San Antonio

Lee and I took the girls to San Antonio last weekend, leaving Brady behind with Mimi (Lee's mom). It was our first time away from him, and I was pretty okay with it. I got sad when we left, and also when I saw a baby about his age while in San Antonio. But I knew he was in good hands!
Lee and I were a little worried as we pulled out of Midland, because the weather forecast for central Texas was very bleak. It was supposed to rain the whole weekend! Our big plans were to go to the zoo on Friday when we got there, and then Sea World all day Saturday. Rain would have possibly ruined our plans, but God had great favor on our trip!! Not only did He allow the rain to let up shortly after we arrived at the zoo, but He gave us gorgeous weather and there were very few other people out! We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves! Then Saturday, the rain had cleared off by the time we woke up. It warmed up nicely and we again had another beautiful day. Sea World is amazing and has changed a lot since I went in high school. I think the girls are at a great age, and there was a lot for us to do. They really enjoyed the shows, and Annalee rode her first roller coaster! (Addie was too short and cried the whole time Annalee & Lee waited in line and rode it...poor thing!!) I think their highlights were feeding the dolphins (SOOOO cool!!) and taking pictures with Shamu and a dolphin (can't remember her name).

at the zoo

Sea World has a really cool water park designed for little kids.

Hail storm & Easter eggs

Saturday night we were pummeled by the kind of hail you usually just hear about...I had actually begun to wonder if golf ball or baseball sized hail was some kind of urban legend. We were proven wrong...Lee's car escaped with just a few large dents, but we have friends who now have cars with cracked windshields and houses with broken skylights and totaled roofs. From inside our house, it actually sounded like the sky was falling!!

On a lighter note, the girls and I decorated eggs the other day, and I must say they did a great job and had a lot of fun. (And yes, on most days they are dressed in full princess gear.) We only had one casualty when Addie accidentally dropped one...

Then yesterday we had a great egg hunt. For the first time in several years, the weather was actually pleasant on Easter.

Addie (2-1/2), Brady (7 mo), Annalee (3-1/2)

I love these conversations!

It's been a little over a year since Annalee declared her belief in Jesus and His work on the cross for us, and His resurrection 3 days later. Ever since then we have had some interesting, deep conversations. Yes, I mean deep...even for adults. She is also rather insightful for her age. Just the other day, we were hanging out at the Voskamps' front yard shelling pecans from their tree, and Annalee made the observations that the leaves were turning green because it's spring. I said "That's true, everything comes back to life in the spring." She then replied, "Hey, just like JESUS came back to life!!!" Wow. Many of our conversations have to do with sin, its consequences, and how hard it is to do the right thing sometimes. But more often than not she asks plain old cute questions, like the one about a month ago in the car: "Mommy, when I go to heaven can I take a dress to wear?" To which I replied "Of course!" But a couple of our talks have revolved around death & the afterlife. Morbid, I know; but kids are just as curious about the unknown as adults, and I think it's really neat that she is thinking and wondering about it. Addie is even starting to ask questions. Here's a cute conversation between me & the girls this morning:

Annalee: Why do we die?
Me: Because everyone dies.
Annalee: We don't get to live forever.
Me: That's right, not on Earth.
Addie: Why? (Her favorite question)
Me: Because Eve ate the fruit.
Addie: Eve need a pankin. (spanking)
Me: She sure does!