Easter weekend and Grandmother visit...

Well- here I am 2 weeks behind again. What is the deal? We had such a fun Easter weekend. Before I get to that- I guess I should announce one big change in our lives....no, I am not pregnant. :>) A few weeks ago, Danny accepted the pastor position at Cornerstone church. We are very excited about what God has in store, and feel very privileged to be given this opportunity. We have drastically changed around our schedule over the last few weeks for the better. I am still adjusting. Because our boys have a near perfect track record of waking up as soon as Danny does (no matter the time)- he has started going to the church early every morning, (we practically live next door) so he can be alone for prayer and Bible time. Before now, he would stay up at all hours of the night to be alone to spend time with the Lord. That became very taxing and so this new routine is helping. It also is a big change for me too. Before, he was at home to help with the kids in the morning and he would allow me to catch a little more sleep when Amaus had been up at night. Also, he would watch the boys in the morning so I could jump on the treadmill and get a little jolt before I began my day...so I am trying to learn the art of placing those things somewhere else in my day. I am really praying for God to show me how to balance my time, so that I can get the most important things accomplished each day. I don't sell MaryKay, but I like their motto for life- God first, family next, business last. For me, God first, family next, then guitar playing, treadmill, flower beds, etc. I hope to get to the flower beds before Christmas rolls around. lol They are a tangled mess of sprouting little trees, weeds, and some returning vines and flowers. I have allotted Sat for a flower bed day- I hope it works out!

Easter weekend: We were supposed to go on a homeschool field trip to Baton Rouge, but Danny needed to make some preparations for Easter Sunday at church. Also, it would have ended up being a very costly trip so we had to take a rain check. About lunch time, we ended up deciding to go to Monroe instead for a family day. It was a blast! We did a little geocaching on the way down. One was in a little roadside park, the other was in a really old graveyard on a side road. The grave yard was so cool. I love going around and reading old tombstones. Then we went to the Monroe Zoo. It is a nice zoo and isn't very expensive at all. After that, we went to eat at Chili's. It was so good. We will now recommend that Chili's to anyone and I'll tell you why. We got there and sat down with the boys- who were already at the "you better feed me quick or it could get dangerous" point. We sat down...and waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, 15 minutes had passed and no one had even asked us for our drink order. The kids were in a tizz, and we decided we better just go somewhere else. We got up to leave the, now destroyed table covered in colors, paper, and menus. I stopped to apologize to the hostess for leaving the table a wreck, and just explained we had to go...and the whole deal. We were walking out the door, when the lady flagged us down. The manager insisted that we stay. He asked us what we had planned on ordering, and he called it back. It was out in a matter of a few minutes. PLUS, way more than we ordered. Extra fries, and extra pizza...Then, they didn't charge us for any of it! They said the waiter had merely overlooked our table, and they just kept apologizing. I felt bad for how much they went over the top to make us feel better about being forgotten. It was a real blessing to have a 4 person meal covered. Wow.

Pics from the Zoo:

I must say- A hippo is one stinky animal!

Josiah and Isaac petting a Python

Danny's last day with his beloved gotee

Amaus snoozed through most of the zoo

That evening when we got home, Beth and Beaux dropped by with some Easter goodies for Josiah and Isaac. They were thrilled!

Isaac has become a candy-aholic. He wakes up asking for the stuff- he goes to bed asking for it. We don't give it to him, mind you. But you would think we did by the way he cries when he can't have it. Anyway- he probably finished off his candy in no time. Josiah is into the little toys, and then he rations out his candy to make sure it lasts. Isaac is like me. He inhales it without a second thought.

The next day, Easter Sunday was a great day. We enjoyed eating an awesome meal of turkey and dressing, and had a good time visiting with family. (and drove to Lake Charles to pick up our camper- unfortunately, I don't have time to post about that trip in this blog)

Josiah, Amaus, and Isaac

(If one out of three are smiling- we call it a keeper! ;) )

My Mom, Grandmother, came down this past weekend. We had such a fun visit! Friday night we went out to Sunnyside church where my brother and all of my family go to church. They were having a birthday party for my twin nephews, Timothy and Titus, and their older brother Levi. (their birthdays are all close together) Saturday my mom and I cooked a big meal all morning. We had a roasted chicken, fresh bread, broccoli cream bake, and honey carrots. YUM! We had a homemade chocolate cake with caramel vanilla butter cream icing for dessert. After the boys laid down for a nap, my mom and I did something that I don't think we have done since I was in college. We went shopping, just the two of us. It was so much fun! We tried on clothes and bathing suits, and just had a good time hanging out. It was only for a few hours, but I think it was a break I needed. I cannot believe it, but I didn't take any pics that whole day!
My sis n law, Sherry and I
Pouting Isaac, Levi, and Josiah

Grandmother and Amaus

I am happy to report that last week, Danny did finish painting our schoolhouse red, and he fixed the boy's bathroom floor! YAY! My honey-do list is getting shorter and shorter! ;)

We did go on a homeschool group outing this week to a Horse Farm in Kingston. The boys had the chance to ride a mustang (although Isaac decided at the last minute that he didn't want to) and we got to learn all about how they train horses. It was really neat.