Elli's Birthday

We were able to help our friend, Elli, celebrate her BIG 5th birthday! Claire & Elli have grown up together in church and we've loved getting to know her and her sweet family!

Elli blowing out her candles!

The kids playing and dancing!

Elli opening her gifts! Happy Birthday, Elli!!

Cutting Easter

We celebrated Easter with the Cutting family after the Easter service at church. Grammy hid the girls' Easter baskets and also hid eggs for them to find! We had a wonderful time with family!

Where is that Easter basket?

Here it is!

Lots of goodies! The girls were spoiled with baskets from both sets of grandparents!

Claire searching for her basket!

She found it!

Sophie getting a full examination with the new stethoscope Grammy got Anna!

Easter Morn

Easter morning is always an exciting time and since the girls are old enough to start to understand why we celebrate Easter, it has made it even more exciting! It has been fun reading to the girls Easter books about the death and resurrection of Jesus and see their interest, sadness and ultimately their exuberance that Jesus is Risen... He is ALIVE! So thankful for this truth and I pray daily that my girls not only know this, but accept this amazing gift!

~Happy Easter~

McDowell Easter

My parents had our Easter celebration on Saturday evening. My mom planned an outdoor egg hunt, but due to the rain, it was moved indoors (ONCE AGAIN!). We had a great time celebrating the most important holiday with family!

The big girls hid all the eggs for the little girls to find!

So fun!

My mom's pretty Easter table!

The McDowell Eight!

Happy Easter

Just a couple more Easter photos! I hope you all are having a wonderful Easter... reflecting on the death and resurrection of our Lord. He is risen!

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, shall live." John 11:25

Coloring Eggs

The girls have colored Easter eggs twice now... once with Grammy and then with me. They think it's really fun and even though they each managed to dump a cup full of dye, we still had a good time!

Mixing the dye tablets and water!

Please note the doggie and stethoscope next to Anna... very typical!!!

Claire takes her egg coloring so seriously!

Pretty eggs!

Easter Egg Hunt

We had fun going to an Easter egg hunt with a bunch of our friends from church! It was cold and VERY soggy, so it was moved indoors, but the kids had a great time nonetheless!

All ready to hunt eggs!

So sweet! Anna with her friend, Elliott!

Patiently waiting...

And they're off!

Claire counting her eggs!

Anna trying to pry open an egg to get to the loot!

We had almost forty kids! How fun!

Olivia's Pinkalicious Party

Our sweet friend, Olivia, just celebrated her third birthday with a fun Pinkalicious party! Her mommy is great friend of mine and I am thankful our children are friends!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Olivia! We love you!

The beautiful birthday girl!!

Anna showing off the adorable bunny craft she made!

Some of the gang!

Make a wish!

Family Visit

Ben's Aunt Mary, Uncle Fayzel and their two boys Michael & Matthew were in town from Washington state recently. We always enjoy our time with them and wish they lived closer!

Uncle Steven's Birthday

This post is a little late, but we celebrated Uncle Steven's birthday in March! We are thankful that he is part of our family! Happy Birthday, Steven!

Darkling Beetles

Last year we had a butterfly garden and the girls loved watching their metamorphosis, so this year we got Darkling Beetles (what was I thinking???). They were so excited to get them in the mail and we look at them everyday! They even hold them. Eeek! They are in a larvae state right now that looks a lot like a worm. Did I say Eeeeekkkk? Glad my girls like insects better than I do!

We got this cute beetle barn to put them in (the cutest part of the whole thing!).

Ben showing them the container with the beetles in it! You'd think it was Christmas morning at our house!

Pouring them into their new home!

And there they are in all their glory!

Can I say Eeekkk one more time?!?!