We're tired, Lord... but we WILL praise You in this storm.

Our state looks like a war zone.  Our people are hurting.  Our loved ones are missing.  Our homes are gone.

But we'll praise You, Lord.

It's been a very hard few days.  There's nothing to do but sit, watch the devastation, and pray.  

I am SO very blessed and thankful that my family is safe tonight.  It seems that our neighborhood was one of the only ones spared in Wednesday's storms.  I have many friends, however, who weren't so lucky.  We are praying for healing for those who have lost everything they own, and more importantly, their family members.

Please pray for our state.

My husband is working around the clock to restore power.... we have no idea how long that will last... but we know it'll be weeks, possibly months.  I am so proud of him.  

I am also so proud of our state... we have all pulled together, volunteered our time and money to help those in need.  We'll do whatever it takes to pull through this.

Tuscaloosa tornado devastation

Pleasant Grove/Concord tornado devastation

(These are ONLY 2 areas affected by Wednesday's storms.  Our thoughts and prayers are with ALL of those across our state who have suffered loss.)

Bathtime fun...

Jase got some really cool bath toys for his birthday.  I'm not too big on tub toys... having millions of little toys to clean up every time you bathe.  Not my thing.  But I was kind of excited about these toys.

First he got some little tub tablets (they look like oversized Easter egg-dying tablets) that change the color of your water.  The first night we put one in, he freaked out.  NO WAY was he getting in that blue water to take a bath.

So we ended up letting all the water out of the tub and starting over.

The next night, however, he wanted to try it again.  I warned him that I was NOT re-filling the tub this time.  He'd just have to get in it, whether he liked it or not.

And, thankfully, he LOVED it... we even had a color theory lesson by adding different colors.  I think we finally ended up with purple. :)

A few days later, he had a blast painting himself with these colored soaps.

And they smelled really good, too!!!

The only problem, I had to stop him from trying to use the whole bottle!  So much fun!

Do you have this problem?

CORDS!!!

Tons of cords.  And most of them, I hate to say, I have absolutely no idea what they go to!!

But I've been on a "playroom revamp" mission this week.  Cleaning out... throwing away.... storing.... all that good stuff.  And I had to do something with this tangled mess.

Rubberbands work wonders. :)

One more...

One more Easter post. :)  I just love this holiday... for so many reasons.

Saturday, we attended our church's Easter Egg Hunt @ Black Creek Park.

We had never been to the park before (located in Fultondale) so were excited to see what it was all about.  It's a great place to play, picnic, and take pictures.  We will definitely be going back in the future!

Our church holds an egg hunt every year for the kids.  Everyone is invited... there were lots of visitors there, as well.  LOTS OF KIDDIES!

Jase had a great time hunting eggs, but the highlight of the day was the "Talla-Duck-A" race.

For the past month, the children's department, Kid Force, at our church has been selling rubber ducks.  Each duck was adopted and decorated by a child in Kid Force.  For $5, you could place your "bet" on which duck would win the race.

They placed the ducks in the Black Creek and let them race down to the finish line.  It took almost an hour for those little suckers to make it to the end, but we had a fun while they were racing.  

Such a cute idea, and a great fundraiser.  Here's some pictures from our day @ the park!!

 

 Jase and Aunt Cissy

 Pastor Rodney checking out the duck in the lead... however, this duck got stuck and lost the race.

 

 Jase's buddy... Brayden.

Eggs...

We hunted them twice Sunday.  

Jase wasn't the only one who got to hunt, either.

At our third and final family gathering of the day (Jason's parents' house), the boys hid the eggs from us girls (my sister-in-law and me).

There were probably 30-40 eggs.  And they were all hidden in the front yard, so they had to get really creative.  I have to say, they did a good job.... we were still hunting those eggs an hour later. :)  I'm pretty sure we found them all.  But then again, Papa might find some later on when he goes to trim his hedges.

All in all, it was a great day - from start to finish!!

The Greatest Sacrifice...

We have had a great weekend around our house.  Not only because we've spent lots of time together, but also because this is the anniversary of the most significant event in history.

Our Lord and Savior gave His life for me... and you.  And today, we celebrate that love.  Selfless love.  Unconditional love.

I can't wrap my mind around the gift He gave.  But I am so very thankful.

On Friday, we spent the day with Daddy.  Even though he slept most of the day on the couch (he worked a lot of overtime this past week and was still recovering), we still had a great day.

The day started with these:

Due to a conversation with a friend earlier in the week (thanks, Chris) I just had to try these... cinnamon rolls made out of crescent rolls.  Little did I know, Jason and Chris (who were best buds all through school and spent a lot of time at each others' homes) LIVED for Chris' mom's cinnamon rolls.  When they shared her secret with me, I couldn't wait to try them.  I've ALWAYS wanted to make homemade cinnamon rolls, but I've always been too afraid to attempt it.  And still, I didn't have an exact recipe, so I just made it up as I went.. and they were fabulous!!

After cleaning up that mess, I made another one. (Well, actually 2.  I grilled some chicken on the ol' George Foreman so I could have it the next few days for salads.)  

I prepped the work space and got ready for some egg-dying fun!!

 The makers of this lovely kit intended for you to use these little plastic, flimsy, bendy, stretchable cups to hold your colors.  Yeah, right.  Disaster waiting to happen.

So we improvised.

We had a fun time.  Wish Daddy would've been awake through the whole process, but he needed his beauty rest.

It took everything in me (being the overly obsessive-compulsive person that I am) to let Jase take the reigns and do it all by himself.  But I had to take pictures.  It was a little difficult to hold a camera and an egg at the same time. 

We managed to make it through the experience without spillage. :)  Aren't you proud?

 Please excuse the appearance of my child and my kitchen.  It was pajama day... and well, I can't justify the messy kitchen table, guns and fishing rods in the background. :)

What a wonderful weekend!

My Love...

Today is my 6th wedding anniversary.

Although, it feels like we've been married for an eternity.  

He's my best friend... my confidant... my bread-winner... my rock... my support system... and everything I could've ever hoped for in a husband.

I would never make it without him.

I am so very blessed, and I cannot begin to say "Thank You" for all he's done for me.  

He continues to make me proud, with each day that goes by.  

Not only is he a great husband, but he's a great daddy. :)

I can't imagine walking through this life with anyone other than him.

I love you, Jason.