Chess and Muffins

Chess over breakfast anyone?

Cache will love anyone that will play "chesst" with him.

Except Naomi.

 She doesn't exactly play by the rules.

Easter

This post is about Easter. 

But first I want to tell you about why I love pictures.

Here is this picture.

It  alone has changed my entire week.
Isn't she so sweet?

 When I took this picture  I was very frustrated that I couldn't get a picture of Naomi in the leaves.

She just wanted to play with the ugly bike rack.
Now if I could just reach into that picture, pick up that li'l munch and kiss her face and loove the moment
  I would.

Pictures  help me see how beautiful life really was then and so it is now.

And I will be a better mom this week because of them.
I am not partaking of all the happiness that is available to me.
Fool.
 I will now.

OH HEY, that was a bit sappy. 

On to ...

{EASTER 2011}

I waited too long and forgot all the funny details.

But here is what I remember.

We planned on watching the sunrise.

symbolic of Christ rising on Easter morning.

didn't happen.

Cache woke up possibly hours before us.

He was buzzed on candy by the time we awoke.

Can you blame him though? 

No.

The kiddies hunted for Candy (that was left) and dyed eggs.

There was a li'l yellow peep on the hearth.

Devin lifted Nay up to get it.

We didn't realize she thought it was a REAL "bebe chick."

She went to bravely touch it and jumped back, afraid it was going to peck her.

Despite my efforts to not turn Easter into Christmas.

I still got these kids some floating devices.

We have already made great use of at the Y. 

Also handy when needing to dress up for a chess game...

I mean "CHEST." As Cache calls his favorite game.

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Gage's first Easter.

He was pretty sick.

We had a great Easter supper though.

Just our little family.

Lamb.

Scalloped potatoes.

Maple glazed carrots

and sweet salad.

We went to church.

Naomi picked out her own Easter ensemble, from her closet.

Saw Julie and family at church.

We went on a  spring walk with them afterwards.

On the drive home Naomi said: "Krissa love me.  Krissa is my bes friend."

Cousins are the best.

It was lovely.

yes a Lovely Easter.

All in a day

I was thinking today that I will miss the days that a sword is a necessity to going to the grocery store.

And then from there the day seemed extra funny to me. 

So i'll share.

-naomi-
Naomi did you wipe and wash?
NO.
Why not?
I'm too bizzy.

Mom dere's a worm.
(pointing to a piece of wilted lettuce on the floor)
2 minutes later...HYSTERICAL crying like I fell and broke a bone crying.
I come running.
what happened?
The worm bite me.
-cache-
Mom someday I'm going to go to the moon.
That will be a great day won't it mom?

Mom if you don't taste any thing new then you'll never know what they taste like.
So I'm going to taste every new food I can.
I think that will be a good idea.
 -baby g. louie-
This baby has plenty to say I just can't spell it.
It's all in the expression anyway, so he gets pictures this post.
sporting a onsie that was his Uncle Ben's. Which means it's older than ME!
I like it.

I think that tortoise on his shirt was a turtle before he tried it on.

:)

H a p p y  E a s t e r !!!

Here is our favorite Easter message this year. 

We watched it with our kids eating candy this morning.

It's simple. It's beautiful.

We hope you find all your colored eggs 

before next Easter.
We are still missing one.

                                               Love, The Ortons

too close to home.

I called Devin to watch the news broadcast with me.
He held my hand.
I'm glad to be safe here in west,
 but it reminds us of how much of our hearts we left in St. Louis.
Seeing the airport. Our St. Louis airport that we know so well all torn up is so strange.
We've walked through these places pictured so many times.
I'm so glad no one was killed and bro and sister Munson are okay!

Life at our house

sPriNg hAs SpRuNg!

Cache joined a soccer team.

He LOVES it.  

He even scored a goal his first game this week.

Naomi is doing dance once a week. 

Her recital is in May. 

She is suppose to get a pink leotard and tights.

Her little self is going to be soo stinkin cute in a leotard.

I can hardly wait.

Cache registers for Kindergarten TODAY!

 One of my new years resolutions was to sit and play with my children.

This is hard for me.

Somewhere along the way of growing up I forgot how to play.

Devin will play for hours with them.

I just get obsessed with my list for the day and it's so hard for me to stop.

So I started writing it on my list for the day.

Near the top, which means higher priority.

I still have to focus to be totally present.

But I've been doing lincoln logs with Cache

and tea parties with Nay and I looove it.

Naomi's imagination is SO fun.

 And here is a test for you.

Can you tell who is who?

5 years apart but...
Brother's

fo sho.

Back to the present spring time happenings:

 We got our bikes out.

Went for a family ride to the park.

Lots of fun.

 They actually rode just like this the whole way.

 We just shut the flap.

 And it rained. 

A warm rain.

 I love a warm spring rain.

I love any rain actually.

I love running in it to music (so satisfying)

I love being out in it.

I love coming in from it (to a warm house)

And most of all I love to listen to it while I sleep.

It soo refreshing.

And so our these happy little faces.

 I talk too much.

H a P p Y s P r i N g !

And my heart rejoiced.

 Sunday in church
 Sang the hymn: "I believe in Christ."
Cache was laying on my lap. I thought asleep.
After, he sat up, looked at me and said. "MOM, I don't believe in Christ."
I half wanted to laugh because everything about it surprised me.
The fact that he even thinks about that at 5 and that he said it, and that he was listening to the words of the hymn, and that he DOESN'T believe.
It all just threw me through a loop.

I told him that's okay if he doesn't. Sometimes you just have to choose to believe.  And then after church I told him WHY I believe in Christ. I told him that people I believe to be true and honest people(prophets) have seen him and I believe them. I told him the way I feel when I pray, read the scriptures, and do things that Jesus told us to do, in my heart it feels right and good.  And that's most of the reasons I believe.

He listened. Then he said.
"Mom, I still don't believe in Christ. Barney is make believe and so is Jesus Christ."
I told him I don't believe in Barney either.  :)
 But Christ is real and alive.  But he can find out for himself as he grows up.
Don't write him off just YET Cache.

Then this morning we were sitting on the couch.  He looked at me and said. "MOM if there is another kid who is all alone and nobody will play with him, I will play with him."  (Trying to restrain my happiness because really I never know what his intention are.) I casually responded. "Oh. Why?"
He told me. "Because DAT is what Jesus would do. And I don't want that kid to be sad anyway."

And then my heart rejoiced a bit. 

I asked him where he learned that.
He told me his primary teacher told him.

***

Right now I am listening to Cache and his friend Sawyer playing in the back.
Overheard: "And THEN he diiiiiiied.  Those guys were wicked and made bad choices."
Sawyer: Was it on a cross or in a garden?
Cache: I don't know, dust(just) lots of blood, but there was NO star.
 Yah then they put him in a rock cave thing and it was sad.
Cache: Yah and in America there was all dis dark stuff...
Sawyer: Yah and lots of Earth shakes."
Cache: "Yah and it was so dark for FREE(three) days.
Sawyer: Yah and they couldn't even light a candle cuz it was so sooo dark and stinked.  ??? :) It stinked?
Cache: Then Jesus came down out of duh sky. That was pretty cool. And he healed the guy with blood in his ears.  So he could see. (maybe a few facts mixed up here :)
Sawyer: Yah that's Easter ... (then the baby cried and I couldn't hear dangit!)
Cache: I wonder if Jesus went to CHINA.
Cache: I like Ninjas.
Sawyer: Yah, let's go outside and do awesome stuff.

Besides a few hilarious mixed up facts, these kids are smart..
I'm thankful for these moments and good primary teachers and Jesus Christ.
If they choose follow his example, they will live good and happy lives full of love and truth.
I'm excited for them.
Their future is bright.

All things provident.

I am borrowing this book from a friend to help me bring more peace of mind to our home,

By being prepared for a rainy day.

It is a bit tricky preparing for a rainy day while you are in a rainy day.(just out of school you know)

But this book is soo good, I've only read it for an hour and benifited from the advice.

aaaand I want to win one!

If I do, I will wrap it and give it to myself for Mother's day.