Hoppy Easter!!

What a beautiful weekend we ended up having for Easter! It was like God cleared the skies for 2 days just so we could enjoy the outdoors. This year Easter brought up many questions. Jack, being almost 4 1/2, was very curious about the cross and Jesus, and why the bad men were hurting him. It was AWESOME to see his interest peaked in this area. The last 2 weeks at church have been illustrated sermons and Jack opted to stay with us at "big" church instead of going to sunday school. He even got to pet the donkey that Jesus rode on! :) He was able to witness what really happened over that week. Passion for the Christ came on tv one night, and though we didn't let him continue to watch it as it gets pretty gruesome, he was glued to it. It makes me realized that no matter how old or how little we are, what Jesus did for us, is something we all want to be a part of. We ALL want that! Even at 4 years old, Jack wanted to know that. I pray that he will continue to have a thirst for that! I am ever so thankful of what my Jesus for us. And was once again reminded of the wonders of the cross!

We had a wonderful weekend. To kick things off the Koss' graciously opened up their home for our small group Easter brunch and egg hunt. 12 Adults and 11 (plus a half baked Sjogren :) kids made for very fun morning. We had a yummy brunch with lots good treats, then some fun cookie decorating while the dads hid the Easter eggs, then it was time for the hunt! It was so fun to see all the kiddos with their baskets tottin' around picking up eggs. It was fun to watch Cole this year able to participate in the hunt, and hold his own basket. Last year we just had to pose by an egg!

Yummy cookie time! Cole watching from a safe distance with his blankie. Sucking his thumb was enough participation for him. And they were off! Let the record show, no one knows who had the egg first!I think I found one...nope just grass! This is a tricky game!My boys
All the kiddos! How cute are they all dressed up!!And Cole has decided to take center stage. The girls!

The Garden

Attempt #3. Chris has been determined to have his own garden ever since we moved out of the townhouse. Years 1 and 2 weren't too successful. Well, at least not completely. We got lots of potatoes and green beans last year, but the tomatoes....not so much. Peppers were fair. Well, towards the end of the season, my aunt Janine was over for Cole's birthday part, and Chris had her check out the garden to see why it wasn't going so well and she noticed the walnut tree right behind it. It apparently gives off something that hinders the garden. So we moved the garden this year. It will have much more sun light as well in this place. Grandpa Wayne brought home the beach (that is Jack's name for the blue Ford tractor) to help till up the garden. This year we are planting sweet corn, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, and perhaps a few more things, but unsure.

Daddy and Cole mowing the plot first. Jack and Grandpa tilling up the soil. Cole watching from the slideJack saw daddy take off his shirt, and immediately ran over to take his off. This pretty much sums up our life right now. The boys on the John Deere.

Happy Valentine's Day

Every Valentine's Day I am reminded of our first Valentine's Day as parents. Jack was exactly 6 weeks old and we went to the Weber Grill for dinner with my parents. Jack was so good! He was our little valentine. Last year we added Cole to the mix. And he is our spark! In a good mood, Cole will light up a room. He has a spunky attitude (which might be a challenge later), and he LOVES to wrestle with his brother. We had a great day yesterday. Tessa was over during the day, and then we made Chicken pot pie for super. I was going to make red jello heart jigglers, only to discover we only had orange jello. So we put it in a red pan and made a heart out of marshmallows on top. Daddy got home from his first day at work with dessert from cheesecake factory for me!! And honestly, we were all in bed by 8:45 pm.

Embroidery Fun

I have recently gotten new software to be able to expand my embroidery for blankets and burp cloths. I even made my neice Tessa a Valentine's shirt and matching bow. We are hoping to expand our business some with our new products. Here are a few pics of some new things we have.

Times are Changing!

Wow, what a crazy week! So much has happened in the last week. Chris getting a new job has been the focus of our week. Amazing how the Lord opened a door and within 4 days we had a verbal offer. We feel blessed that it has worked out like this and are very excited about this new opportunity. On Monday Chris gave his resignation for his current job and it was a bittersweet ending. We have been thankful that he has had a job for the past almost 6 years, but can't wait to see what this new job brings. After resigning, he realized that he would have all this week off, and since we aren't 100% on vacations for this summer, we decided at 3pm on monday to head to KC in case we don't make it down in the spring. I quickly washed some clothes, got the bags packed, and waited for Chris to get home at 6. We left about 7pm, and got in to KC around 3:30am. The boys were AWESOME!!! Jack probably didn't say more than 2 words, and Cole fussed for about 1 minute until I got his blankie adjusted just right for him. It was much more pleasant than our previous road trips. I think Cole being a little older has helped.

If I have learned anything about Cole this trip, it is his love for animals. Grandpa Gerald and Grandma Linda have a couple of cats. Caspian used to be Aunt Megan's cat until they got pregnant, then they gave her to away. But we get to see him whenever we come down to visit. Cole has been chasing him around all over. Below are a couple of pictures of him trying to get the kitty. Cole even at one point got under the bed and got stuck trying to catch the kitty. Then we headed over to Uncle Joe's house to see their cousins and found a little doggie that Cole couldn't leave alone. Sorry Cole, your mommy isn't much for animals and it will be a long time before you might ever have one of your own.

I don't think Jack could be any happier to be playing with Grandpa G.

Stats

Went in for Jack's 4 year check up and Cole's 18 month appt. Both boys are doing great. Here are their stats.

Jack at 4:
38 lbs.
41 3/4 in.

Cole at 18 months:
22lbs (finally up to the 6th percentile for weight)
32.5 in.

When the weather outside is frightful......

....and inside we're so delightful! :) Happy February 1st! We are right smack dab in the middle of the biggest storm in years! We are expected to get up to 24 in. of snow. I've had a lot of snow plowers in my family and they don't really rejoice in a big snow forecast, but I've got to admit, I still get excited for snow!!! Jack really wanted to go out and play in the snow this morning, so I bundled him up and let him got out for about 10 minutes. Of course he went right to the shovel and started trying to clear the back deck. But here is a picture of him before the snow storm hits.

Then as promised...we made snowflake cupcakes. Well, that was the plan, until I realized I had no cupcake papers, so a round cake it was. Cake batter, frosting, and sprinkles, what more could a kid want. We decorated a big snowflake on top in honor of the "big storm" that Jack couldn't wait for. Cole on the other hand just kept roaming around and then finally found a comfy spot on the floor of the kitchen while we baked. Hot plating was next on our agenda. Jack LOVED it!!! He loved how the crayons just melted right on his picture. He didn't want to stop. But we did a snowman, rainbow, heart, and snowflake. Our windows look so pretty now. I used to love doing this with my students. We pretty much did a picture for each little holiday or season to decorate our classroom windows. I was a little worried about Jack burning his hand or arm, but he did really well. I think only once or twice did he bump the hot plate, but didn't get hurt. We will definitely be doing more of this.

Once again, Cole just roamed around and snacked on Cheetos! Jack is exploding with numbers. We have been doing number flashcards (actually the cards from the game Sorry), and he is noticing numbers all around him. He is so excited when we drive down the road and he sees numbers we know, and at the grocery store. Its so fun to see his little mind going all the time.

Well, the snowstorm is in full swing. We are in for the next day or two. I am hoping to be able to Jack up and do a little snowplowing with my dad. Jack LOVES to ride in the plow trucks at church. He can't wait to get out and shovel the driveway with daddy tomorrow. :)