<~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~>

{via}

<~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~>

{Pics from my Instagram}

<~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~>

Well it goes without saying that I totally married up!! She's one hot momma and look at that cute crew! So thankful for our little family and for a wife who desires to honor the Lord and serve her family.

*****************************************************

*****************************************************

We've been addicted to these streusel-topped banana muffins ever since our sweet friend Janice first made them for us in 2004. JD and I had just made our big move to Canada. We were in a totally different country, initially staying in the home of our co-workers, and experiencing many, many new things. One of our first mornings there, we walked into Janice's kitchen and discovered a plateful of these fabulous muffins. Isn't it amazing how something simple like a homemade banana muffin can be so unbelievably comforting? They were a comfort to us then, and they still are today. The kids often ask for this particular muffin when they are sick. Comfort I tell you. Delicious comfort.

*****************************************************

{~INGREDIENTS~}

{~THE PROCESS~}

1. Mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.


2. In another bowl, mix the bananas, sugar, and egg. Slowly add in the melted butter and mix.


3. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until moistened and spoon into greased muffin tin.


4. For the streusel, mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the tablespoon of butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping on top of muffin batter.


5. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

{~NOTES~}

* Sometimes I add 1 teaspoon of vanilla as well. You can't go wrong with vanilla.

* I'm a butter gal myself, but you can certainly use 1/3 cup vegetable oil instead of the melted butter.

* Cut in the butter for the topping thoroughly so large bits don't end up "sinking" into the top of the muffins.

* Recipe via All Recipes

*****************************

via Hello Jack

*****************************

"Rejoice always;

pray without ceasing;

in everything give thanks;

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

*****************************

JD and A&A made a trip down to Texas to see Nonnie & Mac near the end of March. They had a wonderful visit and even got to hang out with some of JD's extended family. Several days full of fun, food, and fellowship ~ a great time was had by all!

***************************************************

***************************************************

We've been using Instagram for several years now to capture fun scenes from our everyday lives with our iPhones. It's by far my favorite phone app, and it's seriously addicting. A few months ago I decided to have some of our memories printed using Printstagram. No doubt there are quite a few printing options out there, but I am very pleased with the route I chose ~ the mini-sized pics turned out super cute.

So far some of them have been added to the walls in the kids' rooms. I have plans for the remaining photos, but we'll see how long it takes me to get to them!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*****************************************************

*****************************************************

Here we are at 4 months ~ the equivalent to 1/3 of a year. I'm not sure how we got here so quickly! At her four month check-up, Emryn was 13 pounds 7 ounces and 25 inches long ~ in the 50th percentile for both. I'm pretty sure she had a hefty growth spurt this month, evidenced by her crazy nap schedule. Thankfully her nights weren't affected, and she's back on track with 3 full ninety minute naps each day plus an occasional 45 minute suppertime snooze.

She also has a new "big business" routine which really bewildered me at first. Apparently it's not that odd for a breastfed baby to switch from filling diapers daily to suddenly going a long stretch without messing a diaper, but it still caught me off guard. Her new M.O.? Mondays and occasionally Sundays. Yep, once a week. And when she's ready...the girl doesn't mess around. In the last month she's done her thing at a thrift store, a mall, the post office, and while she was being held by our friend Trevor who described the event like a tsunami coming from her diaper! It's been comical to say the least. But hey, at least she's fairly predictable.

The last four weeks Ems has graced us with hundreds of smiles and giggles, rolled over for the first time, and slowly become a fan of the Bumbo ~ yay! We've tried the Johnny Jumper a few times, and I think she'll continue to enjoy that one more and more.

Like I've said in previous posts, Emryn is such a happy little gal. She truly brightens every day. And as my Granny used to say ~ we love her to pieces!

A friend of mine recommended a link on how to make your own marshmallow shooters a few months back. Today we decided to give 'em a go. Nothing quite like having mini marshmallows flying at wild speeds all over the house! We even managed to hit the ceiling which is an accomplishment because we have two-story high ceilings in our living room. A&A were quite impressed. So if you're looking for a form of cheap, super easy entertainment for the little ones, this one comes with a high recommendation from the McCulleys!

{OUR MINI MARSHMALLOW LAUNCHERS}

************************************************

************************************************

This Easter was extra special because some of the Karys came for a visit! Our last time together was when they drove down in August of 2010...much too long ago. We had hoped to make it back up to Alberta last summer, but the pregnancy ended up keeping me close to home. So needless to say, we were thrilled to have them here and be able to introduce Emryn to her Canadian family.

Thanks guys for stopping off in Colorado! We had a terrific time and miss you already!

View Full Photo Story (17 Photos)

******************

While I haven't taken the time to document our school activities much this winter and spring, things are moving along nicely. We completed our unit on cows a few months back. Due to the cold weather, we chose to postpone a trip to our local dairy until sometime this summer. Instead we took a pretty impressive tour of the dairy online.

At the end of that unit we had a dairy party. Using different dairy products, A&A mixed up a fruit dip and a veggie dip. We also put together a cheese plate to go along with summer sausage and crackers.

I tried to use the party to give the kids an idea of what was involved in hosting others in their home. First, we invited JD, Uncle Joe Joe and PaPa to join us. We then planned our menu, went grocery shopping, and prepared certain things in advance. On the day of the party we set the table, got all the food together and then gathered everyone for a fun lunch. We ended the meal with some mint ice cream ~ yum.

As PaPa finished off his last strawberry dipped in cream cheese fruit dip, he said, "Well, that was berry good!" Addie quickly came back with, "No, it was dairy good!" to which PaPa replied, "Touché!" It was hilarious.

*************************************

After the dairy party we got to work on our ant farm. The first set of ants we ordered died a sad, frozen death in our mailbox which is located down the street. So we ordered another bunch, but that time I had them delivered to my friend Katie's house since her mail arrives directly to a slot in their front door. Thanks Katie for keeping them alive for us!

He was hesitant at first, but AJ eventually decided he was brave enough to hold the jar of ants. He seemed to really enjoy our insect unit. It was the cutest thing to hear him telling people, "Insects have six legs and three parts ~ a head, thorax, and abdomen!" It amazes me how well he keeps up with Addie's lessons. He's lucky to have a big sis to learn alongside.

I volunteered PaPa to take over the job of transferring the ants to their new home.

It was quite interesting watching the ants build their tunnels and interact with one another. I think they stayed alive for a month or so. We fed them little pieces of carrots and apples and gave them water every 3 days.

Addie is doing a great job with her drawings this year. Everything is starting to get more and more detailed and her creativity is blossoming. Ayden is now starting to draw real things...but of course, sometimes his creations still require an explanation!

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

{via}

******************************************

We spent the last few weeks leading up to Easter trying to prepare our minds for Resurrection Sunday and the true meaning of the holiday. I saw some friends and bloggers post about Resurrection Eggs last year {at which time I was laid out on the couch with preggo sickness} so I had really been looking forward to doing this with the kids for some time.

During the 12 days preceding Easter, we opened an egg a day. Each one contained scripture about the events that led up to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection along with various items that JD gathered or made to be visual reminders {like a crown of thorns he constructed from a piece of a tumble weed}.

As a family, we really enjoyed this activity. We most often did it at supper and would also open the Bible to read the events in greater detail. We plan to tweak our process a bit before next year as we expect that this will be something we will choose to do with the kiddos annually.

******************************************

We also made Resurrection Rolls. Christ's body was represented by the marshmallow. In preparation for burial, His body {the marshmallow} was wrapped with linen and spices {butter and cinnamon-sugar} then placed in the tomb {crescent roll}. After we baked them, we opened the tomb only to find that Christ's body was gone ~ He has risen! A&A were impressed. It turned out to be a fun and tasty way to illustrate the concept.

******************************************

On a more traditional note, one afternoon the whole family headed outside to have some fun in the sun. We drew tons of chalk eggs and other interesting creations. Fun times!

I am in your sway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I love that line from The Decemberists' song Rise to Me. We are definitely in this little gal's sway!