happy easter

Happy Easter  
:: Carry Me to the Cross ::

When the path is daunting
And every step exhausting
I'm not alone
I'm not alone, no, no
I feel you draw me closer
All these burdens on my shoulder
I'm not alone, I'm not alone
You pull me me from this place

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

How your love has moved me, yeah
To the foot of all your glory
I'm not alone, I'm not alone
I'm not alone

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

All of these cities you have built
And every cathedral you have filled
To all of creation you gave life with your hands
And with those hands you comfort me
You lift me up from my knees
And carry me
You carry me

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
The cross
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

Happy Easter Everyone

Vogel Easter 2012

Josh and I hosted Easter this year for my family. I love family get togethers, 10 adults, 9 little kids from 9-18months...lots of chaos, noise, and pure FUN!  Holidays get better and better the more kids there are...they help remind you of the true reason and the simpleness of it all. It's fun to explain to our own kids why we celebrate Easter, what does it mean, and why is it a significant day to remember.
 I'm a big fan of traditions both serious and silly, so who doesn't love a good Easter Egg hunt...80 sum eggs hidden across our yard

get. ready. set. go....

 
beckett picked up on the game quickly...found way more than he needed!

ellington looking carefully in all the hidden spots

 

 

 

 

 

another fun family tradition: Easter Baskets

 The best part of the Eater baskets was the HUNT! Dad would start us all out (all 4 of us) at the same place in the house, we'd be given our first clue to start us on the journey all across the house, upstairs, downstairs, outside, in the garage until finally the PRIZE...

ellington and beckett are quiet ready for that extreme of a mission, but we've at least started the tradition. this year ellington was given one clue: "where do we get clean?" beckett followed her around thinking and of course headed up in the bathroom. throw back the shower curtain and...

ellington: jelly shoes, princess puzzle, paper doll stickers & peeps
beckett: new sippy cups, shoes, watercolor painting, & peeps

beckett trying "peeps" for the first time...a josh favorite, not so much for the kids or myself. sorry honey, just means you can have them all to yourself.

ellington had been eyeing these jelly shoes at the store for weeks. it brought back so many summer memories for myself. retro indeed!

this girl loves her puzzles!

we had a wonderful time celebrating with our family, the rising of our Lord and Savior. sharing that joy with ellington this year was very special. she asks constantly about the bible stories she hears, where jesus is and how he helps us. what a privilege it is to guide her in her journey to knowing Him as her own personal Savior.

barber shop blues

- beckett's 1st haircut -

i absolutely LOVE beckett's long hair, so you may wonder why we {or i } chose to have his hair cut...well, that's a really good question! i also love photographing memories and milestones. his hair was in need of a little trimming and while we know an awesome hairdresser {martha, we love you} i selfishly wanted to do the traditional barber shop thing. this post is rather humbling but a lesson well learned...i hate having my own hair cut. i agonize over it before and mostly during. so i carefully shared with the young man what i wanted for beckett's hair...long still, trim the ends, so he could see a little better...well, i'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

the before shot

he did a great job sitting still

he's not even sure about it

well, there you have it. beckett's locks are gone! i'm still not okay with it, but i have to let it go and remind myself that hair grows back. but, boy do i miss my little boy's long hair.

matters of the heart

::letters to my sweethearts::

ellington

you have such a servant's heart already at the young age of 3. you care deeply about EVERYTHING around you; your brother, your friends, your doggy, your baby dolls and even random people we see on our errands. listening to you ask questions about the world around you makes me chuckle, smile and take note of the little joys and simplicities in life that are so much more apparent to you than me. lately, you've been enjoying tea parties. something i remember doing with my stuffed animals as well. you carry on conversations that are sincere and rather extensive for a 3 year old with your dolls, stuffed animals and of course try to engage your busy brother as well. while you're still in the "why" phrase, it doesn't take much for you to realize the answer to your question. i'm so grateful for you heart and can't wait to see how you continue to grow emotional, physically and spiritually. it is truly a joy to be home with you each day, answering your questions and making your world as a 3 year old safe and comfortable to be who you were designed to be. i love you hedgie!

xoxo,

mommy

tea parties outside...can't wait for summer

beckett

i can't get enough of you! you have mastered the perfect SMILE for anything and everything. you're need for quality mom time has brought out your sensitive, tender hearted side, and a few scream sessions. you're beginning to talk a little more, repeating what we say, but mainly just a lot of babbling, and boy do you have a lot to say. your zest for life is infectious and your desire to make people laugh or simple smile is the best feeling. you like to be independent and want to do things yourself. lately you've been into finding obscure places to hid and wait patiently until someone finds you. at that moment your face lights up with delight in yourself and just crack up. and sometimes your sister needs to play along...

what a true boy you are, bumps, bruises, dirty pants and messy sticky hands & face are a staple for you. i am so grateful for your heart, so full of love and joy for life. i can't wait to see how you grow, become even more independent and talkative. i love you mo!

xoxo

mommy

30 years young!

rolling into my 30's with good friends & family!

ellington on "real" skates with grammie & grampie

taking a spin out on the floor

me & my girl...love her smile and her continuous "happy birthday, mommy" for days later

our good friends little girl trying out the skates for the first time with dad...such a fun day of trying new things and remember old times as a kid.

some middle school girls from our church joined us in a fun day of celebrating. love spending time with these girls. listening to their stories and simply building relationships with them.

"kiddie skate"

half way through we switch skates for elle. she was a trooper and tried really hard on the real skates, but it was a little bit too much work for both her and us to keep her going. we didn't try the kid skates at first because we brought her in flip flops, so we can to use the socks to give her little feet a buffer from the plastic skates. we'll know better for next time ;)

::good friends::

the khuns

stacie showing off her sweet outfit, the skates make it for sure!

the schultz family

lil miss lila skating with the girls

the girls: alyssa, jenna & emma

ani & tessa

the smiths: cute couple award

they skated hand in hand the entire time. brought back some fun memories for them, since they use to come to this same rink back in the day.

:: the food party::

it was so fun having my parents down for the day to help celebrate

the menu : some might think it's weird to put on a party for yourself, but i love to plan and organize parties. i could care less what it's about, just love having all of our friends and family in one place. i didn't get a good picture of all the treats but my favorite thing was making the chocolate roller skate lollipops...so fun! for everyone else i think the "pop rocks" bar was the favorite part, especially for the kids. so fun to see their faces light up as they feel the little crystals pop in their mouths!!!

josh's birthday cake to me : love this guy and his creativity.

monday 3/19 was my actual birthday...the day was filled with lots of fun little surprises

lunch with my girlfriend ani and some fun spring flowers

another flower delivery from josh: gerber daisies...one of my favorites

another flower delivery from a sweet friend, jess dropped off flowers and a balloon on my doorstep during naps. such a fun surprise to find later.

that night i had photography class. there has never been another birthday as warm as this one. high 70's and beautiful out. our class headed to the beach to capture some sunset pictures. this is one of my favorites.

after class my neighbor, who's in class with me, took me out for a little birthday treat. when i got home {late} i walked into a candle lit kitchen with an awesome roller skate cake lit up and presents!!!

love how josh knows how to make me feel so loved

30 years of having fun and celebrating life! i truly don't mind saying i'm 30. the next weekend the birthday celebration continued with a fun white family dinner & dessert. we even headed to the carousel with great gram and the aunts from chicago and tennessee...but this deserves it's own post!!