Pigtails preview:

Have to run off to work outside the home right now. Thought I'd give you a preview of what's to come on my next post:

Easter Celebrations 2010

This was an especially enjoyable Easter. We spent Saturday morning at the Vicksburg Church for the children's activities. To say the kids were excited would be an understatement! There was a craft, followed by an egg hunt (with real, hard-boiled eggs), a snack, then the Resurrection story told through a carton of eggs. If you've never seen the story told this way, you should. Its GREAT for little/young kids! Each egg has an object that ties into the story from Palm Sunday through Easter morning. Gramma and Aunt Jennifer did a great job organizing an running the morning! The morning was wrapped up by practicing the bells for Sunday morning service. Now that is a hoot! But the kids all do a great job and it sounds great, too! Here's some shots from Saturday:

Miss Phia doing her "princess smile"...don't ask. Its something she's just started doing.

Miss Savannah on a mission to find some eggs:

Brayden after he accidentally crunched an egg with his boot!

Gramma sharing the Resurrection Story through the eggs:

The group practicing bells for Sunday morning:

Now onto Sunday morning. Firstly, some loud "thank yous" to Granny, Pap, Tia, and my nieces for finding/purchasing the kids outfits for this year. They COULD NOT wait to wear them to church! They really looked adorable...as always in my opinion =)

Anyways, Easter Sunday always seems to be exhausting, but worth it! Daryl was up extra early for the sunrise service. He had to play the guitar. That's a whole other story in and of itself that I won't get into! We agreed I would stay home with the kids. Waking four little ones at 5:30am would not be fun for anyone involved...especially those who'd have to be around us for the next few hours. Kudos to all of those who took their little ones. I've done it before and I'll do it again, but not this year. We went to his Dad's church for service. Daryl was playing the trumpet during offertory, Mama was in visiting, and the kiddos were to play the bells and sing. GOOD TIMES!

Daryl did an amazing jod on the trumpet. Seriously, it gave me chills. The girls were so excited to be singing and playing the bells. Brayden wanted none of it...so he sat next to Mama for the duration. On a funny note, the girls were in the front ringing their little hearts out. Savannah was so thrilled that she forgot to watch for her colors and instead rang the living daylights out of her bells for the duration of the song! In the process, she clocked Phia in the side of her head with one of the bells. Phia starts wailing, Savannah is clueless and just keeps ringing the bells like a Salvation Army volunteer at Christmas! The pics below I snapped (thankfully) before the whack.

We managed to get some pictures at the end of church. I'm thankful for that because I'm usually the one behind the camera, so family shots are few and far between! We all ended up at our house for Easter dinner and enjoyed an afternoon with our entire family, Mama Yount, Krystal's mom, Carol, and Krystal's brother Tom, his wife, Jenny, and their four kids. In total we had 29 people--17 of them under 11 years of age. It really was a GREAT time!!

Phia waiting for her color, while Savannah shakes away:

Our four blessings:

Take two:

Take three:

Take four. By this time Brayden was saying, "I'm going to drop her, Mom!":

Sweet Sophia:

Handsome Brayden:

Sweet Savannah:

Our little family:

Blessings to you! He is risen! Yes, He is risen indeed!!

6 months

Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?

Celebrating 6 months tonight after dinner!

Our family celebrating Ava!

Ava is 6 months today. The time is FLYING. The kids love birthdays in a HUGE way--so we celebrated with a DQ cake! Brayden had his "6" candle from his birthday and plopped it on the cake so we could sing. What a fun little memory. We also gave her a taste of the mashed potatoes at dinnertime.  She wasn;t impressed, but her brother and sisters sure thought it was funny! Ava celebrated by popping her first tooth through the gumline today. UGH. I don't want her growing anymore!! We're so thankful for healthy and mostly happy kiddos!

Good Friday?

Good Friday.

Its an oxymoron.

I think about this every time Easter comes around. Why in the world would someone ever call this day good? A day in which Jesus, the Only Son of God, hung on that tree for hours and eventually died while suffering the sins of the world--my sins. Why do we call any part of that good?

While I know the historical and theological explaination/importance of it, I also know my own personal explaination of why one would call it good.

For the exact same reasons that it was so bad.

It had to happen for me and you to have the privilege of coming to the foot of God's Throne. It had to happen to fulfill prophesy. It had to happen because God loves us that much! That alone leaves my head spinning.

 Especially now that I am a parent.

I would do anything for my children.  And I would do anything to insure their safety and security. I now know God's heart for His children on a whole new level. Thinking on the fact that He gave His Only Son to atone for the sins of all people leaves me in tears and on my knees in both humbleness and awe. I can understand His heartbreak at the sight of Jesus hanging on that cross--bleeding, dying, beaten beyond recognition, being mocked and spat upon. And I am humbled all over again because I think about the fact that I would not be able to do that with any of my kids. The anger and devastation I would feel would overwhelm me. I know it because I feel it just thinking about it! And yet God knew it had to be done and Jesus chose to allow it to happen...all because of me, and you, and every single person whom has ever lived or will live on Earth. A people who continually turn away, do their own thing, mock God and His infinite wisdom. A people that despite all of this, God wants not even one to suffer an eternity apart from Him.

Good Friday? Yes! Its a humbling reminder that I will never be good or better and definately not best. Merely forgiven because of the blood shed on that Friday.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

BUMP: March 29th

Our engagement story is probably still my favorite of all "our" stories. I love that it happened nearby; a place that I drive past at least once a week. I smile every time I see those two intermingled trees at the top of that field. I love that it occured on Good Friday. I love that it was unique and TOTALLY unexpected. I love that it had some funny elements, some unplanned occurances. I love that its uniquely ours alone. Daryl knew me well even then. He knows me even better now. And I still love every detail about that day. And I love him more than I can ever express.


I'm so thankful that some things never change.
 
 
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Every couple has their story.

Every story is unique and special.

Ours is definately no exception.

March 29th is a very special date for us...it is the date on which:

Daryl drove me along a dirtroad on the back of his motorcycle

...and detoured through a field of soybeans.

He parked the bike

in the middle of a cornfield,

on top of a hill,

at the base of two special trees,

got down on one knee and spoke the words,

"Mandy, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

To which I responded

"Of course!"...

...and, eight years later, my love for him has grown like those two special trees.

Bigger.

Stronger.

With roots intermingled in God's soil

Creating a firm foundation.

Weathering life's sun and storms

Together.

I can't imagine my life without him. Nor do I want to!

After all, one of my favorite places to be is driving along a dirtroad on the back of his motorcycle...

Happy Birthday, Maddo!!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY to our sweet, little niece Madison!  She is such a blessing and I miss her dearly.
Maddo's entrance into our lives =) was one of the best memories I've had. This post with pictures sums it up perfectly!

Maddo Maddo, you're the best! Aunt Mandy, Uncle Daryl, Brayden, Savannah, Ava Grace and ESPECIALLY Phia miss you and love you so much!

A couchful!

Since I rarely capture a photo with all the "Tribe" at once, I thought I would entertain you with the following:

The older ones...10 kids in 4 years. Hmmmm, is that a record?

Same shot, another angle. You can see some of the personalities coming out in this one =)

And now for The Couchful.

A true Couchful...all 13 of them...6 years and younger. Now, I'm thinking that that MUST be a record of some type!

And before you ask, let me answer for you:

1. NO, we wouldn't have it any other way.

2. Christmas at Gramma & Grampa's is no different than any other time we all get together--fun, a bit crazy, full of laughs, some tears, LOTS of love, and, yes, a wee bit crazy!

3. My kids think that every one of their friends is their cousin because every one of their cousins is their friend. That makes for alot of interesting conversations around here =)

4. NO, we absolutely DID NOT plan to all be pregnant at the same time, almost every time. It was never even discussed. Thank you.

5. NO, there is nothing "in the water" around here. But if you'd like to try, you're more than welcome. I pray you're blessed as much as we are/have been.

6. YES, they are all ours.

7. NO, we're not crazy and we don't need any sympathy.

8. YES, we've actually joked about having a family-only sports team...a few years down the road. And I would like to think that we'd be pretty good =)

9. YES, Gramma & Grampa think that they are all the best things to ever happen. And each of them knows it both individually and collectively!

10. And thank you to every person in the grocery store, at the mall, at the park, in the restaurant, etc. who has poured out the blessings upon us every. time. we. are. out. in. public. by saying, "Wow, God bless you." The LORD has actually blessed us greatly and we try not to take that for granted!

Now I leave you with one question: Why does everyone always ask about Christmas??

____________________________________________________________________

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him."

Psalm 127:3  (NLT)

Be still my heart

One of my all-time favorite shots of Phia. Every time this photo pops up on Daryl's iphone, I melt. These years are going by so very quickly! I pray every day--even in the midst of chaos--that I treasure each moment, each giggle, each kiss, each grubby little hand, each tear, each picture-just-for-Momma because all too soon it will be gone and they'll be grown.

Daryl and I enjoyed a few laughs today reminiscing on the difference a few years makes. Nine years ago March 3rd, after a fun-filled day at the Whitaker Science Center in Harrisburg, Daryl asked me if I would like to date him. I replied, "Sure. I'm game." I knew that night that I would marry him. Sounds crazy, I know. But true. Even after our one-and-only fight when all seemed to be lost, I still knew in my heart that he was it. I knew that God had put us together from the very beginning back in 1997. And I've never been more thankful for anything in my life.

I may sit one day and write "Our Story" if for no other reason than I'm a romantic, I love reliving our dating days, and its a great story...and I'm certainly not biased or anything.

I think the biggest reason to write it is its a personal testament to the hand of God at work in my life.

Every time I think of Daryl, I thank God. Our realtionship is a personal reminder of the blessings that come from seeking and following His will for my life. Its a blessing that I do not take for granted.

So here we are nine years, eight in business, seven (and a half) married, six kinds of crazy, five+ acres of our heaven-on-earth, four kids, three moves, two people still crazy in love, and one dog later and I don't want to take a moment of it for granted.

After all, Daryl's famous line to ask me to date was "if we left college and never gave us a chance, he felt he'd miss out on a golden opportunity"--I couldn't agree more. There is so much I would have missed. I'm simply grateful that "missing out" wasn't a part of the plan!

Guess who?

A very unhappy baby photo of Princess Laia.

HiBEARnation, anyone?

With the Blizzard of '10 happening as we speak, I vote to cuddle up with this sweet cub until Spring appears in all its splendor:

ANY TAKERS?