled a few eggs with Cheerios and animal crackers for his breakfast, which he loved! We also had an egg hunt and craft at the church on Saturday afternoon and went to brunch with a few of our friends from college on Saturday morning. I taught my last Sunday School class on Sunday and went out with a bang, complete with getting glue on my face and in my hair during the craft, but it was fun and I'll definitely miss those 1st and 2nd graders!

We also hosted Easter dinner after church for Rob's family and my family and we're so blessed to have both families in town. It was really fun and we pulled out my grandma's china set and tacked on three card tables to our little table to make seating for 12. But hey, it worked! Also, I forgot to take pictures of the kids dressed up for church, but will post a picture soon of Ashleigh in the beautiful dress her grandma sewed for her. I think between rushing off in the morning after looking for eggs and having the company over after church, I just plain forgot to get pictures of Ashleigh!

Ethan with his first Easter basket

Ashleigh looking for eggs

Ashleigh and her friend, Hanna, at the egg hunt at the church

Ashleigh and Kenzie working on their craft

Ethan loving the eggs and Easter grass

Hosting Easter Dinner with Rob's family and my family

Ashleigh and Ethan playing Play-Doh with Grandma Carole

Rob, Ethan (9 mo), Brian, and Andrew (2 1/2 mo)
What a resemblance these babies have to their daddies!

Ethan wearing his St. Patrick's Day green

Hiking at Castlewood Canyon

We took the kids hiking at Castlewood Canyon on Saturday and had a great family day! I packed a picnic lunch and we went on a short 2 mile loop hike that went along the water. It was beautiful with the snow, but it wasn't too cold considering it's still March (a little to cold for a picnic though). We also had a wonderful steak dinner that night - the perfect end to the perfect day of hiking (well, 10 degrees warmer, then it would have been the perfect day). I was proud of Ashleigh too as she started the hike in the backpack, but wanted to walk half-way through the hike and ended up going the rest of the way on her own. She did great climbing up the big rock steps and keeping her balance. Rob also preferred carrying Ethan over Ashleigh as it was easier for him to keep his balance through the snowy and muddy trails.

Video of Ethan Crawling

Ethan has started crawling and does a little Army crawl on his elbows, pushing off with his legs. I was able to get this video of him one day after he started crawling. Enjoy! (FYI - There's no volume on our digital camera videos). He also just got his first tooth last week and is changing so fast! Before we know it, we will be celebrating his 1st birthday.

U23D Date Night

Rob and I got to go out for a date night last night with Jennifer and John and went to dinner at Chili's together, then to the U23D movie. We got to wear these big black-frame geeky 50s glasses, but the 3D effect made it feel quite real and like you were on stage with the band or a part of the crowd. They filmed the concerts in South America and it's amazing to see how pumped up they get at their concerts, compared to Americans. Jennifer, John, and I saw the U2 Popmart tour in college when they came to Mile High Stadium (1996, I think) and while we had good seats, watching this 3D movie was nothing like that experience. The sound could have been louder in the theater to replicate that ear-ringing feeling when you're leaving a concert, but I guess as we get older, we appreciate things not quite as loud. U2 is definitely a favorite for music and concerts - it's a toss-up between Dave Matthews Band and U2.

Ethan got his first tooth today! So, he's back to being sad Ethan for the day, but we're otherwise good. He and Ashleigh got to spend the night at grandma and grandpa's house and we had a nice leisurely morning before they dropped the kids off and joined us for lunch. Felt a little guilty ditching church for a morning at home, but the crazy snow and wind this morning after a 75F day yesterday made for a great snuggle under a blanket and watch a movie morning! We get pretty run-down most Sundays and today was nice to slow down. Also, I won't be teaching Sunday School too much longer (just through the end of March), so that'll help with the burn-out as well.

Home & Garden Show

We went to the Colorado Home and Garden Show last weekend in Denver. We decided to take the light-rail train into downtown since we didn't want to deal with Friday afternoon rush-hour. Ashleigh loved the train! She was so excited, even though everyone was tired on the way home and Rob was longing for our car. Makes you appreciate having your own car and the choice of whether to take public transportation or driving to get there.

We've also been battling colds and Ethan had a flu bug last week with a fever and throwing up, so I'm happy to say we're all well again this week. It's so hard when the little ones are sick! Ashleigh gets more whiny and Ethan was just obviously unhappy, so last week was one of the hardest I've had in a while. Luckily, I dodged both the cold and the flu bugs and Rob had some congestion, but was otherwise healthy. Because of illnesses around our house, the home and garden show was the first time Ethan, Ashleigh, and I left the house in four days. It was such a welcome outing - smelling all those fresh flowers and strolling the gardens in the middle of February!

Ethan and Janice on the light-rail train
(first train ride for Ethan and Ashleigh!)

Curious Bear outside of the Convention Center (Ashleigh loved this!)

Ethan touching the tulips

Garden at the Colorado Home & Garden Show

Ethan and Ashleigh playing in the tent
(happy kids before flu strikes)

Unhappy sick Ethan
"Can't you make this go away, Mommy?"

Every month, on the 20th, we do gray blanket pictures to document Ethan's growth every month. I took the above picture two days late and he was still feeling bad (on the 20th, he was throwing up and had a fever, so I wasn't even thinking about taking pictures then). I think when he's one year old, I'll post them all together as it's fun to look at the small changes that take place and I didn't do this with Ashleigh. Amy had a collage of 12 pictures all on one page of a baby growing and I thought it was a great idea. Now, if I can just remember to do it for the next four months!