Zaddok plays first!!

Pictures of my precious Zaddy playing his heart out!!  Love this kid.

Greens and grandbabies. (For the family)

My herbs are in pots this year.  I decided not to fight the Bermuda.

Beans!!!

That little bed of lettuce, carrots and onions.

Faithful squash.

Broad-leaf Rosemary.  I am sure there is another name for it.

Tomatoes and peppers were purchased this year.  I did not have the energy for seeds.  I did manage to get all heirloom varieties!

Onions!!

I posted some of these on FB but these are for the family!

Zaddok went to the zoo with his class.  Yep, that's a lion.  Small town zoos rock.

The Kinder class.

We caught a ride on the potty train!!!

I have been scared to say it out loud.  But my baby boy is POTTY-TRAINED!!!  I was going to wait until the baby got here and we were all settled into a routine.  I didn't want the stress of taking a toddler to the potty, accidents and struggling to get them to go in an unfamiliar place.  But Levi was determined.  He started asking to go in the potty.  How could I say no? 

So we began about 2 weeks ago.  He did really well with the pee.  That was very easy for him.  Only a couple of accidents early on.  Pooping?  That's a different issue all together.  It has always been the hard part for my boys.  There has got to be a scientific explanation for it.  My daughter was easy to poop-train.  Why do boys resist it so? 

He had a few accidents in the beginning but mostly just refused to go.  This week he has caught on.  It still takes him a couple of tries but he actually pooped in the big potty this afternoon, not the training potty he had been using!  Only parents can understand how delightful this is!

So now we wait for the baby.  We will see how he does after she gets here.  Hopefully we will not have much regression.  At least we have had a great start! 

Good job Weebies!!  The whole family is proud!

My talented husband strikes again!

We needed a bassinet for our new baby girl.  Our house is old and our room is small so I wanted to find something that could fit right up against the bed.  Matt, being a craftsman, decided to design one himself.  I knew it would be beautiful but I wondered if it would be what I imagined.  Well, it turned out better than I could have dreamed it to be!  In beauty and function. 

 

The arms look awkward sitting there but they are functional.  They are very sturdy and long so that we didn't need legs!  They slide under the mattress.  I think the thing would hold my 10-year-old if it was bigger!

This is where it will go when she gets here.  Right next to me but still in her own little bed!

It will be nice to just reach over and grab her in the middle of the night.

He did such a great job.  It is beautiful and I can see us passing it down to one of our babies for their babies.

There will be a mattress in the bottom.  We bought a bassinet mattress first so that we could fit the bed to the right dimensions.  I can't wait to post pictures of our baby girl sleeping in her bed!

He is a detail guy.  I love him and the thoughtful way that he cares for our family.

A hope dies.

My hope was to get another Healthier Steps blog out before the baby.  My life is so crazy right now, I just don't have time to write!  Plus, when I do get to sit down, I want to stare and drool.  That's it.  So I will post some pictures and some tidbits but that will be all until life levels off a bit.

As for the baby?  She is not here yet but I am contracting and dilating and getting ready!  She is not due for 3 weeks so I am hoping she waits at least 2.   I would love for her to come today but want her to be fully cooked.  :) 

So I will leave you with some random pictures of the rest of the crew...

I love a man in a hat!

Even though we don't do traditional Easter with bunnies and baskets, we still like to celebrate the joy of the season!  Our kiddos got some fun little things.  The boys got "shaving kits."  I remember my cousins doing this a long time ago!

Jolie, who would not like a shaving kit, got some face scrubs and masks.  She and her friends really love to do that kind of stuff.

 Hi Zaddie! 

This week

This week is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Exodus 12:14-17)  This has become such a special time for our family.  It is a time to reflect on the beautiful way that God has designed his Word and creation to teach us and guide us.  His times and seasons, (the Feasts and Sabbaths) hold so much meaning. (Did you know that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder?)  Yes, the Feasts are treasured by the Jewish people. But for those of us who know our King Yeshua Jesus, there is a depth and mystery to this design.  We are thankful for the grace to learn and to grow in following God's commands.  We are thankful that the Law is not death to us but it is instruction and a picture of God's care for His people. 

As we prepared for the Passover (Pesach) and The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah) we did follow the Jewish tradition of getting some Spring cleaning done!  The idea is to follow God's command to get all of the leaven (yeast, baking soda, baking powder, ect...) out of our home.  So the kitchen got a good deep cleaning.  This has fallen in perfectly with my need to nest!  4 weeks and counting!!! 

So we have cleaned our physical house and have been concentrating on doing the same in our Spiritual house.  To remember the sacrifice that was made by Jesus on the cross, to celebrate that the grave could not hold him, to thank Him for giving us the gift of not being afraid to live his Word out full force. This is the Passover season.  This is the feast of Unleavened Bread.  We are so thankful.

I love this.  Please listen and Praise HIM for all of His goodness in this season and in all seasons.

Our house is different this week.  I pray we can be different everyday.  But for this week....

My kiddos have unleavened crackers with lunch instead of our usual bread.

My precious husband has taken on the burden of cleaning the things that I can't.
 (Gravity is not my friend these days.) 
Under the stove is a mass of leavened crumbs and other nasty stuff.  Thank
you my love!

We cook with strange ingredients.

We eat the "Bread of Affliction" daily to help us remember his body that was broken for us. 

We turn the bread box into a fruit box!

We bake up awesome and unleavened things like macaroons and Passover Brownies.

Most importantly, we give praise to the One who saves us.  We use this time to rejoice in the fact that God's plan for salvation began long before the cross.  He is the Lamb that was slain from the foundations of the world! (Rev 13:8)  His grace is given to those who believe.  From Abraham, to the Israelites on the night of the 1st Passover, to those of us who call on Him today.

And at last...Levi!

Levi and I did not have a special picture date.  We have a special date everyday when the kids go to school!  So I have not yet has a photo "session" with him.  But here are some of the pics that we took this week that I might like just as much.

The sun is a bit bright but his sweet smile makes me melt.

This?  This is real life.  He looks like this 90% of the time.  There are many siblings to boss.

LOVE.

Poor little orphan.  Look how dirty he is! 

Awwwww.  But he's so sweet!

This is what you get when you let a water gun and a trampoline do your hair for pictures.

Funny boy!  I don't think I could do a better session with my two-year-old.  This is all him!  Dirt, water guns and grins.  I am a happy mama.  Pretty soon I will be able to post pictures of our new girl!