A month...

Yes, that is how long it has been since I last blogged. Does it count that I have blogged a TON of times in my head????

So, what's been going on since I last blogged in April...

-I began working again, but VERY part time. I am working again as a casemanager for a foster care agency. It was really the perfect opportunity. They have given me the freedom to work ENTIRELY from home so that I can still be a full time mommy! I went ahead and put Eisley in Mother's Day Out on Thursdays (Mia was already going on Thursdays) so that I could go into the office at least once a week to do work, print papers, makes faxes. Its been a pretty big adjustment, but I am really enjoying it. I enjoy getting to use my degree again. I am just kinda helping them with overloaded caseloads, so really I might not be needed in the next few months, but I am around as long as they need me, and as long as its not taking away from my family. Its been fun.

-Jody and I got to attend an amazing marriage retreat with our church. SO wonderful!

- Had a garage sale on my birthday...it was a bummer in so many ways...didn't make much money.

- As I said, I had a BIRTHDAY on the 9th of May. I am now 27!!! It doesn't even seem real! I still feel like I just graduated high school.

-The same weekend as my birthday was Mothers Day. Jody and the girls made me feel incredibly loved and special! Thanks for an amazing birthday/mother's day weekend Jody!

-Finally had our first weekend to do NOTHING...so we planted lots of flowers. Most are still alive today. Big Deal for this girl with a brown thumb.

-Went to Colorado with Jody's entire family for his cousins graduation. I love Jody's entire family, including his extended family, so it was really great and fun. The LONG drive was not as bad I was expecting with an almost 4 year old, 19 month old, and my niece who is 9 months old. We were gone for 5 days, and had a great time!

-Now I am exhausted, and ready to crash, but I had to force myself to take time to post on this blog, rather than doing some much needed work or going to bed. :)

So, maybe I need to take a break from blogging. But, I really don't want to. I really enjoy having an online record of our family's fun times, especially since I'm really bad about printing out pictures. Who knows. I think I will try again to get better about blogging. (Even though June is actually a TON crazier than May.) Oh well...

For now, enjoy some pictures from our fun trip to Colorado.

The GIANT ice cream cone in Raton, NM on our way to Colorado, YUMM!

Mia and Eisley and our niece Zoe at the giant icecream cone.  

Beginning of our time at the Colorado Springs Zoo.  

The Giraffes were fun to watch

Eisley and cousin Zoe

Sweet Sisters!

(Daddy's behind her, I promise.)

Jody's sister, Amy, and her daughter, Zoe

Mia and MaMaw riding beside her

The giraffe wanted to be in the picture too

Eisley wasn't so sure about feeding the birds, she'd rather look at them from a distance

MaMaw and aunt Amy helping Mia feed the birds.


Eisley LOVES her PaPaw.  (She was showing him the big apes!)

I know, I know...she's got the most squeezable cheeks ever!

At the Denver Aquarium.  Watch out Mia!  That fish is as big as YOU!

Eisley loved the fish too!

Yep, all the kids in the extended family...looks like fun, huh?????

Waiting, in the rain, of course, to get into the aquarium.  Its a popular place!

Hey Dorie and Nemo

Thank you Baby Praise!  (Even if you did almost put Amy to sleep...she was driving. Yikes!)

And finally, the reason we went, Jody's cousin, Lauren, graduated from high school.  Congratulations Lauren!!!  (Outside graduations are beautiful, except when it RAINS!!!) Not to mention Colorado doesn't mind having 8am graduations..left the house at 6:30AM, and yes, with the girls!)

It was 18 months ago today....

That we fell in love all over again!!!!

Eisley Mae Wilson on day ONE....

And now, 18 months later!  

We are honored to have such amazing daughters!  Happy Half Birthday, Eisley!

PRE-Easter Egg Dying

My sister's family and my family all gathered together at my parents' house a few days before Easter to dye Easter eggs. We had a lot of fun, although we had to dye the eggs quickly because the girls didn't have the patience to wait for each egg to sit long enough in the dye to become vibrant colors. The eggs turned out beautifully! (Maybe my sister, Jody, and I all re-dyed the eggs after the girls ran off to play, just to make the eggs brighter. Us big kids had fun too!) :)

The dyeing went well except for when Mia accidently put her hand on one of the bowls of dye and it splashed green dye all over her face and clothes. Needless to say, she was covered in green dye and crying hysterically. We finally got it all washed up off her face, her clothes into the drier quickly (thanks mom for quick thinking) and the clothes (and Mia's eyesight) were restored. Good memories!

So, here is our several attempts to get a good Easter picture with the girls in their matching shirts. This is just an insight on what we go through with picture taking of 4 girls under the age of 4. Enjoy

Yep, I took these egg pictures with my sister's camera.  Its amazing how a fancy camera can make the photographer look like they know what they are doing!  :)

Happy Easter!

WOW!  What a wonderful day, celebrating the Resurection of the Lord!  It definitely made me a little more emotional this year, having just recently walked where Jesus walked, even to the point of where he walked to his death, the place of the death on the cross, and then to the tomb.  (and everything in between!)  Oh, how His life has become even more real to me!  Happy Easter!  

At the house, before church.

After church we went to my parents for lunch and easter egg hunt.  This is Eisley and my Papa.  She LOVES her Papa! (even though the look on her face doesn't really show it.  She was tired.)

Daddy and his girls

Not a great family picture, but the best we got.  The sun was so bright, in case you can't tell by my half closed eyes.  Definitely not a framer!

Mia, Bailey, and Addison on the egg hunt.

Way up there?????  The Easter bunny was NOT thinking.  Ahem...

Memaw and Papa watching the fun.

Sweet girls!

Ah, sharing!

"If only I could figure out how to open this candy."

The most wonderfully amazing daughters EVER!

Sweet!  

Tour Day 4 in Israel (Sunday)

I guess since the snow is gone, I will finish documenting our days in Israel last month. Yep, its officially been a month since we took off on our trip.

We were quite sad to have to check out of our hotel in Jerusalem on this day. It was really strange for me to leave Jerusalem. My heart was genuinely sad, kinda an aching feeling as if I was leaving my own home. It was really strange. I know that it is simply because it is the Lord's city, and my Spirit is VERY aware of that.  I truly WAS leaving "home."

For the rest of the day, we finished doing touring on our drive to Tiberias. It was amazing how green the land became from Jerusalem (very dry and kinda dirty looking) to the lush, green, rolling hills of the Galilee region. Simply beautiful.

This is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  The Muslims have control of this area right now.  

Jody and I.

This is the spot where it is believed that the Holy of Holies was (according to the geographical location.)  It was POWERFUL to stand by this spot.  Really, My Spirit lept within me.

A quick roadside stop on our journey to Tiberias.  This is our friend Dee riding a Camel.  I almost rode one, but then really thought it was a waste of money.  The ride was like less than a minute long.  

This is Bet She'an (the location, not the Asian lady in the picture.  We don't know her.)  (funny side-note, Jody took two pictures of this sign, and both pictures had an Asian woman in it.  Two different Asian women.  We laughed pretty hard.)

Bet She'an was a city that was excavated fairly recently.  It was a city that was covered in a mudslide within a matter of seconds. It was fascinating because the mud did such a great job of preserving the city.  Very cool.  

Megan sitting in the Coliseum.

Check out the beautiful coliseum.  I bet it was phenomenal.  

The view from our drive.  Getting into the green Galilee region.

We ended our day with baptisms in the Jordan river, just like Jesus did.  This was a beautiful location.  

Most of our group did the baptisms.  The leaders, Tom and Terry, had already done this, so they just took pictures.  (please pay no attention to the seriously unflattering gowns.)

Please take notice of us all laughing and how Chris (already in the water) has his hand over his mouth.  The water was FREEZING!

See, look at Jody's face.  FREEZING!

And my face, FREEZING! (and Chris is laughing at me)

Remarkable.

What a sight!

The beautiful location of the Baptismal site.  

I thought I'd give a quick disclaimer real quick about our baptisms.  You see, I have had a ton of people comment about what an amazing sight it was to see us being baptized in the Jordan river, and especially to see Jody baptizing me.  

Well, like I made it abundantly clear, the water was freezing, and as much as I would have LOVED for it to have been a more emotional, romantic even, awe-inspiring experience, I'll have to be honest...I really had a hard time getting over the freezing cold water, especially when I was put under the water.  It literally took my breath away, and not in the way I had expected.  

So, YES, it was such an honor and amazing time to have my HUSBAND baptize me in the same river that Jesus himself was baptized in, but, I just wish the water wouldn't have been so cold.  Next time I will wear my wetsuit!  :)

We finally made it to our hotel in Tiberias.  We had a GORGEOUS view of the SEA OF GALILEE from our patio.  AMAZING!



Once again, another busy, but Glorious day in Israel!