Easter Weekend

Wow!  I think this was my favorite Easter to date.  I entitled this post Easter weekend instead of just Easter because Easter really did last all weekend for us.... it was wonderful.  It all started on Good Friday when Kory and I spent the day at home hanging out with the boys.  It has rained so much so most of the day was spent indoors but Crider and Kory managed to go to Lowes and pick out some new flowers for the pots by the front door.

Next we went to Story Hour at church.  It was so much fun and there were tons of familys there.  We ate, had an Easter egg hunt, did a craft, and finally saw a puppet show.  The puppet show was great and taught the real meaning of Easter with an emphasis on how Easter isn't about a bunny.

That night we went to Marion and spent Saturday celebrating Easter with my family.  Saturday morning we went to an Easter egg hunt at the Methodist Church.  I can remember growing up and going to Easter Egg hunts here so it was special for my son to get to experience that too.

 That afternoon Crider got to plant more flowers with his Pappy so Im thinking he will be able to plant flowers all by himself next year.

During naptime I got to just relax on the big sectional couch at the Stout house.  There is just something about that couch that makes you never want to leave.  That night my mom and dad cooked a big dinner for us and my cousin Kristi and her husband Drew from Oklahoma came.  It was great getting to catch up with them and the meal was amazing!  

On Sunday we got up and let the boys open their Easter baskets.  We pretty much got them all outside toys which was sad considering it has rained so much and they haven't really been able to play with them but Crider has managed to use his golf set a lot in the house and is loving it.  I think Kory is enjoying playing golf in the house as well.

Church was amazing and the worship team sang a version of the old hymn Hallelujah Christ Arose which was great and considering I had been singing that song all week I was pleasantly surprised to hear it on Easter Sunday.  Bro. Ricky brought a great message from Phillipians 3:10-14.  These verses especially mean something to me because the summer I spent on Beach Project these verses were the theme of the summer.  "to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering" wow as believers we can know the power of His resurrection!  The power that death could not hold Him and it can't hold me either!

After Church we attempted to get some posed Easter portraits and I think they turned out pretty good considering we had a 2 year old and a 5 month old to work with.

We ate lunch at Mammies and Crider was so happy to get to play with Jack and Jaye!

We finished out the day by relaxing at the Cunningham house.  We started a new tradition of taking communion as a family.  This tradition has a very special meaning to us as the Cunningham family.  In a nutshell The Cunninghams are originally from Scotland and in 1556 John Knox served the first protestant communion in Scotland to the Cunningham Family on their farm, Finlay Stone (this is where we got Finley's name Finley Knox Cunningham). This first communion took place on Easter.  So we are starting the tradition of taking communion as a family in order to first remember all that Christ did for us on the cross but also to remember where our family came from.  It was a very special moment for us.  Rick and Celisa were able to show us pictures from their trip to Scotland and we were able to see the actual place that this first communion occurred.  Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.  Any traditions you started this year or are continuing?   I would love to hear about them.

Haircut Day

It was definitely time to get a spring haircut for Crider.  I think he had his first haircut when he was 7 months old and since then it has probably been about every 3 months.  I love it long but there is just something about a fresh new cut that makes him look so adorable.  I think his eyes look bigger to me when his hair is short and I just love it.  Sissy (Deanna Mathis)  is so sweet to come to our house and give him his haircuts.  He does such a great job and I am always so proud of him for how still he sits for her.  Here are the before pictures:

We had to get his hair wet before she came:

This is the Alan Stout look

This is during the process:

and after:

There are 3 Persons in the Godhead

I am really starting to like the photography app Instagram.  My sister told me about it a long time ago and I am just now getting around to using it.  I like it because I take so many pictures with my phone because I always have it with me.  This app gives me the chance to make those pictures have a cool look to them because their quality really isn't that great.

This picture is taken right before things went bad and Crider started wrestling Finley

We have started teaching Crider The Puritan Catechisms.  They are basically a list of questions and answers about the theology of the Christian faith.  Every week we teach Crider a new one and go over the ones we have already learned.  Tonight we started a new one so the dinner dialogue goes as follows:

Kory: Crider we are going to learn the next Catechism question... How many persons are in the Godhead?

Crider: 3 

(Me and Kory look at each other dumbfounded)

Katie: What did you say?

Crider:  There are 3 persons in the Godhead

Granted I do realize that it was a lucky guess on his part but still it was pretty cool to hear him answer correctly without having been taught that before by either one of us.  It really is an amazing way to teach children sound theology and it has been great for me to learn them too.

Kory usually has the privilege of reading Crider his bedtime stories since I get to do nap time.  It is always such a precious time where for the most part we get his undivided attention for at least 15 minutes.

I made brownies for dessert tonight.  I love this recipe for brownies because it is just a really easy way to spruce up a regular box mix of brownies.  My mother in law always makes them and I think she got the recipe from Paula Deen.  Kory calls them the Sin Brownies so I guess that is what I will title them for the sake of this post.

Sin Brownies

     1 Family Size box of chocolate brownie mix 

     2 eggs

     3/4 cup oil

     1/4 cup water

     3 Symphony bars (the ones in the package with the blue writing)

    

Heat oven to 350.  Grease a 13X9 inch pan.  Follow the directions on the box of the brownies.  When you pour the batter into the pan only pour half.  Top with the symphony bars.  Pour the rest of the batter on top and bake according to package directions.

Playing Outside, All Campus Sing, and Strawberry Pie

Over the past few days we have spent a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

I am so glad that Michael, Jennifer, Jack and Jaye moved back to Murray.  Michael is Kory's cousin and Jennifer and I have become such great friends over the past few years and she is my main go to person on parenting advice.  I just love her and all the fun we have together with our kids.  

Having some muffins for breakfast.

Jaye loves Finley

We went to All Campus Sing on Wednesday and it was so much fun. My mom and dad came too because my brother was in it.  AOPi got first place and I was so proud to be an Alum!

Last night we grilled out with some great friends, Wes and Laura Spencer and Reed and Lora Jarvis.  Between all of us we had 5 kids!  The boys all played while we were able to enjoy some grown up conversation.  I made my mom's strawberry pie for dessert.  It is one of my favorite desserts and I will share the recipe so you guys can enjoy it too!

Mom's Strawberry Pie 

           Ingredients

           1 pillsbury refrigerated pie crust

           1 pint of strawberries

           3/4 cup of sugar

           4 tbsp of cornstarch

           1 small package of strawberry jello

           1 cup of water

Punch holes in bottom of crust and bake according to pkg instructions.  Mix dry ingredients and add water,  heat on stove stirring constantly.  Do not boil but heat until it becomes thick.  Let mixture cool.  Cut up strawberries and place in the bottom of crust and pour the cooled mixture over the berries.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.

  

Writing On The Doorposts

As I was trying to think of a title for my blog I began thinking of bible verses that are important to us as a family.  Immediately Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 came to my mind:


“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."


Kory and I have tried to always keep this verse in the forefront of our mind as we go about our life at home.  Kory especially has done such a great job of teaching Crider about God in everyday things of life.  Whether it be talking about who made the animals at the zoo or speaking about sin as we discipline him he truly does teach him diligently while sitting, walking, lying down, and when he rises.  I have recently started doing my personal bible study time while the kids are awake.  I know this seems crazy considering a lot of times I don't get that much accomplished.  However, my kids will grow up seeing that the bible is an important part of my life and I spend significant time studying it.  I of course also spend more quality time studying the word while they are in a nap but I also want them to actually see me reading the word as well.  You should see my precept study worksheets... they have scribbles all over a lot of the pages but I like it that way.  One day I will look back on those little scribbles and they will be precious reminders of days at home with my babies. 

So this is why I chose this title for my blog and hopefully this will be another way to write on the doorposts of our home.  To show the world that the Lord our God is one and that we love him.