How does your garden grow?

We got our garden planted last week.  Tracie and I usually do one together, but we weren't able to the past two years.  So we were eager to get started this year.  But, boy it was some serious work this time!  With all the rain we had, we had to keep putting it off.  So the first sunny day we had, we jumped on it.  But that meant the ground was still wet and very muddy, which makes it quite difficult to rake and plant.  Jeremy tilled the garden for us, but we had to make the rows ourselves.  It was tough!

The kids were all excited to help us.  But...you know how long that lasted.  They were off playing before we knew it.

Whew!  Are we done yet???
Nice boots
Planting peppers
And zucchini
Beautiful;)
Weren't we a motley crew???
Pictures are courtesy of Kim.  She enjoyed watching us toil in the soil:)

So we have peppers, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, melons, okra, tomatoes, beans.  I think that's it.

We will see how our garden grows...

Easter

This is a LONG Easter post.  All the festivities in one post!

First, and the one thing I don't have pictures of, are the Resurrection Eggs.  The girls loved them this year.  And we had a great talk about the gospel.  Music to my ears.  Gracie can tell the whole Easter story with the eggs.

I uploaded the pictures from Easter morning to the egg hunts backwards.  So first up is Easter morning...

We woke up and got ready for church first and then listened to the Veggie Tales Easter CD while we ate breakfast.  Then they got their Easter Baskets.

Notice the scabs on Gracie's face.  She has them all down her cheek and nose.

After church we went to Nanny and Papaw's for lunch and a huge egg hunt.  100+ eggs for three little girls!
Gracie was into it:)
And Piper and Aunt Abbie were having some fun too:)

"Let me help you reach it"
Thrilled with her yellow egg...
Nanny had to assist on this one...

Papaw is telling them that he hid a special egg for them...They walked past it several times so they needed some serious hints.  It had $20 in it!!

Tristen found it!
Going through the loot...

We dyed Easter eggs at La La's house earlier in the week....

Two weeks ago we went to our friends the Davidson's for an egg hunt too:)

This is Anna Grace. She even had a tail:)
This is Cathy, the hostess
The kids played games...
Decorated cookies...
Piper immediately ate hers....
Then it was time for the big egg hunt, relay race style....

This worked really well since there were big and little kids.  Everyone got 10 eggs.
This is Noah...(I think)
And Bo and Ms. Christy...Love this picture

Look Mom!
One, two, free, four, five, six!

Now let me see what's in them....
Ewwwhhhh, an eraser! and candy, and some of them even had money!!

We have hidden and hidden and hidden eggs this year.  They think that is so much fun!  But most of all, as eggs mean new birth, we are so very grateful for the new birth we have in Christ.  And we celebrate Easter all year long.  Because we can't live our lives without the light of the Cross.  Christ is everything to us.  And we want Him to become everything to our girls.

Happy Easter

CC Carnival

Last Wednesday was our final co-op day for the year.  We ended with a carnival called the Oregon Trail Amazing Race since we studied American History this year.  Each mom paired up with someone to set up a booth.  The kids rotated through each booth where they played a game that involved their memory work from this year.  Despite the fact that it was absolutely freezing cold, the kids had a ball.

 I was part of the obstacle course so that is what most of the pictures are from...

 Here is the obstacle course....the amazing race, oregon trail style...

There were several different obstacles in the course, and they all involved stops along the Oregon Trail, of course;)  This is Windlass Hill-the kids had to climb up the slide. It was pretty funny watching them try to do this, they had a really hard time getting up it.
Here they are at the starting line getting instructions from Ms. Lucas, who by the way did an awesome job taking the reigns on the course.
They had to get their wagons around to Ft. Laramie...
Where they loaded up with supplies for their journey....
Then on to Council Bluffs to see if the Indians were going to let them pass....
Then to Devils Pass....
Before going up Windlass Hill which took them up to Independence Rock where they signed their names....
Then on to 3 Island Crossing where they had to build a bridge out of the leftover boards from their wagon....
Don't step in the water...
And the last stop was Apple Bobbing Oregon...

My favorite part:)

This is Anna Grace
And Will

This was the three-legged race station, one of Gracie's favorites
Here is Kiffer (as Piper calls him) getting his "apple"

This is another station where they were panning for gold, I think

And Pipes, doing what she loves...having her snack:)

What a fun day!  It is so amazing what the kids can remember from what they learned this year!