A Life of Gratitude

The Cincinnati Zoo is the second oldest zoo in the USA and has been voted #1 family activity in Cincinnati repeatedly. So, we knew we had to check it out while we're here. We had a wonderful seeing all the animals, feeding the giraffes, riding the train and carousel, watching the 4D movie, and spending time together! The weather was perfect and the kids really enjoyed themselves, especially Tyson. This was his first trip to the zoo while be old enough to really understand everything, so he was absolutely amazed! Evan feeding the giraffe. Tyson feeding the giraffe. He didn't want to stop! Dylan feeding the giraffe All of us riding the train. Daddy and Tyson on the carousel. Evan on the carousel. Dylan on the carousel. I had to sit on a bench on the carousel. Whose hump is bigger? Mine or the camels? The boys had to push me up the hills! Today I am grateful for a fun, beautiful day at the Cincinnati Zoo. We had a wonder...

 Today we took the boys to see their first Major League Baseball game. The Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs were playing.  Dylan was super excited!! The younger boys have a hard time paying attention that long but they enjoyed it too. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a game, just a little windy.  The view from our seats. Tyson was passed out in this photo! Baseball is exhausting! Dylan got his first autograph by the Red's best pitcher! I was thankful for a playground for the little kids to play on! Tyson is climbing up! He's getting too big! This is the best "selfie" we could get. Tyson is on my lap but wouldn't look at the camera! Silly boys! They had a great time! Today I am grateful for a fun day at the ballpark. It is so much fun to watch our boys experience things for the first time! I am also thankful for good weather. The forecast said that it would rain all day today so we were thinking it might b...

My family is currently on our family vacation. We are staying in Cincinnati but visiting places in Kentucky, Ohio, and maybe even Indiana. Our first stop today with the Ark Encounter. This is the reason we decided to come on this trip specifically, just to see the Ark! And I must say, it didn't disappoint! The boys were shocked by the size of the Ark! Can you see the boys and me standing at the bottom of the ship? That helps to show to the size of this "lifeboat!" Bryan and the boys at the door of the Ark. Do you see the cross? Jesus is our ONE DOOR to Salvation! When we first walked under the ark to enter it, I was in awe. It literally brought tears to my eyes. To see the great size of the Ark and realize all the work and dedication it must have taken for Noah and his family to build something identical to it, so long ago. The faith this man embodied was remarkable to say the least.  It took them 50-75 years to build this massive boat. The people ...

 Today we celebrated our Risen Savior!!! It was a very busy but wonderful day! We started bright and early with breakfast and Easter Baskets. The kiddos love finding eggs hidden all around the house. Evan was so excited that he found the "tomb egg" as he called it. There is always one egg that is empty because the tomb was empty and Jesus is Alive! We spent the rest of the morning at church. Bryan and I taught the Kindergarten class, which is always a blast! We had a big group today and had a lot of fun learning more about Jesus! Then we enjoyed an amazing worship service. We spent the afternoon at my brother's house, eating and hunting for candy filled eggs. The kids had so much fun together! We ended the day with dinner with Bryan's family. We're all exhausted (especially this VERY pregnant Momma) but we really did have a wonderful day celebrating!  Checking out Tyson's new book together. Our Kindergarten "small" group. Evan...

Tonight our church hosted an event called Illuminate!  It was an Electric Egg Hunt for kids followed by an Electric Dance Party! There was free food, kids crafts, prizes, a bounce house, cotton candy, corn hole, basketball, and more! This was definitely the coolest egg hunt our family has ever been to! There were so many people there! I couldn't believe the turn out. This ended up being a wonderful outreach for our community!   We invited some of our best friends to join us for the egg hunt. It really was a blast!  Look at all those glowing eggs! Tyson wasn't too sure about the black lights and crowd of people but he ended up having a lot of fun! Andrew wearing his funky glasses before the hunt. Evan, Jonny, Isaiah, and Landon....this is the best picture we could get ...hahaha It's hard to tell but that's Evan getting eggs! Bryan made a buddy, Micah, and they went hunting for eggs together! Summer, Dylan, and Micah pictured her...

This evening as I drove Dylan and Evan to Karate, Evan started talking about Easter. He said, "Ya know Mom, I love Jesus!" Of course those words immediately caused my heart to flood with gratitude. Then he said, "I love Him more than candy even!" Haha It was a sweet, innocent conversation about what Easter really means, and how much Jesus loves us but it turned into my sweet boy proclaiming how much he loves Jesus!! I think this is one of the reasons why the Bible says that Jesus loved the little children. They openly, easily accept His love for them and they boldly love Him back!  Today I am grateful that my boys are truly learning at a young age how much Jesus loves them! I am thankful that they love Him too! I am also grateful for the reminder that Jesus needs to be what we are focused on, who we love more anything else, and who we run to each day. We need to "love Him more than candy even!"  

Yesterday was such a fun day! I got showered with all sorts of PINK baby gifts!!! Allison and I are so loved! We have so many friends and family that are super excited to meet my baby girl! Today I am thankful for all things PINK! I got lots of beautiful clothes and blankets and assorted baby items. Allison even got her first pair of diamond earrings! I am so excited to have girly things!!! I am also grateful for all of my friends and family that made me feel so special yesterday! God has truly blessed me with the most wonderful people in my life!