Checking in....

Things have been ho-hum around here lately. As ho-hum as things can be, anyway. Walker is learning to fend for himself, bless his heart. Hayes hit his 6 week growth spurt the other day and all I could do was feed him. All. Day. Long. Walker would come ask me for something and I finally just left the pantry door open and he could raid it at will. Don't judge. Now that Hayes is back to eating every three hours, I'd rather Walker not have unrestrained access to the snacks. But before I I cut him off, I had to take some pics of his independent ways.

Blogging causes you to take pictures of the most random things.

That step stool is his best friend. It gives access to all the carbs he can stuff in his little hand.

Walker also chose to help himself to some cake. We were sitting out on the deck with friends and kids were coming in and out. Serves us right for leaving cake on the counter and not paying close attention to what was going on! Harris and Tom had baked it and we had more or less forgotten about it, until Tom caught him redhanded. I should have gotten a pic of Walker, because icing was all over, even in his hair. Anyone want some cake??

Harris celebrated his teacher's birthday at school and wore the party hat for a few days in a row.

We went to the park and when I asked him to put his shoes on he came out in cowboy boots and his hat. Everything is very festive right now.

It was raining one morning and the troops were getting very, very restless so I let them paint. Walker REMARKABLY sat down and messed with it for a few minutes. I'm not being sarcastic when I say it's remarkable. I'm relieved to see him sit and do an activity that isn't pushing a train, however messy it is. It's progress!! And I think he even had a good time.

Little Hayes is smiling! I only caught the tail end of this grin but it's the best pic I have. Is there anything better than a little baby smile?

I've never taken a pic in the bluebonnets and always wanted to, so our fearless babysitter went with me this morning to try and get something cute. I knew it was a little bit of a long shot but we did our best.
Things didn't start off so well.

But I was armed with snacks. And willing to throw myself down on the ground to get some giggles. Thank you Lauren for the cute pics!! Next year there will be another Goolsby to corral. Hope he likes Veggie Straws.

I must have really hit the ground hard in this one.

Hayes slept through most of the pics but when I put him in the car he was wide-eyed and ready to go.

We congratulated the very reluctant photo shoot participants with a trip to the park. This was much more their style.

Doesn't it look  like someone is going to get smacked in the face by a teeter totter? No one did. This time.

We spent our Good Friday enjoying creation, taking pictures in blue bonnets and basking in the perfect weather. I'm so glad that I know what happens in this story and don't have to wait three days to know that Jesus is alive!!
Here's an excerpt from a devotional I read this morning:

There is good news to be heard on this Good Friday -a day that appears to be tragic in its outcome. The good news is this: Jesus is in control of what seems out of control. What feels to us like something that is out of hand is held firmly in the hand of God. God is never alarmed, never caught off guard, never looking to us to grab a sword and make things work as they were intended to work.
Source

Someone close to me is going through something no one should go through. It's a nasty situation and totally undeserved. Don't we all love someone that is going through something awful?? It's comforting to rest in the message that Jesus willingly went to the cross and that God was sovereign even in the most awful of times. And since he's the Great I Am, he's sovereign today. Even when it's very difficult to see. There can be no Easter, no redemption and resurrection, without Good Friday.

We'll be spending time this weekend reading out of The Jesus Storybook Bible and trying to teach our little people how awesome Easter really is. If you're looking for a kid's bible, this one is fantastic. I just got it and was reading to Harris out of it today and the story gave me chills. They don't dumb things down for kids but it is on a level they can understand. There are also cd's with it that I'm excited about. Tom plays the New Testament in his car and Harris asks questions about what he hears, so I think he'll like the kid's version too. We'll also be celebrating with some good friends and possibly eating some chocolate bunnies.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" (John 18:11)