Kindergarten Graduation!

I can’t believe Gabe graduated from kindergarten today! The year went by unbelievably fast – and I realize we always talk about how much time flies, but I mean, this is just crazy. How can my little baby boy be ready for first grade? But he is. He has grown up and learned so much in the past year! Below is a photo of him from his first day of kindergarten. To the left is a photo of him today, as he walked to the stage for graduation! It is a rare photo of his genuine smile, not his “cheesy” fake smile (you know what I mean). The photo may not be technically perfect, to me it is priceless and I love it! Today was also Julia’s last day of “school”! Because of the graduation, I had to miss her special party with a moon bounce, fire trucks with a special puppet show and other fun activities. Luckily, friends were there to take lots of pics. Looks like a blast! She has changed even more than Gabe this year!

You can see how much Julia has changed between the first day of school and today in the comparison below.

What a blessing these kids are to me!!

Happy Easter – Christ is Risen!

I hope you have a lovely Easter!

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Matthew 28:5-6

Printable Easter Craft Ideas

Due to some tummy troubles last night, Gabe stayed home from school today. So far he has been OK today, so I hope he’ll be able to return to school tomorrow. In the meantime, I needed to come up with some activities for him to do besides endless screen time. Thanks to some ideas I’ve been collecting on my Easter and Spring board on Pinterest, I was able to print out an Easter scene for Gabe to color and put together, plus some great coloring pages for Julia. I still haven’t come up with a good idea for a centerpiece for Easter dinner this weekend, so these crafts are our decorations until then :).

The Parable of the Lily – a Wonderful Easter Story for Kids

After school today, the kids and I made some “hand-crafted” lilies for our breakfast table Easter centerpiece. I based my ideas on a few tutorials I had seen here and here, but improvised with the supplies we had on hand (hehe, sorry – I can help all the handy puns!). Later, after baths and before bed, I read them a wonderful Easter book called The Parable of the Lily. My mom saved this book over the years, then passed it along for me to read to my own kids. It is such a blessing! Here’s and excerpt from the back of the book:

“The gentle farmer…lovingly helps His young daughter, Maggie, understand the power of grace and forgiveness and the true meaning of Easter”

I love this story, and the best part is that there are Bible verses included to help teach your kids about Jesus and the Easter story :)!

Have you been up to any fun Easter crafts or preparations?

Happy Palm Sunday!!

Here’s a Palm Sunday thought for you, taken from the Bible story I told my kindergarten Sunday school class this morning :).