Mega Easter Post

We spread the Easter festivities out over a couple of days because we had gotten several packages from grandparents in the mail.

From Grandma Sandy.

This was the moment of the infamous Tangled video. (I will post this as a separate post. It is brilliant.)


Organizing the chocolates.


From Grandma Barb and Grandpa Jack. Umbrellas, dresses from Mexico and lots of other treats!


Easter morning.

Sorting through the eggs.


On the hunt for the baskets. The bunny was wily this year and not only hid the baskets, but hid them separate from one another.

Maya found Fin's first.


She got really, really nervous that the bunny didn't leave her anything but she soon found her loot which included a SCOOTER!!!


Glamorous with a mouthful of chocolate!


Candy overload!




The afternoon was spent at the McThors. There was baseball and bike riding and lots of fun!

Swimming Lessons

The girls took swimming lessons this spring at the Concordia pool. It was a great experience for both of them.

Both girls are very brave around the water and they really needed to learn some basic water skills. We will pick up lessons again in the fall. Fin will be old enough to take lessons by herself and Maya will have one more go at level 1. They loved the lessons which was very exciting!

Beatles Rock Band

A fun family activity in our house has been playing Rock Band together. Danny's heart grows 100 times its original size when the girls recognize or know the words to Beatles songs.

Here is a lovely example!

We Must Let Go

Posted at The Next Family
by: Danny Thomas

I have been thinking about

Transience,

Impermanence

“letting go”

And what that means

to me as a father and as a person

As a husband

And a human

And I guess

Where I have come to

So far

Is this:

We Must Let Go

We Must Love

And Loving

Is Letting Go

Think of all the things you must let go of to love yourself

To love God (or whatever you name the things you believe)

Faith is an act of letting go - not just spiritual faith – but any faith…

Letting go of doubt and recognizing it

Acknowledging it, embracing it and then…

letting it go.

In a partnership

Or in a team

In a family

We let go of some parts of ourselves

Becoming part of a thing means

Every new day we let go of our former selves a bit….

while maintaining a bit of space for ourselves.

There is an idea that this concept of letting go

Of Transience

Of impermanence

Is one of the cornerstones of existence…

We are always letting go…

Everything is changing or falling away..

Entropy.

I like that idea.

I think we should embrace that idea.

It is beautiful – it is what gives things, moments, feelings any meaning, any substance.

They end.

The experience of this, for me, has never been more painful or wonderful than as a parent.

It is the reason baby pictures of my children make me cry,

And pictures of them yesterday make me cry.

And thinking about them hitting puberty or going away to college, or the Peace Corp, or war

Makes me cry.

Pure. Powerful. Promise.

They are tears of joy.

And yet…

They will never be babies again.

wrote another blog

i wrote a little piece for my other blog here

Flood Pictures

Jen lived here between 1992 and 1996. The river began flooding in 1997 so this was a new experience for all of us. The power of Mother Nature is fierce!

Everywhere you looked the "river" had transformed into a "lake".


The river was about 12" below the bottom girders of the bridge.


There was a bit more space under the railroad trestle on the other side of road.


Lots of stairs going to nowhere.



But even in the throes of mass destruction, the beauty is breathtaking!


And then there are these two yahoos!


This flag became the marker for the girls to gauge the water level! Fin was slightly obsessed with the flag in the water!

Where is Spring?!?!

The girls became really stir-crazy this spring. The wonder and excitement that the snow brought in November had been replaced by tears and anger in April.

Maya woke up after an April overnight snowstorm and burst into tears while hollering "No, no, no, no! We were supposed to go on a family bike ride today!"

So, on a nice day the park was THE answer to the spring crazies!

Bubble Blowing Maya

Total concentration.


Don't be distracted by the sparkle shoes, polka dot socks, stripey pants, leotard and heart shirt ensemble. She is a fashionista!


Fun!


Funny girl!

Funny Faces with Fin

Sometimes Fin gets upstaged by the big sister. But once in a while, when she is alone with one of us, she pulls out all the stops!