Easter 2009

Full House

Last weekend, we had the privilege of having my niece and nephews, Bud, Rosie, and Coleman, come and stay. It was noisy, a little chaotic, and very fun. Macy loved being the little sister for a few days.

Once everyone was in bed on the first night, I thought about the fact that, as we designed, planned, and built our house, this was the dream I had for it: Each room full of children. I went to bed with a little smile.

After the borrowed children had returned home to their beds and we were kissing our sweet girl goodnight, it occurred to me that our house is full. We have laughter and love and that is all we need. I went to bed with a full heart.

Our Little Cowgirl

While I was out getting a makeover from my sister-in-law, JD saved Macy from her nap and took her shopping for a cowgirl hat. Macy (and really JD) has been wanting a "Jessie" hat since she feel in love with Toy Story 2.

They went to AA Callister and apparently Macy had the 17-year-old cowboy salesman wrapped around her finger in two minutes flat.

They paid for one cowgirl hat (the perfect Jessie hat) and came home with cowgirl boots, another cowboy hat, and a toy horse -- all for free.

And looking at these pictures, you can see that the cowboy had no choice.

Pittsburgh Trip: Day 7

Dear Grammy & Grandpa,

The Toy Story 2 figurines that you bought for us were worth every penny. They saved the day on the flights home. We miss you already.

Love,

Macy, Laura, JD, and every other Southwest passenger

Don't you love those chubby little hands?

Pittsburgh Trip: Day Six

On day six in Pittsburgh, we took a scenic drive through the beautiful farming country where many Amish people live. We visited a little store that had lots of amazing, hand-made toys and goodies.  

Amidst all those toys, hilariously, Macy fell in love -- total love -- with a little wooden training potty.  She cried huge tears when we left without the potty and she has brought it up several times since then.  (My mom has pictures of the potty that I'll add later.)

The irony of this picture is that the horse was parked at the auto parts store.

Pittsburgh Trip: Day Five

On Monday morning, JD and I headed out to drive two hours across Pennsylvania to see a home designed by famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. If you have ever driven with the help of a GPS, you will understand that the picture above is not good. The car should be on some sort of road, not alone in the wilderness. Despite this, we enjoyed the beautiful rolling hills and tiny towns.

And we finally made it to Falling Water.

I LOVED it. It was inspiring and fascinating. If you are ever near Pittsburgh and have any interest in architecture or design, you have to go see this. You aren't allowed to take pictures inside, so here are some from the outside.

 If you are interested in this sort of thing, here are some great links: Falling Water.org and more about Frank Lloyd Wright.

Pittsburgh Trip: Days Two, Three and Four

Day Two: Pittsburgh has an amazing children's museum. We had a spectacular time exploring. The museum is in two converted old buildings. It is really beautiful and the exhibits are so creative. Mr. Rogers is from Pittsburgh, so they have his sneakers (really blurry photo) and the puppets on display.



Old bowling alleys make for VERY fast slides.
This was a really amazing screen where you can move your silhouette to catch the letters and form words.
And the company was fantastic.

Day Three: We went sightseeing downtown, shopping, and to a baptism. It was great to see how the missionary work is changing the lives of families.

Day Four: Relaxing and church.