Little Bit of This & That

Did you have a nice Easter weekend? We sure did. My Mom and Dad flew in from WI to spend the weekend with us, and it was so wonderful to have their company. They spoil us all rotten, and are just generally really fun to spend time with :-) They're on an airplane headed home as I type right now...much to the disappointment of my kids who all woke up and said "where's Yaya and Papa?" as soon as they rolled out of bed.

We went to church Saturday night, and then we got up Sunday to hunt eggs and baskets. My sister and her family live about 1/2 hour away and we drove to their house for the Easter party, dinner, and MASSIVE egg hunt they put on every year. I took pictures...I'll share in the next couple of days.

I think my favorite part of the Easter celebration was actually about a 5 minute stretch of time on Good Friday. We all sat at the table in the evening before bedtime - a couple of little candles for our light. I had a pitcher of water that I'd poured a dash of red wine into (just enough to give it a little purple color), and a handful of saltine crackers. We read from the Bible and talked about what Jesus did on the cross. We talked about how He must have felt to have that last meal with the people He loved. We prayed. We sang a little. And we drank wine and broke bread in remembrance of what He did for us. It was so sweet to share that with my kids.

This Easter season has been especially wonderful since Samantha asked Jesus to come into her life. My husband was the first to notice the changes in her. Before, Sammy was distracted during bedtime prayers. She'd tinker with a toy or read a book. She'd NEVER offer up a spontaneous prayer. But suddenly, she's a little prayer warrior! She's ALL about Jesus, what He did for us, and talking about and to Him.

There aren't words to describe what these changes in her do to this Mama's heart :-) God is so good to me.

This weekend wasn't all fun and games though. Bailey, our little dog of 12 1/2 years died Saturday night. Oh, I thought I was ready. He's been steadily declining for at least the past 6-9 months. But...I wasn't ready. I know, he's a DOG. But he's been a part of our family for almost as long as Luke and I have BEEN a family. It's strange without him. And it was heartbreaking to watch my children sobbing in grief for the dog they've always had in their life.

I was thankful that Bailey didn't have to die alone though. We were home with him. I rocked him on our back swing for hours. When he drew his last breath he was snug on the little pillow I'd made for him, wrapped in a warm blanket, with Luke and me petting him. We stayed with him every moment until he was gone.

It seems crazy that he's gone.

Death sucks.

Enough of that.

So...remember I told you that I'd joined Weight Watchers? Enough weight has come off this old bod of mine that I'm finally confident enough to say: IT'S WORKING. So far, I've lost 9 pounds! For me, that's huge. I've never had to lose weight in my life, so to see the scale steadily drop is a magical thing.

Nine pounds of fat - imagine 4 sticks (one pound) of butter (fat). I've lost 36 sticks of butter from my body! Or pick up a 10 pound sack of potatoes - remove a handful of potatoes, and then strap that sucker to your back for the day.

It seems painfully slow sometimes, but I'm convinced that this is the a healthy way to lose weight. And it's not just about losing weight, it's about learning again how much food I should be eating....it's about making healthier food choices...it's about recognizing when I'm actually hungry versus when I'm bored, lonely, tired, thirsty, or hormonal...it's about exercising more.

In general, it's about taking at least as much care for myself as I give the dogs and houseplants. It's work, but not too much to ask.

Well, my coffee just finished. I'm going to have some breakfast, get the laundry going, make some cookies with my little ones, and exercise (or maybe take a nap, haven't decided yet). Have a great Monday, everyone :-)