Out of the mouth of a child

The week before Easter, Nathan (3 1/2) had the opportunity to hear the Easter story from his Sunday School teachers, his MDO teachers and at home.

After MDO the Tuesday before Easter we were headed to church for a special evening service. As we walked up the parking lot into the church, Nathan shared with me what he had learned at MDO that day.

Nathan: Some guys took Jesus away because they thought he was a bad guy, but he really wasn't. Then, they took his clothes off (and that wasn't nice) and he died on the cross. He died on the cross for our sins.

Me: Yeah, all of the bad choices we make.

Nathan: They put him in a cave, but he didn't stay in the cave. He's alive!

Me: Jesus loves us so much!

Nathan: Yeah! Hey, daddy...Jesus loves us so much doesn't he?!

Just retaining that much of the story from that morning at school amazes me. I am so grateful for loving Christians adults in Nathan's life. You never know what children pick up on (even if it looks like they might not be listening)!

"I Wanna Be A Cowboy..."

At Mother's Day Out last Tuesday the Three year old room kiddos all came to school dressed as little cowboys and cowgirls. This is our little cowboy...

California

Corey and I had the opportunity to go to a PDYM (Purpose Driven Youth Ministry) Conference at Saddleback Community Church out in California together! The conference was great, different than most conferences that I have ever attended and one that I truly enjoyed. It was also GREAT to spend time with Corey (just the two of us). While we were out in Southern California we had the chance to meet up with some really good friends of ours that are actually doing a church plant in Temecula, CA (moved there from Texas about a year ago). Keep this couple, Matt and Sharon, in your prayers as they are fully relying on God and all that He has planned for their church-Ridgeline Community Church.
We also took a couple of mini excursions around the area-visiting Hollywood, downtown LA, drove along Pacific Coast Highway 1 (stopping to take a walk on the beach) and shopping and dining around the Laguna Beach area (which was SO beautiful). Even while we were in traffic, Corey and I had such a good time together. It was nice to be able to talk to each other. I thank God for our relationship and cannot believe that this summer we will celebrate our 9th year of marriage.

WALKING!

For the past month, Kate has been trying hard to walk. The last couple of weeks she has become steadier and steadier. Now, she would rather walk than crawl! She still falls down once in a while and walking in shoes is much trickier than being barefoot--but WOW has she done an incredible job. She has really enjoyed this new adventure and looks just like a little toddler trying to tag along with her older brother. Corey and I are so proud of her accomplishment!

Sausage Stars

This recipe has become the classic "appetizer" to bring to baby showers, enjoy during holidays, etc. My mom introduced me to it and YUMMY! Try it out sometime. They are hot, crispy and delicious little morsels.

Here is what you will need:

1 pound sausage (hot or mild) cooked, drained

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1 8 ounce can of chopped black olives

1 cup Ranch dressing

2 cups shredded cheese (your favorite)

Wonton wrappers cut into squares

Mini muffin pan

Cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix cooked sausage, olives, ranch dressing, cheese and red pepper together in a bowl. Place a wonton wrapper into each muffin tin spot, spray tops with cooking spray. Place in oven for 5 minutes (until golden).

Place crispy wonton wrappers on a large cookie sheet. Scoop a teaspoon of sausage mixture into crispy wonton and place back in oven for 5 minutes longer (until cheese is melted).

Serve while still warm. I must warn you these are addicting.

The pictures that I took DO NOT do it justice.

At Kate's orthopedic appointment on Friday, Dr. Prince looked at the x-rays and said she is looking better than she expected! The leg length difference had grown slightly closer together, so she felt that it would be best for Kate to learn how to walk without any extra assistance like a shoe insert or shoe lift. She said this summer when we meet again we will probably have her fitted for a shoe insert and then later we will get a shoe lift. Dr. Prince said it is common for leg discrepencies like this to change often as she grows. I am thankful that it has gotten better and not worse during a time where she is needing to be balanced the most (with learning how to walk). So that is the latest! Tomorrow Kate goes to her geneticist, Dr. Immken. It should be fairly brief as she is basically monitoring Kate's growth. God is taking care of our little Kate and she is in great hands at Dell Children's!

Happy Love Day!

We wish all of our friends and family a sweet Valentine's Day! We LOVE you!