Easter 2011

Our Easter started out with "What time is church?  8:15?  Are you sure?  I think it's 8:30.  What do you mean 8:30?  Isn't it at 9:30?"  I guess I should pay more attention when they announce it in the bulletin for the entire month leading up to the service!  :-)  Even so, we managed a nice breakfast, and the boys had time to quick open their Easter baskets.  Wayne was so excited to wear shorts, and sunglasses, and said that he was ready for the beach!

Weston was just excited to be in the picture, but then got a little stage fright!  Ignore the beach bum in the back of this picture.

Three precious Silves boys, sitting on the steps. 

Now that's more like my little goobers!!!

Most everything in their baskets was free this year, total cost excluding pajamas (which they needed anyway) was $5 for all three boys.

Wyatt liked his baby bunny!

And he's just stinkin' cute!!!  :-)

Wayne and Weston got Super Mario pajamas.  Wayne wanted a picture, and after 10 shots, I gave up trying to get him to keep his eyes open!

After church (which was odd since we were serving in the nursery and missed the service!) we headed up to mom and dad's for a nice lunch, and I was so excited that my mom/photographer got a family photo of us!!! 

After lunch we had an egg hunt... here's the hiding crew!!!  Tyson kept the kids upstairs while we hid everything inside, it was WAY to cold and wet outside.  P.S. I am SO DEAD when my sweet sisters see this picture on the blog!  You are beautiful girls!

What could be sweeter than a little chick looking for his eggs?

A bigger chick wearing his new goggles from Grandma!

 

It was so nice to just hang out with family, watch the kids play, and visit amongst ourselves.  Later on we went to Grandma Groen's for awhile too, and had a lovely time visiting while the kids played.  WHILE THEY PLAYED.  We are certainly entering a new phase of life these days, and LOVING it!  

I am so glad that Wayne and I got to spend so much time going over the meaning of Easter this year.  We enjoyed the day, celebrating that HE LIVES!!!

Two of a Kind

These days, it seems like the boys are always have in a pair.  Two boys are playing together, and the third one is off on their own.  And the creative juices are FLOWING too.  They are playing pretend, and they build things left and right, and the contraptions that they build for the matchbox cars to do jumps and tricks off of are completely over the top.  

Tyler went shrimping on Friday and Saturday, and while he was away, we decided to PLAY PLAY PLAY!  I decided to rearrange and organize my "stockpile" - all the things I buy really cheap with my coupons, and stock up on to get us through the next 6-12 months.  It was getting unorganized and chaotic, and we all know that just isn't going to fly around here!!!  So in the middle of my shelf swapping and rearranging - Wayne and Weston decided to be firefighters bunking at the station.  I'm just glad they didn't give Wyatt the top bunk!

 Saturday was refreshingly BEAUTIFUL weather - a balmy 74 degrees.  As such...  their shirts were all off by later in the afternoon!  The boys all wanted to eat lunch outside, so Weston and Wyatt hung out together eating each other's food. 

 And Saturday afternoon/evening was time for our first ever EASTER EGG DYEING ADVENTURE!.  I found these "no spill" cups, and they worked GREAT!  Wayne and Weston were buddies, and helped each other and had a blast.  No fighting!!!

 Aren't they getting to be such big boys?

 Awww... That'll warm your mom's heart!  You are such a sweet boy Weston!

 Returning the love...

 And even later still, we made our "Easter Cookies" (see previous post.)  Let me just say....  they taste WAY to sweet, but would make excellent food fight material!  Wayne was fascinated by the story and the process.  I hope we can do this every year!

 Here's Wayne with the Easter picture that he drew.  On the left is Jesus, on the cross, with lots of blood (according to Wayne.)  On the right or a few more "guys who hung on crosses too." and in the middle are two bed men, who are happy because they are playing dice to get Jesus' clothes.  Can you see the dice?

 Best Buddies!

 And in case you haven't noticed...  Wayne has a FAST blink, because any time I use my flash, his eyes are pretty much closed in the picture.  Here, he told me, "Just take one more of me, and I'll make sure my eyes stay open!"

 The cookies came out the next morning, look like rocks, but hollow like the empty tomb!

I am so glad that the boys are all so close to each other.  I will not stand for them being mean to each other, and while they have their moments, for the most part are all very protective of their brothers.  I hope that one day, their motto is, "If you mess with one Silves boy, you get them all!"  :-)

Ready or Not.

Ready or not, the time has come....

Is he ready or not?  Ready.  

 

 Was I ready or not to see him looking like a little fish in front of a BIG ocean?  Not.

Am I ready or not, to leave him here in just a blink of an eye?  Not.

.

But, ready or not, Wayne is going to be a kindergartner in just a few short months! 

Found : 3 of 3

I found the DS game tonight!!!  It was shoved into the second CD drive of the computer.  I was trying to burn a CD of a photoshoot that I did, and the drive WOULD NOT accept the disk.  I couldn't figure out what was going on and then I caught a glimpse of it wedge in there.  I fished it out no problem!

Now, if only Tyler could find the $100 of quarters that is still missing...

Easter Cookies - our weekend project!

Wayne's preschool teacher was handing out this little project for the weekend, and I thought it was too good not to pass on to all of you!  I am AMAZED at the details of the Easter story that Wayne understands, and how fascinated he is by it.  Today's topic of discussion is that the bad men played dice to see who got Jesus' clothes, and that they were so mean that Jesus had to carry his own cross with a crown made of sharp, poky things on his head.  And no one could believe that the tunnel was empty, because JESUS WAS ALIVE!  :-)  Tunnel, tomb - we'll work on that!  :-)

Easter Story Cookie Ingredients

• 1 cup whole pecans
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar
• gallon size zip top bag
• wooden spoon
• tape
• Bible

1.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2.  Put the pecans in the plastic bag.  Let the children take turns breaking them by beating with a wooden spoon. Don’t crush them finely, but leave in large pieces.
Explain that Jesus was arrested and beaten by the soldiers.  Read John 19:1-3

3.   Let the children smell the vinegar.  Pour it in a mixing bowl. 
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, they gave him vinegar to drink.  Read John 19:28-30.

4.  Pour the egg whites into the mixing bowl with the vinegar.
Explain that eggs represent life.  Jesus gave his life so that we can have life.  Read John 10:10-11.

5.  Sprinkle salt into each child’s hand and let them taste it.  Put a dash of salt in the mixing bowl.
Explain that salt represents the tears shed by Jesus’ disciples.  It also represents the bitterness of our own sin.  Read Luke 23:27.

6.  Add 1 cup sugar to the mixing bowl.
Explain that this is the sweetest part of the story.  Jesus died because he loves us.  He wants us to know and belong to him.  Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

7.  Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until it forms stiff peaks.
Explain that the white color represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.  Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

8.  Fold the broken nuts into the beaten egg whites.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheets.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.  Read Matthew 27:57-60.

9.  Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.  Give each child a piece of tape and let them seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.  Read Matthew 27:65-66.

10.  Go to bed!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven.  Jesus’ followers were very sad when the tomb was sealed.  Read John 16:20 and 22.

11.  On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.  Let them take a bite and show them that they are hollow inside!
On the first Easter morning Jesus’ followers were amazed to find his tomb open and empty.  Read Matthew 28:1-9.


He has risen!

Getting dirty

Nothing says "Spring" like a little mud, does it?  And what better place to find it than a soccer field?  That's how Wayne feels!  I prides himself in getting at least 1 or 2 "dirt scrapes" every practice.  The night I took this picture, he was wearing pants because it was in the 40's and chilly, and he left practice worried that Dad wouldn't know how hard he tried because he couldn't find any dirt scrapes.  I saved the day by finding one on the back of his hand, whew!  :-)

He really wanted red soccer socks, since red is his favorite color (sorry Grandma!)

 Weston is loving his newfound backyard freedom.  It's fully fenced and Weston proof -so he can run-run-run!  Bubbles are a big favorite of his.

 The eldest and the youngest decided they would help me with the flower beds. 

 That is, until Wyatt got distracted by Weston's big shiny green tractor that he ditched for the bubbles..

 Who's the big boy now!?!

 Nothing like a brother giving you a "slow" and "safe" ride around the backyard!

 And after lots of playing outside... it's time to soak the dirt and mud away!!!

 Peek a boo Weston, I still see you!

only 50 degrees but WHO CARES because it's SUNNY!

The title of this post pretty much sums up my thoughts for today!  I spent the morning cleaning up a bit, and clipping a MASSIVE pile of coupons that I had fallen behind on the last few weeks of tax season and hanging out with Wyatt while Wayne was at school and Tyler and Weston ran errands.  We all met back up here for lunch, and the littles took a brief nap, while Tyler, Wayne and I went OUTSIDE.  As I type - I have dirt under my fingers and I almost don't want to wash my hands because it might not seem REAL that we have been outside for hours.  The flour beds are getting spruced up a bit, the lawn mowed.  I opted for a little manual thatching in the front yard this year, instead of renting a machine, because there are only a few spots that need it.  I cleaned my car on the inside (I let the $5 car wash in Bellingham do the outside.... seriously folks, for $5 they can clean our black beast!!!) 

I totally know that I owe you some pictures too, stay tuned!!!  :-)  Who wants to read all my blah-blah-blah words all the time, right?

Looking forward to this week too... The countdown to Easter is on!  The boys have been watching one of their 3 Easter movies, and Wayne has been talking a lot about Jesus, the cross, and how he really was still alive.  He is in AWE of Jesus and the story of Easter, for sure.  It's also been a little hard, because he is now starting to understand that Jesus actually died on the cross, and that "bad men" were mean to him.  Tough stuff for a 5 year old, not to mention a full grown adult!!!  I am so moved by his compassion and sympathy for others....  he is an AMAZING kid!!!

at last

At last, at last, it is APRIL 16th!  My plans for today were to clean, clean, clean and do laundry, but instead I'm blogging and staring at a BEAUTIFUL bouquet, and a clean house.  My mom snuck over on Thursday afternoon and cleaned the whole place, and did a little decorating too.  A very good friend brought dinner too!!!  Folks, it is GOOD to be loved!  :-)  So instead of cleaning and running around frantically, here are my plans for the day:

1.  Wayne has soccer practice, so the Tanya's will be coaching.

2.  Coffee.  This should be on the list twice. 

3.  I am hoping that at some point today, the reality that my laptop and cords are all packed away, and my email and voicemail all say that I am out of the office and not checking them for a week, sinks in.  I also hope that the scrambled egg feeling that my brain has goes away.  i.e. start one train of thought and finish it. 

4.  Final preparations for a coupon class we're teaching on Wednesday - I need to get the handouts to the organizer!

5.  Clipping coupons and watching TV during all of naptime.  Completely unproductive I know - but I am SO looking forward to it!  :-)

6.  And the usual post April 15 task.... balance the checkbook!  :-)  I'll never forget the year that Tyler took money all tax season long without me knowing, kept it a secret, and then bought me a wedding band to go with my engagement ring!!!  That was EIGHT years ago, and this July will mark our TEN YEAR 'versaries!

7.  Make a NICE dinner.

If April showers bring May flowers...

Then by the looks of the forecast, I am expecting my backyard to become a florist shop in a few weeks!

		16 Showers 50° Lo 33°
17 Showers 48° Lo 32°	18 Mostly Cloudy 48° Lo 36°	19 Partly Sunny 49° Lo 37°	20 Partly Sunny 52° Lo 35°	21 Showers 54° Lo 43°	22 Mostly Cloudy 54° Lo 41°	23 Mostly Cloudy 58° Lo 47° °
24 Rain 51° Lo 45°	25 Showers 52° Lo 46°	26 Rain 53° Lo 45°	27 Rain 50° Lo 43°	28 Rain 54° Lo 42°

Found: 2 of 3

I went to pull out my laptop tonight, and what do you think I found wedged in between two files?  The missing DVD!!!  Can't figure out 1) how Weston got into the child locked closet where I keep it, and 2) why on earth he put it there!  But I don't really care either, because it's FOUND!

Now if only that DS game would appear....

Oops, sorry about that.

I was getting Wayne ready for preschool this morning, and loading Wyatt into the car, when I realized that Weston was playing VERY nicely and VERY quietly in the toy room. 

Ruh-roh. 

As soon as I came to the door, he came running out, handed me my cell phone, and went straight to his carseat in the car.  Hmm.  I buckled him in, then checked to see if he'd made any calls on my phone.  Yup, and there was a voice mail.

Ruh-roh.

A voice mail from our neighbor, Karen. 

Ruh-roh.

I called Karen back, and let her know that I was fine.  Apparently when Weston called her, she wasn't sure which of the boys it was, but knew they were very young.  There conversation went something like this:

Karen: How are you?

Weston: Good.

Karen:  Is your mom home?

Weston: Yes.

Karen: Can I talk to her?

Weston:  Nopes.

Karen:  Is Mommy okay?

Weston: (in a sad voice) Noooo.




Needless to say, my sweet, sweet, neighbor was about ready to high-tail it over here!  As bad as I feel, I just keep thinking... at least it wasn't 9-1-1!

Found: 1 of 3

The remote has been located... in the battery cabinet in the laundry room.

Now if only that game and DVD would show up....

MIA

The following items are MIA today.  I have spent HOURS looking for them, but it appears that Swiper has returned to our home and they have vanished into thin air.

Remote control (deadline: find it by 7pm tonight when Tyler gets home!)

DS game

New movie

And now I don't know if the swiper is Weston or Wyatt!!!

Counting down

SEVEN, six, FIVE, four, three, two, one.

SEVEN days until Tyler has a day off.  And he's already worked 10 days in a row.  So that's 17 12 hour shifts, plus an hour driving each way...  what a man what a man what a mighty good man!  :-)

FIVE days until my tax season is OVER!

We had a lovely weekend around these parts.  And for those wondering, the kitchen mess was TINFOIL!  Leave it to Wyatt and Weston.  We enjoyed some time outside, playing toys, and having Sunday movie afternoon this weekend.  I thankfully had a day without the laptop- a much needed break and now I feel like I can finish this week well.  It's a full week ahead, with preschool, soccer practice, two days of work, and a RiteAid run.

Hey, did I tell who Wayne's coach is?  Aunt Tanya!  :-)  And I have absolutely no idea how the YMCA knew that she was available to coach, none whatsoever.  Don't you think every parent should have to coach soccer once?  Wayne is so excited for his Auntie to coach him and Ethan.  I think that while I'm working on Tuesday and the little boys are napping, Tanya is going to have them outside "practicing" a few drills for her!

And I have something unbelievable to tell you- Wyatt gave up his binkie!!!!  He's just 21 months old, and has completely given it up.  I'm learning!  I waited too long to take it away with Wayne and Weston, and it created too much drama.  With Wyatt, the only drama was with Dad - he thinks Wyatt is still a baby that needs his binkie!

And Weston learned a new word today... Poops!  Instead of telling me he has a stinky, he tells me, "Got poops!  I poops!"  Lovely.  While the word isn't so attractive, the sweet smile and twinkle in his eye when he says it is irresistible.  He also learned "stop" and "go!."

And we better round this post up with a Wayne story - this one I might have to tell at his 16th birthday party!  We were watching a new Disney movie that the boys had never seen before.  Wayne and Weston and I were snuggled on the couch, and at the end of the movie, as the "happily ever after" part of the movie played out, I see Wayne taking his glasses off...  and tears streaming down his face.  I asked him what was wrong, and he just sobbed, "Nothing Mom, I'm just so happy for her.  I am just happy, not sad, and I can't stop crying!"  Awww...  That's my sweet, sweet Wayne!  He has such a soft, compassionate heart for others.  I see it play out with his friends at preschool, and with his brothers, and in so many other things that he does.  He makes me so proud!

What a mess!

And they were PROUD of it!  :-)

At Sunday School today,

Wayne told me he learned all about Farmer Abraham, and sang a song about him!

Progress on The Project

I think it's been SIX years since we moved back into the remodeled house, and guess what?  The mantle is ALMOST ready to stain.  Can you believe it?  Perfection can't be rushed, folks.  Tyler is doing a fabulous job - I think he's been doing only bits and pieces up until now because he wanted Wayne to be old enough to help!  :-)

What do you think?

Loved

The countdown until the end of tax season is seriously on, and that is SUCH a good thing!  To see the light at the end of the tunnel gives me a little hope that things will return to our 8 month {normal}soon, is just what we are needing.  While in some ways it's been harder to put in the hours this tax season because of the boys getting older, in preschool, doctor's appointments, etc. it has also been easier because they are getting so much older - and independent.  It's kind of an odd statement for me to make.... things are getting EASIER!  There is hope!  :-) 

And Friday was one of those days for me, where I felt like I was wrapped up in a warm and fuzzy quilt made of LOVE!  My plate was FULL, and I needed help, and so many people stepped in and each did what they could.  Someone took Wayne for the day, taking him to and from preschool, then out to lunch with friends.  Someone took "the littles" and did all the things for them that I would have done as their mom.  Another friend brought us dinner...  for TWO nights!  And not just dinner folks.... snacks, dessert - the works!  And another friend dropped off the cutest family movie night care package you've ever seen.  All of their willingness to help, their sacrifice of their time and talents, and their LOVE for us was truly felt.  Wayne and I had a lovely little talk about all the nice things that people did for us, and he wanted to know why?  Why would they do that for our family?  I explained that all of them loved God, and that God loves all of them too.  Because of that love, they are able to love our family more than we ever can know, and we have that love too and that's why we do things for other people too.  With the biggest smile across his face, he said, "I know Mom, I can just FEEL the love!"

Getting through the next two weeks will be a cinch, since I'm totally feelin' the love too!  :-)

11 years ago....

My dear sweet hubby proposed.  Can you believe it was THAT long ago?  I surely cannot!  We went for a hike near Western Washington University, and while walking up the pathway, a VERY nervous Tyler got down on one knee...  and proposed with a dinky little piece of party store plastic.  I laughed in his face, and said, "Ha-ha - April Fool's!"  To which he responded by placing something really heavy on my finger, and saying, "Then how about this one."  It was REAL!  No joke folks, we were ENGAGED!

I was sitting at Starbucks today, with my dear sweet sister from a different mister, and Wayne, and I was telling Wayne about when his Dad asked me to marry him.  Wholly involved in what I was saying, he wide eyed looked at me and said, "Did you tell him yes?"  :-)

Speaking of Wayne...  while at RiteAid with us, he found two cards he wanted me to buy - one of a cow with holes in it, with the title "Holey Cow - it's your birthday" and the other of a dog who tooted when you opened the card.  Of all the cards - those are the two that just made him split his sides laughing so hard.  I think we're in for some boy humor!