Watch Out Mickey, Here We Come!

Our 2010 family trip to Disneyland was amazingly awesome. Christmas time in Disneyland is nothing short of magical.  So how could we possibly top last year's experience?  I know, throw in an additional kid and visit during Halloween.  And so begins the Shewmakers' 2011 Disneyland trip.


In the early dawn hours of October 5th, the five of us situated ourselves into the car and set off 400 miles south in search of Mickey Mouse and his friends.  Five?? You ask. Yes, Ashton joined us this year.  It was a very rainy start, much different than last year.  Three hours after leaving our lovely home we arrived at Kettleman City for our customary McDonald's breakfast.  I was a little dismayed as I had us scheduled to be in Kettleman City at 7:30am and we arrived at 7:34am but I was determined to make up our lost four minutes one way or the other.  After breakfast, refilling the gas tank, potty breaks and setting up the DVD player we jumped back in the car for the second half of our journey.  The boys kept themselves fairly entertained.  Between DVDs, DSs and snacks it wasn't an awful ride. Although we should have brought a wider variety of movies. 


At 9:40am we reached the grapevine and with a family prayer I entered into the worst hour of driving of my life.  Rain, wind, gray skies, big rigs, speeding SUVs all made for a very difficult drive through elevations of up to 4,200 feet.  Once we crossed over I could feel my muscles relaxing and head refocusing on our end destination, the Magic Kingdom.  Traffic into L.A. was less than ideal but we finally made it to the hotel at 11:45am, about an hour behind scheduled, didn't matter though since they wouldn't let us check in yet.  We decided to visit Downtown Disney and have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.  We spent a little time at ESPN Zone, the Lego Store, Build A Bear and got soaked running between stores in the rain but it was fun and exciting for the boys.

 

After our adventures in Downtown Disney we headed back to the hotel for some much needed dry clothes and rest for our upcoming 15 hour day at Disneyland.  The hotel was nice, the boys had their own separate space where they could layout their activities and watch TV. Simon was very quick in feeling cooped up in a small space so I took him and the boys on a tour of the hotel and arcade, hoping to wear them out. It didn't work.  Finally though we got them to bed and asleep and we awaited our 6:00am wake up call.

The weather the next morning (October 6th) was beautiful! We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel restaurant, boarded the shuttle and journeyed to Disneyland.  9:00am the gates opened and we were the 5th family in the line we chose to stand in.  We headed straight back toward ToonTown, stopped at the Carousel for a quick ride, then to Small World.  ToonTown didn't open until 10:00am so we decided to do Tomorrowland instead.  At this point, I said goodbye to my itinerary and let the boys and wind guide us.  It all worked out. We covered all the lands, hit all the requested rides, ate, played and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  We did stay at the park until almost 11:00pm. Our goal was 12:00am but that was not going to happen.  Simon was determined to walk during almost the entire day, with the exception of his short stroller nap.  Favorite rides of the day:  Carousel, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (both of which Simon went on 5 times). Dominick really enjoyed Star Tours and Ashton liked the Haunted Mansion.  I thoroughly enjoyed Splash Mountain.

Day 2 of our Disney adventure was split between Disneyland and California Adventure.  Our plan was to stay at Disneyland for a couple of hours, head over to California Adventure for a few hours, back to Disneyland until it closed at 7pm and then back to California Adventure until it closed at 11pm.  Silly us for making plans.  We started off well.  Tea Cups, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh were all visited during the first couple of hours.  We crossed the plaza into California Adventure, picked up our World of Color Fast Passes and set off to explore CA.  Monsters Inc was our first ride followed by the Great Muppet Caper.  Simon and I caught a showing of Disney Jr. Live on Stage, that was FANTASTIC.  The older boys went to Soarin' Over California.  Then it was time for the Hollywood Tower of Terror and lunch at Award Weiners.  We then journeyed over to the pier for some boardwalk games.  Toy Story Mania was a favorite from last year so we decided to brave the 45 minute line.  Simon fell asleep about 20 minutes into waiting so I hopped out of line and found a nice quiet spot for the both of us to rest. Last year we walked by the animation studio probably a half dozen times without ever giving it a second look, this year we checked it out and we loved it.  We all (except Simon) had the chance to learn to draw Disney Characters in a step by step process taught by a Disney artist, it was great.  After a few more rides we decided to head back over to Disneyland. After we maneuvered our way out of California Adventure we saw the line into Disneyland was ridiculously long and CA was filling up quickly due to the spillover from DL's impending closing time.  We cut our losses for the day and started toward Downtown Disney.  At this point we were all feeling very tired and worn out.  We contemplated dinner in the very crowded downtown area and came to the conclusion our in hotel restaurant would be our best bet.  We bid farewell to the parks and loaded ourselves into the shuttle.

The next morning, the morning of our departure, we enjoyed a later leisurely breakfast, packed and took the boys to Downtown Disney so they could spend their money.  We spent a couple of hours in the Disney store and all the boys came away with special momentos of Disneyland.  We made good time coming home.  Leaving Anaheim around 11:20am and getting back into Elk Grove at about 6:30pm.  It was a challenging ride home with Simon but all in all we fared pretty well.  I am loving this tradition!!!  I love the magic, the joy, the excitement and anticipation felt by us all as the weeks, days and hours of this trip get closer.  Dominick enjoys being a kid and Simon is storing some great memories. 

So Mickey Mouse and Friends, we once again say "See ya pal, real soon!"  It's nice to know the magic is always waiting for us, a mere seven hours south of good ol' Elk Grove.  Until next time!



Do You Know The Way To San Jose

What a great family day we enjoyed this past Sunday.  After a nice breakfast at Stagecoach in Elk Grove we made our way to San Jose to visit Jen, Brian and our niece Brooklyn.  The supposed reason for the invitation to visit was to see Jen and Brian's new home in San Jose, although, I had my suspicions as to the true objective of the visit. More on that later. 

The drive to San Jose went well. It was our first extended length trip in the car with our newly potty trained toddler and Simon did very well, no accidents despite the container of chocolate milk he drank right before we left the restaurant.  We arrived in just under two hours.  Jen and Brian's new home is lovely.  Simon particularly enjoyed the stairs and repeatedly told me "I going back upstairs." The upstairs landing that looks down into the living room was a little frightening since Simon tried to climb over the rail not once but twice.  Jen had mentioned installing plexi-glass, might not be a bad idea. 
 In addition to our family of four, Nick's parents, and three brothers and one other sister also came for the visit.  We chatted, ate and relaxed and had some birthday cake to celebrate Jen's upcoming birthday.  It didn't take too long to reveal the big (but not totally surprising) news and real reason of the visit.  Jen is PREGNANT! Yes, God is blessing Jen and Brian with a baby brother OR baby sister for Brooklyn.  I am super excited for them. Baby is due March 2nd.  I can't wait to meet him or her, Brookly and Simon will both be so funny to watch once baby comes.  I am very glad that we are geographically close enough to visit often and that we have the opportunity for our kids to grow up together. 


We drove back later that afternoon with smiles on our faces.  Definitely looking forward to the next visit.  Below are some pictures of our fun day! 


Simon and Brooklyn



God Is Who He Says He Is

Warning: Not about my kids but not totally unrelated.

When He asks 100% of what I have am I willing to give it to Him?  My immediate response is yes, perhaps solely because I know that is what I should say. What God wants of me and asks of me is very simple.  Worship, praise, recognize, sacrifice and discipline.  Simple not in doing but simple in knowing.  I know that God deserves every ounce of being that I have, every ounce of energy should be devoted to Him.  The Apostle Paul is my favorite example of a complete existence devoted to God.  How so very far away I am from that.  I ask God to use me. I trust that God has a plan for my life. I know this plan is to serve Him using my talents and treasures.  The difficult part comes in when what God wants from me is not the same as what I want for myself.  Human selfishness and laziness is totally at work here.  I don’t want to inconvenience myself too much and I don’t want to move too much outside of my comfort zone to do the works of God.  Whether financial, time, knowledge or resources there is always some constraint, some reason why I am not doing for God what I should.  Is it the comfort that  I have of knowing God has already redeemed me and has given me eternal salvation? Perhaps.  Is it fear that if I do put myself out there I will fail? Perhaps. Is it lack of faith in trusting God to pull me through no matter what happens? Perhaps.  Foolish, foolish me!  God has NEVER abandoned him who glorifies Him with all his heart mind and soul. Why would God abandon me? Am I not just as worthy of God’s intervention as Joshua was when fighting the Canaanites? Or the Israelites when they were being led through the dessert to the Promised Land?  God does not abandon His people.  He leaves us to our own devices for a while in an effort to awaken us to our selfish behavior and help us realize how much we need to rely on Him and what He is truly capable of.  He will not lead us to a mountain and then tell us “Hey, you go ahead and climb over this yourself and I will see you on the other side.”. This is not how God works. We stand there, side by side with God and He lifts us up over every stone, every ridge and every peak.  He may allow us to stumble and slide down a few feet if we start to get a little too cocky and think we can climb alone but He grabs us before we make it too far down and pulls us back up.  And when we finally make it to the top of that mountain, minutes/hours/days or even years later, you better stand up there and shout “Hallelujah, Thanks Be To God!”

If God wants me down on the ground crying, screaming and completely defeated I will do it.  I want to be completely weak and I want to rely 100% on God.  I want to know that every journey in the Bible, every account of God answering prayers is true.  I don’t at all question God’s abilities and power I just question  their presence in my life.  This is one of the many areas where I sin and my Christian walk is not as strong as my Christian talk.  I have no issue or hesitation professing God’s power to anybody who will listen.  I know He did great things with Noah, Moses, Abraham, Joshua, Paul etc. I know He flooded the earth, set shields on fire, defeated an army of thousands with an army of hundreds. I know He fed thousands with a handful of food. I know He made me, my kids, my husband and knew us before we were even conceived.   I know His countless blessings, His unlimited miracles and His powerful interventions. I have seen them in my own life but I am always questioning whether God will intervene again.  Are my prayers to Him trivial and selfish and thus unworthy of His acknowledgment?  Sometimes I know they are.  I feel also that I am praying for something to happen that is contradictory of God’s plan for me and then I feel bad because I am telling Him what I want done rather than listening to what He has planned for me.  That is part of the problem though, because I don’t know what He has planned for me.  I want to know, I beg and pray to know what I should be doing and what I should be aiming for but I am given no answer that I can see.  Which again leads me to question God’s role in my life. Is He giving me time to figure it out myself or is He sending me signs that I am too blind to acknowledge.  I know just by the fact that my husband and I are employed, my boys are healthy and happy and that we have a great church and family support system that God is at work in my life. For this alone I should be happy and content. But I am not and I seek more answers and more information.  Do I need to give more in order to receive more? Maybe that is it and maybe that is where I am lacking.

I struggle daily with not having the faith I want to have and need to have. I feel as though I let down God by just believing in Him and not believing Him.  I focus more on my ability to provide for my family, keeping them safe and healthy and not on God’s ability and his obvious successful track record.  If God told me to sacrifice my son, would I do it? Probably not, but why?  Do I believe that God knows what He is doing? I know this is an extreme example but I can’t even sacrifice small, insignificant things without wondering how it will affect me. God doesn’t ask for what he can’t replace!!!  Am I going to participate in a bible study? No, because I can’t sacrifice my time. Am I going to fully tithe? No, because I can’t sacrifice the money. Am I going to talk to this unbeliever about the glory of God? No, because I can’t sacrifice my reputation.  Get over myself.  This is not giving 100% to God.  God will not ask these things of me because He is going to leave me floundering around with no time, no money and everyone hating me.  God replenishes us over and over and over again with everything we need so why do I doubt Him? Why do I doubt He will provide for my every need.  I sin, I withhold, I question and I doubt yet I am still redeemed.  How awesome is He? How short of perfection I fall and He does not abandon me.  I am not to that 100% yet but there is no reason why I can’t get there.  Little by little I will give over to God all He deserves, asks and requires of me.  I will continue to pray for His guidance in my life. I will pray for my prayers to be answered and I will pray for Him to use me even if He has to break me down and build me back up. I will climb that mountain with Him by my side and I will sing glorious praises to His name when we finally reach the top.  All things are possible through Christ because God can do what He says He can do.

Simon Received His Invitation To The "Potty Party"

"Hey, Simon - I know you have been perfectly comfortable peeing and pooping in your diaper for the past 28 months now. I know you have never had to worry about where you were when you had to go, who you were with or who was going to help you.  I know you enjoy playing with your toys uninterrupted, watching your favorite movie unbothered and playing at the park without having to take a break.  I know you love running up to us so we can put a nice clean diaper on you when you need it.  BUT - I think it is time we take away all these comforts and habits, these securities and ways of life you have known since birth and shake the whole thing up and potty train you.  I know at this stage in your life you really see no point or benefit in being potty trained.  You may wonder why I am making things more difficult for you. Why is mommy adding one more chore into her already crazy life?  I assure you Simon, I do have one million other things to do that do not include following you around the house waiting for signs that you have to poop or pee, cleaning up messes on the carpet when I miss those signs, washing soaking wet "big boy" underwear and sitting on the bathroom floor reading you stories and singing you songs while you decide whether or not you are going to go.  I love that you communicate the fact that you have to pee AFTER you do it.  "I spilled" Yep Simon I can see that now let's go get a towel for the floor and change your underwear.  I love that you can hold it in for three hours and when I give up and finally put a diaper back on you it is soaked through in a matter of minutes.  I love that you tell me that you don't want to sit on the potty even though I 100% know that you have to go.  Frustration is not merely a side effect of potty training, it is my driving force.  Simon, I know you are ready to be potty trained.  I know you are ready because you hide when you poop, you tell me when you are wet, you request for your diaper to be changed, you pull your pants up and down, you can control your bladder and BMs with such skill it amazes me. You are an incredibly smart child, for this reason we are potty training you now with the hopes of being done by our October Disneyland trip.  So, please please please cooperate with us!  You can be stubborn, headstrong, argumentative during any other life changing lesson we throw at you during your toddler years but give us a break with this one.  You will thank us for it, I promise it is worth it.  Potty training is an experience that, despite my frustrations, I am growing to love because I am sharing it with you.  I love that you get so excited when you go potty, clapping and cheering for yourself.  I love that you say "Mommy really happy" when you do go on the potty. I love that as soon as a little pee comes out you jump up and ask for a treat. I love that when I go potty and you are around you ask me if I want a treat.  I love that you are learning to tell me you have to go BEFORE you actually go. I love that you get so excited to wear your big boy underwear. I love that you love to tell daddy and brother that you went potty.  Most of all Simon, I LOVE YOU!  Work with me child and together we will accomplish this unavoidable task. "

Every Little Thing You Do

As a mother nothing entertains me more than my children.  Don’t misunderstand me, neither of my boys perform at will nor do I orchestrate and choreograph little skits for them to act out.  Just the mere fact that my boys are boys and they are incredibly influenced by a giant world around them that they barely understand provides countless opportunities for lively anecdotes.  With an 8 ½ year age difference Dominick and Simon are at completely different levels developmentally, I would be terrified if they weren’t. 

Dominick can process complex concepts and the majority of the time he can form complex sentences to express whatever is going on mentally.  He is never too forthcoming with voicing what is on his mind.  It usually takes a little phishing on my part to even get the most basics of a conversation going.  I am, however, consistently surprised when Dominick does allow us entry into the inner-workings of his 10 year old mind.  Below are some of my favorite “thoughts from Dominick”.

* “What the…?”
* “That better not go on Facebook.”

* “Why is Simon crazy?”

*  On the subject of having another child “I think we are good with what we have.”

* “If you say so.”

     At 27 months Simon is full of surprises daily.  His vocabulary and sentence structure is amazing but I know it does not accurately represent everything that is going on in his 2 year old little mind.  To his ability, Simon voices everything on his mind.  I would be scared to know what he is not telling us, there is a lot of it.  Whether he is talking about his day, his dreams, his wants/not wants or arguing Simon adds his own special touch to all that he says.  Below are some of my favorite “what would Simon say?”

·         “Oh my gosh!”

·         “I don’t want to!”

·         “No mamma, I said no!”

·         “I want to close the wind.” If the windows are down in the car and the wind is coming in.

·         “It’s ridiculous.”

·         “Baseball park.” His go to answer for anything.

In addition to various  -isms, both boys have their quirky little actions.  Not necessarily tell tale signs but rather funny things they do because it is part of who they are.

Dominick

·         Falls asleep completely straight laying on his back

·         Whatever beverage he has, whatever the circumstance he will drink the entire drink in one movement

·         When he wakes up in the morning to use the restroom, he will never get back in his bed. He lays on the couch no matter how early in the morning it is.

·         Will eat breakfast the second he wakes up if it is ready.

·         Will not eat a meal without a napkin.

·         Reads the instructions for any toy/video game he ever gets.

·         Demands that Simon gives him a kiss every night when we tuck him in.

Simon

·         Will play baseball any and every chance he gets.

·         Has to put daddy’s deodorant on and put on daddy’s hair gel right after the bath. (pretend)

·         Sings “Old MacDonald” several times randomly through the day.

·         Prefers attending church service over the nursery so he can see God.

·         Puts his action figures in timeout.

·         Talks in a high-pitched voice because he knows it makes us laugh.

Every child is a unique and very special gift from God, perfectly formatted to please Him and perfectly outfitted for whatever the Lord has in store.  As a mother of a 10 year old and a 2 year old I struggle every day with the upbringing of my kids.  I constantly question my choices as they relate to my boys and I worry if I am doing my part in equipping them with what they will need in life.  At 10 and 2 I have no idea what awaits my boys in the future.  I am unsure of what they will become, which paths they will choose and what decisions they will make.  The one thing I am certain of is both Dominick and Simon will be given a strong foundation of Christ’s love and they will never doubt or question the love we have for them.  I analyze each word they speak and move they make with the hopes of gaining some insight into the person each will become but this is futile.  God knows who they are as He knew them before they existed.  God has my boys’ lives planned for them and I will gladly sit back and let Him lead us all, all the meanwhile laughing and smiling at and with my babies every day.

Just Because I Can't Get Enough Of Them

Some misc. pictures of my beautiful boys!!!



Mr. Cool



My handsome boy



The boys at the Make A Wish walk



Simon and his popsicle



They Went Out With A Bang!!!

Starting off the season we had some doubts about the winning ability of our Orioles.  We had some good games and some needs improvement games.  The boys appeared to be doing their best at each and every game.  We saw plenty of great hits, great catches and great runs.  Team spirit was always present and the boys always had a great time.  We ended the season with a 6-8* record.  Did you notice my asterisk?  I shall explain. 

Our first play off game was against The Rays.  Our boys were doing great!  We were ahead, we were behind, coaches on both sides arguing with the ump, things were exciting.  The last inning came down to the wire!  We were ahead and we just needed to strike the kid out and we did!  Our boys were so excited, jumping up and down and cheering.  Dominick got the game ball for an awesome hit into left field.  We were moving on to the next level in the playoffs.  Great first season experience for Dominick.
Dominick went to bed that night on cloud nine, only to be brought back down to earth by some bad news the next morning.  After Dominick had gone to bed we received an email from his coach.  Due to a rule violation committed by our team we were forced to forfeit our win thus eliminating ourselves from the playoffs.  It seems we didn't sit one of our players for an entire inning which is against league policy.  Our coach had realized the error and spoke with the opposing team's coaches and they didn't seem to have a problem with it, until they lost.  The Rays coach contacted the league after the game and notified it of the violation.  It was a sad event but a good lesson learned for all involved.  As much as we would have liked to move on in the game we used the experience as a lesson in following rules and good sportsmanship.  In the end the boys had fun and friendships were formed.  Our team's end of season party was great, pizza, limo and lazer tag.  We loved this first season of little league and we were lucky to have such a great group of coaches, kids and parents. We'll see what next year's season brings. Hopefully more wins.

Transportation (Escalade limo) compliments of Coach Ivan

Our rowdy group

Recognition much deserved

Dominick and his coaches

A Day for Mothers

My paths into motherhood with both my boys could not have been more different, but with one similarity, God was definitely the architect of both.

In January of 2009 we finalized Dominick’s adoption.  After several years of court dates, meetings with lawyers/social workers/counselors  and mountains of paperwork we were able to walk out of the courtroom with a signed order and our son.  As difficult of a journey as Dominick’s adoption was we knew God was with us every step of the way.  With each tear that was shed and struggle that we faced, God was by our side pulling us through.  Looking back now, over two years later, I am thankful for every moment of stress and worry because I know it made us stronger.  I know that I can look at Dominick and no longer wonder what might happen next.  God gave Dominick to Nick and I, of that I am 100% sure, I can find no other explanation of why things happened the way they did.

After three months of trying, nine months of pregnancy and eleven minutes in the operating room I had my baby boy. On March 19, 2009 at 1:11pm the world said hello to Simon.   At 7lbs 13oz and 19 ½ inches long Simon was a healthy little boy.  My pregnancy was somewhat uneventful.  We had a scare with Simon’s kidneys, turned out to be nothing. We had a scare with the size of his limbs, turned out to be nothing.  Other than the decision to deliver via c-section that was made at 36 weeks I had an easy pregnancy.  A three and a half day stay at the hospital was all I had to endure before I could take my little guy home.  God protected my baby and I throughout my pregnancy, He watched over us and comforted us and gave us a quick healing.

The mere thought of my children can produce in me a wide range of emotions.  Depending on the time of day or the day of the week or even the season of the year I can feel complete and utter bliss when thinking about my children or I can feel a strong frustration.  I will be completely honest, not every moment of motherhood is a celebratory moment.  It can be downright hard and exhausting being a mother.  From a very young age our children become experts at bringing out the very worst in us.  They pick and poke until your very last nerve is frayed and you are on the brink of insanity.   My children know how to work me, test my patience and push me to the edge.  So I guess the question is, why do we, as mothers, put ourselves through this? Why do we commit ourselves to a lifetime of frayed nerves, sleepless nights and whirlwind days by deciding to have children?  Simple answer: There is ABSOLUTELY NO GREATER reward in life than being a mother. 

Dominick and Simon are the absolute centers of my world.  My life is built around them and for them.  Every decision that is made in our home, my boys are factored into.  They depend on me for health, nurturing, care and love and I cannot let them down.  To be a mother is be completely responsible for another person and to love that person more than you thought you could love somebody.  As ridiculously crazy as my children make me I can’t imagine my life without them.  A hug, a kiss, a smile can make the worse day disappear.  A straight A report card and a scribble crayon drawing will always adorn my refrigerator.  I will gladly wake up at 1:00am to answer the calls of “mamma mamma” from my toddler and then to be greeted with a big hug. I will sit in 90 degree and 40 degree weather to watch my 10 year old score a run and be the MVP of his little league game.  I will make 30 cupcakes for a birthday party and watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid on a Friday night.  I will hug and kiss them even when they tell me no, that it is gross.

As Mother’s Day approaches I think back to how God placed both my boys in my life. I can picture Him reaching down from Heaven and handing Dominick and Simon to me. I can hear Him saying “Remember, I am loaning these children to you. They are my children so raise them well, treat them right and love them.”  These are God’s orders to me. I do not raise my children for me, I raise them for God.  God knew them before they were born and He trusts me enough to hand them over to me.  The mere thought of God’s trust in me is overwhelming.  I know I am an imperfect being, how am I supposed to raise two perfect people?  I am not, God knows we are not perfect and He is okay with that. My job, as a mother is to raise God-fearing, loving, caring, obedient Christian adults.  The only way I can do this is to turn to God every step of the way. I will not and cannot rely on my  ability alone, there is no point because I will fail.  My children look to me for guidance and I look to God. I will try to reflect Him and hope that my kids will reflect me and in turn reflect Him.  I will teach my children what is important in life and what can be left aside.  I will teach my children to live their lives according to God’s desires and not by what the new cool trend is.  My kids will know that God’s love is unfailing and everlasting. He will not abandon those who praise His name. My kids will know that we do not do good things for God but because of God.  I will teach my kids that yes, you do need to go to church especially when those around you don’t think going to church is cool.  My kids will know not to be ashamed or embarrassed by their Christian faith but to wear it like a shield and to always remember what God has done for them.  My kids will know to pray when things are good and when things are bad.  I will teach my kids respect and courtesy no matter how they are treated and I will teach my kids to pray for those who are not taught these things.  My children will return to God in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Happy Mothers’ Day!

A Sunday Afternoon

We celebrated the first day of May at the park.  After church we went home and changed our clothes, loaded up some drinks and snacks and ventured out into the BEAUTIFUL spring weather.  Simon fell asleep on the way to the park and, as you can tell by the lack of Simon photos below, never really became too energized or enthusiastic.  Dominick, on the other hand, had a lot of fun.  Elk Grove has so many fantastic parks and we are trying our best to visit all of them.  This particular park had a really great water feature which Dominick thoroughly enjoyed. Simon refused to get wet, I am hoping his attitude was just a by-product of a missed nap and not a recurring mood.  I would really like to see Simon go crazy in the water, maybe next time.  While Dominick was playing in the water, Nick took Simon on a stroll and checked out some of the little league baseball games that were going on at the park. I laid back on a blanket and enjoyed the warmth of the sun.  A lovely afternoon!


My only Simon pic, as you can tell by his face, not a happy guy.




Daddy and Dominick checking out the exercise equipment




Dominick and the spouting water fish




Waiting for the water to squirt out




The water squirting out




Making friends




Getting soaked!



Easter 2011

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!! 

Glorious words to hear.  Jesus Christ, Our Lord, overcame death and on the third day He rose again. What an awesome feeling to know what was done for us so that we may have eternal salvation.  God is great!

Our 2011 Easter started the way it has for a few years now. Nick woke up early and attended the 6am Sunrise Service. I stayed home and got the boys up, dressed and fed so we could be out the door by 7:45 to attend the 8:30 service.  Once Dominick is awake he heads straight for the Easter basket, he is very familiar with the routine. Simon needed a little more coaxing but he caught on pretty quick.  Once he saw the eggs "hidden" everywhere he knew exactly what to do.

Dominick and his basket

Simon and his basket

By the time Easter Sunday arrived we had already attended two friends/family Easter gatherings, one Easter breakfast and the boys had been on three Easter egg hunts.  There was no shortage of plastic eggs, jelly beans and marshmallow bunnies in our house.  Simon was flying high on sugar and Dominick had dyed his fair share of eggs. 



Easter Eggstravaganza Breakfast at Elk Grove Park



My side of the family's annual Easter BBQ at Lotus Park



Dominick and Simon decorating eggs at Andy & Emily's



Noah decorating eggs




On the hunt at Noah's

The little ones enjoyed another Easter egg hunt at church. Both boys were so handsome in their suits. At the request of my mother in law, Simon wore Nick's Easter suit from 27 years ago.  Simon was quite the talk of the town in that suite.

Simon and his friend Bella

After church it was off to Grandma's. Another Easter egg hunt occurred and then we headed over to future brother in law Miles' grandparents house for yet another Easter egg hunt. Simon and his cousin Brooklyn visited the pigs and met the Easter bunny.

Feeding their bunny friend carrots

Brooklyn and Simon enjoying their loot

Easter pigs

Our Easter was fantastic!  What an incredibly great reason to celebrate. While it seems, at times, that chocolate bunnies, baked hams and jelly beans get in the way of the significance of the day, the praise and glory to our Lord is ever present.  As undeserving as we are of His love and grace He continues to provide for us. HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!