Hoppy Easter

Easter greetings! It was a beautiful (albeit chilly) day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. It was a really nice morning for our little family at church. We have always brought Sarah to worship with us (we also sit with my parents), and today we had Andrew join our family in worship (usually he is in the nursery) and he did so good. Even Michael got to break away and sit with us for a while. I hosted my first holiday meal (well, besides Christmas Eve dinner) for my parents and a few university students who couldn't go home for Easter. I now have a greater appreciation for all the hours my mom has spent through the years making these special meals. I stayed up late last night making the dessert and prepping the kitchen. Then, I got up at 6am to get the roast ready - plus get myself and the kids ready for church. With Michael's ministry duties requiring him to leave early for church, I fly solo Sunday mornings.

On the 17th Andrew turned 11 months. He is doing so good. He is trying hard to communicate and interact with us. He can now make the eat sign and more sign using baby sign language - of course on his terms. If Andrew is crying and we ask him if it is because he wants a bottle he starts clapping his hands. We've started "disciplining" him by telling him "no" or "no touch" and then removing either the object or him from the object. Of course, like any curious little baby, Andrew has to try to do it again to see if he'll get the same response. He reacts one of two ways to "discipline." He either starts bawling or he smiles and claps his hands to divert our attention and remind us how adorable he is. Clever little thing! Cute as he may be, we have to stand our ground. Andrew is zipping all over the house on his hands and knees getting into all kinds of stuff. He is also able to pull up and let go to stand on his own. It is only a matter of time before that first step is taken.

Sarah is doing great, too. Speech therapy is going really well and she is talking so much more. It seems like she uses new words and word combinations every day. I recently got serious about potty training, too. I went cold turkey on Sarah and took away the diapers (and skipped the pull-ups) during the day. On day one we had 4 accidents. She helped me clean up each one (thank God for hardwood floors). After that, things have been going really well. The successes far exceed the accidents. I haven't tried taking her out of the house in her panties yet, but I think she'll be able to handle that pretty soon. (I'm not sure I'm ready for public restrooms yet, though! Any advice?) I can tell she doesn't like her diapers now because she walks funny in them. I think that is a good sign.

On Saturday we celebrated Michael's 33rd birthday. That seems appropriate for Easter weekend, huh? We had a small gathering for cake and ice cream. Sarah was so excited to blow out the candles on his cake that she had them out before we finished singing. She cried when we re-lit them and made her wait for Michael to do it.

That's it for now. I'll close with the latest pictures....

Sarah with her favorite big girl friend, Simona - at the Zoo.

Hitching a ride on Elliot's (Simona's dad) shoulders.

Washing pots and pans. :)

Celebrating Daddy's B-Day.

Birthday gathering - if you're wondering where all the guys are, Paul was behind the camera and two of the husbands were on a mission trip to Romania.

Decorating Easter eggs with Simona.

PJ picture

Andrew after church on Easter.

The only picture I got of Sarah in her Easter dress - oops.