[ easter plus ]

Found this quote by author, Elizabeth Berg, yesterday and it completely describes the way I feel during these months that are technically Spring, but feel more like Winter...


It’s that time of year again, near-spring, when I’m one step short of going out and tugging on whatever shoots of green I can find. I am heartened by the sight of robins everywhere, even if the buds on the trees remain tightly closed. Spring is an exercise in having faith and learning patience: It will come, when it’s ready; and then I can engage in my favorite practice of sitting on the front porch and watching dogs walk by with their people. 
- Elizabeth Berg


"Spring is an exercise in having faith and learning patience: It will come, when it’s ready"... Oh yes, it is an exercise in having faith and learning patience... at least up here in Michigan it is!




Lately cherishing... 




Our first fire in the grill.


We had my Mom's delicious flank steak marinade recipe, squash, zucchini, potatoes & onions on the grill, salad, and homemade bread & herbed butter. We had Uncle Dave, Aunt Krystal, and Jaden to share dinner with, which made our first grill out even better!

What-nots in unexpected places.

It's Breck's signature. At any given time, in any given drawer or cabinet, I am almost certain to find any given item strategically placed there by my little Breck's hands. It takes me by surprise and makes me smile every time. His latest obsession is the travel mug/water bottle drawer, and the mixing bowl cabinet. One day I couldn't find my phone anywhere, but could hear muffled text message notifications sounding off in the distance. After a little if-I-were-Breck-where-would-I-have-put-my-mommy's-phone train of thought, I finally found it in the tupperware cabinet, exactly where B left it.

Packages.

With Easter, and my birthday being so close together, we've gotten four things in the mail within the last week, and it is sheer bliss seeing the mailbox overflowing with plush packaging. Actually, the fourth package had nothing to do with Easter or my birthday, but has everything to do with the fact that we find out on May 4th if BabyB#2 is a boy or girl! May 4th... which is also my Aunt Donna's birthday! With there already being three grandboys in the family, she is hoping so hard for a girl! She is just ecstatic that when I call her to wish her a happy birthday on the 4th, she know's I'm also gonna have some BIG NEWS to share too! Uncle Greg and Aunt Donna are seriously the coolest Aunt and Uncle EVER. They've been the faithful ones always there for our family through the years and have literally felt like a second set of parents to Holly and I. They are that kind of aunt and uncle. And when I think about it the family vacations that included them were the best ones that have the most Normal Rockwell memories in my mind. Love them! 

Look at what they sent us in the mail... 

I just can't get enough of the sheer ruffle around the ankle!

Bubbles.

Easter basket, birthday gift skype.


One of the packages in the mailbox was Breck's Easter "basket" from Mamaw and Papaw. So we saved it for Saturday when they could watch Breck open his package over skype. Breck got two super cool new summer shirts, a sparkly Spring board book, some sugary sweetness chicks, a sweet grandson at Easter card, and some Easter moolah! Just so happens that my birthday gift from Mom and Dad came in the mail the same day too. So, I got to open my gorgeous blown glass hummingbird feeder and a card with birthday moolah in front of them too! Mom is a your-wish-is-my-command-type-birthday-giver. :) Which is kinda fun because two days before she asked me what my birthday wish was... I discovered my new found love for blown glass hummingbird feeders! And wha-lah... there it was in my mailbox a few days later! 

Mamaw, Papaw, and Breck playing peek-a-boo...

Bitin' off the chick's head...

Matching Easter pastels.

So, I'll admit I'm a complete crafting geek, but I was on an crafting high once I stumbled upon a handmade toddler tie pattern which inspired me to embark on a hunt for some cheery pastel tie fabric. I found this lovely, in the quilting section of all places, at Joann Fabrics. It was just what I was looking for and I was in-love. ($3.00 to make the tie and $4.99 for his dress shirt to match!= $7.99 for an Easter outfit!) I made Breck's tie first, which then inspired me to make us each an accessory out of this fabric. I don't know what it is about the gratification that comes with making something by hand, but it does something for me and I can't hold back. And there you have it; our Easter Sunday accessories. A bit overkill? Maybe. Worth it? Totally. :) 

Egg traditions.

I don't know what it is about having kids and holidays, but they mesh in a way that makes every childhood memory come alive and a little more vivid than before. The privilege and creative liberties we have as parents to carry on family traditions and begin our own new ones... is inspiring. Finding creative ways to teach my children about Christ's birth, death, and resurrection, wrapping Christmas gifts and placing them under the soft glow of a Christmas tree, and stuffing plastic eggs with little surprises really has a way of making it feel official that you are the parent now. The parent who is creating traditions and making memories that will stick with the kids once they are the grown parents making their own traditions! 

Speaking of traditions, one specifically that I was so excited to carry on for my children is the tradition of finding the Silver Egg. My Grandma and Grandpa Lasley started this tradition long before I was born, but boy, do I have fond memories of the sense of urgency and competition between family members to be the first to find it! Adults and children both were involved in the silver egg hunt. It. was. a. big. deal. The silver egg was quite a bit larger than any of the other eggs, and was silver, obviously. The original silver egg that my Grandma used was actually an old silver Leggs panty hose container she saved and used for the tradition. 

This is pretty much what their egg looked like! (Picture from Google)

I was ecstatic when I found a large silver egg at Hobby Lobby that looks very similar to theirs!  The goodies housed inside the silver egg were slightly better than any of the other eggs'. Instead of quarters or a one dollar bill, there was a five dollar bill and candy that was a little bit more gourmet than the rest. Grandma used to keep a record in a little notebook of the year, who found the egg, and where they hid it. So, needless to say they never duplicated a hiding spot. Ever. Somehow the topic of conversation at every Easter dinner always seemed to be Who found it last year, where they found it, and who found it the year before, and the year before, and the year before. I have lovely visions in my Normal Rockwell mind of our own kids getting wrapped up into the hype, huddled together in their bedroom while Mom and Dad hide the silver egg. Their burning desire to be the one to find it first will create this nervous energy that's just bursting to be let loose and to find that ovaloid piece of silver. And the ultimate prize? Getting their name written down in Silver Egg history!

For Breck's first egg hunt, we didn't exactly hide the eggs, but rather strategically laid them out in the open, where the bright colors would actually capture his attention. He's only fifteen months, but he totally got it. He even carried the bucket with him as he approached each new egg... it was precious. He of course loves to put anything in anything, so dropping the eggs in the bucket? No problem. After he picked up all of the eggs, he then began picking up rocks and sticks and making extra deposits into his easter bucket! Like I said, he totally got it.

Little video of the egg in the bucket action...

See how the silver egg is just bigger and better?!?

Breck's silver egg consisted of two "gourmet candy" lifesavers, gummy fruit, and a gold dollar. Maybe in a few years we'll incorporate a five dollar bill and some Lindt Lindor truffles. (We would have used a one or five dollar bill if we had one, but we scoured the house and couldn't find a bill of cash anywhere. Momma wasn't prepared!) 

Easter Sunday.

Coordinated we were off to church. And early! That never happens! I think it had something to do with the fact that we had our clothes planned out days in advance! We should try that more often for Sunday mornings. We enjoyed a great Easter service at church with several testimonies that Christ really is alive and working among us. What an undeserving gift that he died for us, and what a miracle that he raised himself from the dead. I'm thinking that Easter might be my new favorite holiday... what it really means, and the colors, and the season, all say hope. That is irresistible. 

My lil baby sitting in the church pew. Ah.

After church we gathered at Mom and Dad Buckingham's house for a delectable Easter dinner and birthday dessert. I have the best brother-in-law ever because he lets me share the birthday gatherings with him now that I've married into the family. He is about one year and one week older than I am. We were honored together by Mom's famous made-from-scratch-cherry-almond-cheesecake! Yummm.

My in-laws are always too good to me. They got me the most amazing book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, a book that "dares you to live fully, right where you are." Mom B has read it and is in love with it.  They also gave me an anti-gravity reclining chair so that I can recline back on the deck  and have a comfy place to read when I'm full-term and pregnant this summer! I think I'm most excited about the fact that I have my very own chair! I might just have to drag that thing to the pool this summer and skip laying on the hot strips of plastic that stick to the back of sunburnt thighs.

For Easter, Mom and Dad B got each of the grandboys a Ty Beanie Baby chick, some fun buckets, shovels, and molds to make a hard core sand castle this summer at the beach! Can't wait to build our first sand castle together! 

One more picture, just for kicks...

I know I already posted this picture, but I can't get enough of it.

[ you know what you get ]

You know what you get when you have company? 
A guest room. I love a good set-in-stone-deadline that forces you to get your rear in gear and get things organized, thrown away, and put any leftover crap in it's place before the company arrives.

Here's a little glimpse of ours... 

You know what you get when you have a sister? Or at least a sister like mine? A bestest friend. 

Someone you can laugh with in a way you could never laugh with anyone else in the world. Someone who just gets it without an explanation. Someone who loves your babies as much as they love their own. Someone who loves you no matter how opposite you are. Someone who loves you no matter what ever happens in life. Someone who inspires you. Someone you seek out for advice. Someone you play in makeup with and someone you go shopping with. Someone you still share clothes with. Someone you look up to - even though, she's younger.  My sister is a forever friend. And I can't seem to say goodbye to her (or write this post) without tearing up. 

There can be no situation in life in which the conversation of my dear sister will not administer some comfort to me. - Mary Montague

(Boy, have these pregnancy hormones been on crying overload lately! Whew!) 

Might I also add, that you get a 'brother' when you get a sister. Because my brother-in-law is pretty much the best older brother I always wanted, and the fact that he takes pretty good care of my little sis and my precious nephews is a huge perk too.

We had a great time this weekend with Aaron, Holly, and the boys. It was great to watch the babies play and Dylan entertain them. The babies didn't really "play" together, but they would play beside each other, and be completely oblivious to each other. We enjoyed hearing Brody show off his cute little vocabulary of peez (please), ank-oo (thank you), goggie (doggie), mama, and dada. And Breck incessantly showed them that he can say go, hot, and gog. Brody is a super smiley baby and has no fear.  We learned that Breck doesn't really understand the idea of sharing yet, and he needs to toughen up when it comes to other babies touching or patting him. He nearly freaked out every time Brody would touch him. Ha!

The only bummer to the weekend was that Dylan suffered a bout of a twenty-four hour stomach bug and the weather was dreary and horrible.  Both situations gave us a good excuse to bum around in our jammies all day Saturday and relax together and pamper Dyl. Even though the rain came Sunday, we all got showered and dressed up to go out to the mall and hit up Red Robin for some delicious lunch. Now that's a day out with kids. :)

Brody-bro has gotten SO BIG since we saw him at Christmas. 

He's such a little darling and always smiling! 

Bathtime with cousin. 

While babies are napping, mommies will shop and play. Shop at Nordstrom Rack and play in makeup. My sister has the goods when it comes to makeup. She's the makeup color guru. I always love having her tell me about her latest and greatest MAC colors! Amber Lights, Knight Divine, Sumptuous Olive, and Star Violet, I want you all - in all of your highly pigmented glory. 

The boys really enjoyed themselves some giant rubberized-breakfast-food-play-equipment. 

 

 

And a yummy lunch at Red Robin's. Um, by the way. Never been to Red Robin's before this weekend, but it ranks right up there with some of my other hand-full-o-favorite-restaurants. 

Poor boy earned his root beer float after spending half the weekend with the stomach bug.

The Indiana Easter bunny came early and hopped out the back of Uncle Aaron and Aunt Holly's car. 

That bunny sure has good taste!

Ps. Obviously this little "ps." could be a post all it's own, but in keeping with the You know what you get... 

You know what you get when you get a mother-in-law? Or at least a mother-in-law like mine?

The best mom-in-law in the world. Someone who deserves to be called a mom-in-law and not mother-in-law. She doesn't deserve the stereotypical mother-in-law jokes. 

This woman is the hardest worker. The very first picture in this post? Our guest room? Well, it was only possible because she was over here working her heart out to help me get ready for company and get our guest room finished. 

And last night. Know what she did? She instantly invited us over for dinner as soon as she heard my stuffy nose on the other end of the phone. Cuz she's a Momma too and has been there and knows that a sick Momma plus a clingy baby, plus a five-load-of laundry-day doesn't leave much time or energy to fix a dinner. She expects me to do nothing, but show up at 6:00pm to her T-bone steak, baked potatoes, mushroom and onion, salad, and cherry blossoms dinner. Honest.

And today. Know what else she did? When I got home from my doctors appointment I found another surprise. She managed to put away all of the clean dishes in my dishwasher, and load all of the dirty ones into the dishwasher, while she watched Breck for me. None of these things she has to do, or no one makes her feel like she should do them, but she simply just has the biggest servants heart I've ever seen. And when I thanked her, she said, I just know how relieved I am to come home to a dish-free sink, and I also understand not having time to get them done. She doesn't judge. :)

I am always turning around to find myself being a little more relieved by something because of her help and her initiative. 

Pss. Between the neighbors dog incessantly barking, the jeep car alarm randomly sounding in the parking lot, and the ambulance sirens blaring while I write this post... I have no idea how Breck is still sleeping. And if either one of them wake up the boy, I may have to go shut them up myself!