Catching Up, W-A-Y Up :)

Suitcases unpacked, laundry done, bills paid, commitments fulfilled...

Nah.

Yet here I am to blog anyway. Because one thing I did do was unload pictures off our chocked full memory card!

As you saw, somehow I restrained myself from eating the cheeks right off Maddie's face in the tax day pictures (thanks, by the way, to Mr. Zapanta for the fun onesie!) But I can't promise you might not need to practice the same restraint when you see these girls on Easter. Consider you and your computer screen warned. :) I may also need to issue a warning for picture overload, but hopefully you won't mind my rambling mood.

Before we get into Sunday bests, though, I think I'll show you around the place where I grew up. The sights and sounds, emotions and memories are so much a part of me. Now comes the fun in watching them become a part of our girls.

Fiddles, guitars, banjos and the dancing too... you should have seen Maddie's head rock and Hope's feet fly! Really cool was watching Hope intently soak it up; during a "take five" she actually sought out the mandolin player and gently rubbed his arm. "More moo-sic, pease?!"

Homegrown goodness... this Amish store is just a stone's throw through the woods behind my parent's house. Every time we visit I load up on good stuff like spelt flour, granola, oats, and spices. Mom always makes sure I have time to linger, just like she always makes sure we don't go hungry during our visit. And go hungry, we do not; I've got the belt loosened to prove it!

Inspiration... Among the rust, the chips, and the character lie little treasures in wait at our favorite spots. Back home Dad's workshop, with its sawdust from projects gone by, casts the same kind of spell on me. Before I know it, my mind is overflowing with ideas!

Best of all are the familiar faces of family that we miss...



(Don't kill me Dad, but this face kept Maddie in stiches... she is quite a PopPop's girl!)
And speaking of such faces... Maddie got to experience some Proverbs 27:9 "sweet friendships" as we ventured off to her first Girls' Weekend! This is the third year in a row I've RSVP'd with an extra little girlfriend in tow, and the first time I've ever been away from Hope for more than a night. (Come to think of it, last year I actually had two girlfriends in tow-- huh?) Thanks to her grandparents all went well on the Hope-front as Maddie and I enjoyed our time with "the people." I couldn't tell Hope just who because these lifelong, college girlfriends of mine also happen to be some of her favorites!

Where does the time go?

Sigh.

That's right, no time to dwell on that, because I was going to show you Easter pictures too! Have you fallen off the long winded train yet? Okay, so I'll cut to the chase then! :)
We dyed our eggs, savored our baskets, dressed in our finest, sang at church, ate until we popped, hunted our hearts out (Hope even won the grand prize golden egg!), declared the day to be about "Jesus getting all better," and went back for dessert... with five of my Mom's siblings (and some of their kids and some of their kids' kids!) A good, old fashioned Easter-- we missed you Jeremy, Tonia, and your families!

Now that makes up for some long lost weeks of blogging for sure!