Inside/Outside Play

We have had a lot of inside play days this Spring.

And this is what Sofia likes to do.  Seriously, she does handstands and cartwheels all day long.

They're not perfect but she is getting there.

And Selah, well, she wants to be like her big sister and tries to do everything she does.  This is about as far as she gets on the handstand.

But finally the sun came out yesterday so outside play it was.  

There was bike riding.

Ball playing.

Chalk drawing.

And taking a walk.

And whether it's inside or outside play, everyone needs a snack.  This one is made of rice cakes, apple slices, banana slices, raisins, and chinese noodles.  (I got the idea from a Lifeway magazine.)

Beauty!

In the previous post we shared about our trip to the zoo.  Well, right outside of the zoo's northwest entrance is an atrium.  We had never ventured in there before so last Friday we thought we would.

Oh are we glad we did.  

The flowers have just begun to bloom in and around Chi-town (mostly the tulips and daffodils) so to see the many different flowers was such a treat.  

All the colours and the fragrances of the flowers awoke our senses that have been asleep all winter.

God's creation...all things big and small...give us such joy.  Isn't it amazing the beauty found in each individual animal?  flower? plant? and above all, people?

Enjoy God's creation today.  Enjoy it and give Him glory!!!

Zoo Time

It's seems like this time every year we find ourselves at one of our favourite places...

We love this zoo for a couple of reasons.  One, it's free.   Two, it's small.  And three, it is right next to Lake Michigan.

Today was such a wonderful day.  Because we were next to the lake the temps were only around 55 degrees at the zoo but is was sunny, cool and beautiful.

Here are daddy, Selah and Sofia inside the Big Cat Habitat.  

This is what they were checking out.  This cat climbed up on the rock and gave us a great photo op.
Our bird loving family thought these two birds were pretty cool.  The Scarlet Ibis and the Snowy Egret.
We all agreed, however, that the polar bear was our favourite.  It was amazing to watch this powerful bear glide through the water.
Selah did enjoy the animals but I'm pretty sure she enjoyed people watching just as much if not more. (Note the animal exhibit is behind her.)
And what is a day of going to the zoo without seeing the lions?  These cats were doing what most people in Chicago were doing today.   Soaking in the sun.

We are so EXCITED!!!!

The sun is shining!  It is a beautiful day and the temperature has reached 60 degrees.  And get this, we are going to have a high 0f 70 degrees on Saturday.  The weatherman informed us that this will be the first weekend day of 70 since October (we reached a freak 70degrees on a Tuesday a few weeks ago).  So those of you who read our blog and live in a warmer place...does this help put things into perspective of why we are so excited for warm days?

So what do we do on a warm day?  We go to the park.  The girls just love the park.  They both have no fear.  This translates into lots of bumps and bruises and even chipped teeth but on this particular day all was good.

Selah was throwing out a few "hellos" to the other kids in the park while hanging out in the swing.

Selah loves the slides.  Again, no fear.
This is the slide she went down all by herself.
And this slide? 
She thought she would walk up it.
And so she did.
Ahhhhh....thankfully Sofia wasn't getting into too much trouble so I could keep my eyes on Selah for the most part.

We love the park (and momma loves the naps they take after the park)!

Another blessed Easter!

What a glorious day it was! A beautiful sunny day.  A day that our Lord had made.  A day where we joined with other believers for a Easter Brunch before coming together in worship through song and scripture.  Voices were lifted up as the "Halleluia Chorus" was sung.  Hands clapped in celebration of those that were baptized.  And hearts and minds were encouraged as scripture was taught.  

HE IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

Easter Family Activities

The Saturday before Easter we enjoyed some family activities.  Here are some of the things we did.

The girls took part in the community egg hunt.  It was a chilly 35 degrees and the wind was blowing.  There were 8000 eggs and probably about 1000 people in attendance.  

Here we are waiting for the hunt to begin.  We waited about 30 minutes for a 3 minute hunt.

Once they blew the horn Sofia was off and running.  She ended up with 7 eggs.
Selah took her time and picked up one egg at a time.  She ended up with four.
Of course, what is a community event without face painting?:)

At home we opted to make some other kinds of eggs then the traditional dyed ones.

First up, jell-o eggs.  Yummy!

Then we made some rice krispy eggs that were dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.
We also made some krispy bunnies and some baskets with eggs.
Of course, we had a ton of the plastic eggs for a family hunt.  The eggs were filled with crayons and stickers.  A few of them had chocolate.
But the activity to remind us what Easter truly is about:  a Lego CROSS!!!

Family!!!

We love when our family comes to visit!

Kevin's twin sister, Kerri, along with her fiance Todd and his two girls Hayley and Jordan were here for the first half of the week.  We had some fun times playing games, eating, and searching for the perfect place for Todd and Kerri to get married this summer.  We found it at a local forest preserve.  

Then the latter part of the week, my sister Kelli and her kids Caleb and Hannah came to visit.  It was a fun time as well.  Lots of activities (details in next post), attended Good Friday Service together, and had a family Easter dinner Saturday night before they had to head back to Michigan.

Of course, all pics were taken by Ashley.:)