Concert

Greg and I got to go to the Chris Tomlin concert Friday night with some friends, and it was so much fun! The two opening bands were really good, too--Rend Collective and 10th Avenue North. Our kids love a couple Rend Collective songs, so Greg videoed those to show them. We had crazy good seats in the 2nd row, right in front of the stage! Amazing to be worshiping God and singing with thousands of other believers. Such a powerful night! So glad we went. 

right in front of our seats and the stage before it started

This evening was the first time we'd left the kids alone at night for more than an hour, with Kari as the designated "sitter." She's been "babysitting" her siblings for short periods of time since she turned 11-years-old, so we've been easing into it for a little while, but it still felt pretty strange leaving them at 5pm, knowing we were going to be over 30 minutes away for several hours. I held my phone in my hand the whole time and checked in a few times. It helped knowing they had grandparents close by and a bunch of trustworthy neighbors, too. The kids did great! Kari got them all in bed by 8:45pm (we let them stay up "late") and put herself to bed at 9:45pm. This is a whole new world for Greg and I--so exciting! :) We are determined not to use her too much, though. We did pay her a little this time, precious little--$7 for the night. :) I think it gave her a greater sense of responsibility, though, knowing she was going to be paid for her services. She knows she will not be paid every time she's in charge. We'll figure out the plan and change it as we go.

I Love Lucy

Mom and I had a great time going to see I Love Lucy: Live on Stage Wednesday night. We had dinner at Killer Burger (yum!) and enjoyed an evening of lots of laughter!

Butterflies

We gave Aubrey a live butterfly kit for her birthday, and they finally emerged from their cocoons and were ready to be released.

Easter Sunday

The Easter service at church this year was wonderful--kids choir (my favorite), a powerful testimony, and a great message. 

 The day started out with beautiful weather and then turned stormy in the afternoon, but it didn't affect the kids' fun in any way.

Easter Prep

Good Friday is a holiday for Greg's company, so he spent the day with Grant and I while the other kids were at school. We visited Great Grandma Carrie and brought her an Easter lily, ran a couple errands, relaxed a little, and I did some baking. I made hot cross buns for the first time, and they were yummy! We're all ready for Easter now.

We planted our grassy tomb about a month ago, as we've done the past couple years, and have enjoyed the centerpiece as a reminder during this Lent season, but we weren't the only ones enjoying it. My friend, Karyn, gave me some wheat grass seed, and I thought I'd try using that instead of regular grass seed this time. It sprouted within days and grows super fast, so it worked well...except for the fact that the cats have been constantly up on our table trying to eat it! I didn't know that cats like it so much. Now that I know, I probably won't use wheat grass for this purpose again. :)

Friday evening we dyed eggs, with just one cup of egg-dye getting knocked over. :)  Honestly, it wasn't the most enjoyable egg-dying time we've ever had. Most of the time these family activities are fun but sometimes they just feel stressful. Everyone mellowed out a little, and it got better, but I was glad when it was done. Sigh.