NOT JUST ONE, NOT JUST TWO...

Ella loves her big sister! And Avery has been on her mind this month. Whether at home or at school, Ella has been busy making birthday cards.
Not just one...




Not just two...

But THREE birthday cards from Ella!

When Avery asked what it means to have a "batining birthday" (see card #2), Ella replied, "Avery, it's just an expression!" It's a good thing when sisters are crazy about each other :)

9 YEARS AGO TODAY

Nine years ago today, April 30, 2000, Avery Elizabeth Connor entered this world. It was a rough entry (for mom, not baby) -- 17 hours of labor ending with an emergency c-section because Avery was breech. With that spectacular entrance, I should have foreseen the dramatic nature of my precious first-born!

Avery Elizabeth, 1 week old

It is a privilege and joy to be Avery's mom. As I'm writing this, I was reminded of Luke 2:52, "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Avery asked Jesus into her heart when she was 5 years old, and since that time I have seen her grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. I am proud (in a joyful way!) that she loves God and seeks to please Him with her life. Christ's light shines brightly in Avery!


Avery's 5th birthday, 2005. Ella was 3 years old

As we celebrate the life of Avery today, I am thinking of the many ways that God has uniquely gifted her and made her special. Some things that come to my mind are:

• Avery is a sensitive and thoughtful friend. She knows, without any words, when someone is sad or hurting and reaches out to them. She is a good encourager
• Avery is a good judge of character. She chooses her friends wisely, looking to spend time with other girls who treat people with kindness and respect
• Avery is a great swimmer, pianist, author and actress. She excels in all of these activities and loves to practice her skills whenever she can. She is looking forward to more swimming lessons in June and the opportunity to "star" in 101 Dalamatians this summer. Her written stories are ongoing and she would love to publish all of them someday! Next year in 4th grade she will add violin lessons and orchestra to her list of activities.
• Avery is an excellent teacher. She loves to play school and has a willing student in her little sister, Ella. Avery teaches Ella everything she knows from 3rd grade. It is no wonder that Ella is often a few steps ahead of her class :)
• Avery loves to spend quiet time with God. She created her own "devotions box" that includes her Bible, prayer cards, Awana book, journal, scripture memory cards and colored pens (to make it all look pretty!). She often ends her time by telling me, "I love to do my devotions!" SIDE NOTE: Her little devotions box sits right next to my devotions basket. She chooses to sit in the exact spot on the couch where I have my quiet time. Eric just smiles and says, "I wonder where she gets that from?" :)
• Avery is a hard working student and good example for the other kids in her class. She started public school this year -- a big transition to go into a new class, make all new friends, and adjust to a new environment and teaching style. She has done great! Her teacher commented on her most recent report card, "Avery works to do her best on each activity. Avery always follows directions... I have used Avery's behavior choices as examples for other students to follow"

Avery Elizabeth on her 9th birthday.

She received a trundle bed on which two of her dolls can sleep. She decided that the third would sleep on a sleeping bag and they could take turns :)

Thank you, God, for creating Avery!

SWIMMING SKILLS SUCCESS

No bubble for Ella! And look how she swims with her face in the water. This is a LONG way from where she started!

Avery is diving off the board! Look closely and you'll see a big smile when she comes up :)

Love those girls!

P.S. Sorry for the "sideways" view. They were upright when I loaded them, but I couldn't figure out how to make them right on Blogger! Any suggestions/help?

BACK TO SCHOOL

Avery & Ella headed back to school this week, after a great spring break. Other than the first couple of days, we enjoyed a fun-filled "stay-cation".  Here is a glimpse of how we spent our time off...

We started the break with a weekend trip to visit cousins. 

Sam, Ella, Avery & Ty

While we were there, I got to attend the baby shower of my friend, Liz, and a 40th birthday party for my cousin, Mary (bummer, I forgot to take pics at the b-day party!!)

Robin, Maria, Liz, Jackie & Christine -- friends for 25+ years!!

On Monday, the girls spent the afternoon with Aunt Sheila. She gave them a special birthday treat which included lunch out and a "choice pick" from Barnes & Noble!

Some of the highlights of our week included visits with special friends.
 

Mrs. McClintic (Avery's 3rd grade teacher)
 

Ella & Anna

Avery & Emalee

Towards the end of the week, the weather became very summer-like. Woo hoo!

To celebrate the sunny days, we went to have an outside lunch with Dad. And of course some ice cream!

We pulled out the bathing suits...

Ella, Anaja & Avery

...and the slip 'n' slide!

Of course spring break always includes "Splash Week" at the YMCA. It amazes me how much the girls' skills improve through just a few days of lessons!

Now they're back to school [sigh].  How many days until summer vacation??

BIG GIRL MILESTONES

Avery will be 9 on Thursday -- it's birthday week! I guess she will officially be a "tween". This weekend marked two milestones that many little girls pass around this time.

On Saturday, Eric helped her ride without training wheels for the first time. She needs a bigger bike, but has to learn to ride first. She did great for her first try!



Today we went on an all girls shopping spree, including Michaels, Toys R Us and Claire's, to redeem some birthday gift cards. One of her gifts included ear piercing. She looks so pretty!


My little girl is growing up and I am so proud of the beautiful young lady that she is becoming -- inside and out!

WEARING MANY HATS

Last week Ella had the chance to "wear many hats".

Wednesday night was Awana CRAZY HAT night. After trying on several choices (Mexican sombrero, Jordanian head-dress) she decided upon this layered concoction.

On Thursday, Ella's class of first graders had their Community Helpers presentation . This month they have been learning about people who work in the community. Ella's group researched the suburbs and they all dressed as police officers for their presentation.

The "suburbs" was a village, made of decorated boxes.

Here is the shop that Ella designed.

Some of Ella's classmates dressed as doctors and nurses

And other friends dressed as farmers

A NEW ERA

era (noun): a period of time marked by distinctive character, events, etc.

From approximately 2001 - present our family has enjoyed a wonderful membership to the Strong National Museum of Play. Right about the time that Avery was starting to get a little bored with our weekly visits, they added an awesome addition, including Reading Adventureland and (our current favorite) Berenstein Bears. We have loved, loved, loved going there whenever we want, and feel so fortunate to have one of the 10 Best Children's Museums in the US right here in our hometown!

But we're transitioning into a new era (sigh). As Avery approaches her 9th birthday this month, she is not quite as fascinated by the familiar sights and activities that we have always enjoyed at Strong. She's looking for something new...

So last Friday we took a family trip to the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RSMC). This is not our first visit to RSMC, and now that we have purchased a membership, I imagine we will be there regularly.

Highlights of our first visit as members included:

Many cool activities in the Underground Railroad exhibit

Digging for "fossils"

Resting in the cloud room with Mom

Figuring out how things work with Dad

Rainbow shadows and other cool optical tricks

To see the full album of our first day of membership at RMSC, click HERE.

O HAPPY DAY -- EASTER SUNDAY!

The greatest day in history,

Death is beaten

You have rescued me

Sing it out Jesus is alive

The empty cross,

The empty grave

Life eternal

You have won the day

Shout it out

Jesus is alive

He's alive

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed

When I stand, in that place

Free at last, meeting face to face

I am Yours

Jesus You are mine

Endless joy, perfect peace

Earthly pain finally will cease

Celebrate Jesus is alive

He's alive

Oh what a glorious day

What a glorious way

That You have saved me

Oh what a glorious day

What a glorious name

This is one of my favorite songs. To listen to it, click here -- Happy Day by Steve Fee. It's worth a listen, especially on Resurrection Sunday!

We enjoyed a GREAT morning -- HighPoint and big church.

Then we had a fun mid-day with Eric's family.

Ella enjoyed some special time with Grandpa. The Easter card that she made them read "Grandma's are special but Grandpa's are for entertaining!" And Grandpa surely did entertain today!

We made a special cross cake. It was red velvet (blood that Jesus shed) with dark chocolate icing (our sin). At the bottom of the cake was white coconut (our sins are washed away and we are made white as snow). There were red juju "wounds" and a pretzel "crown of thorns".

We didn't get to Easter baskets until late afternoon. It was quite a hunt this year, but fun to find them and get into them!

After the baskets were unloaded it was time for an egg hunt.

Is it possible to have too much candy??

Thank you, Jesus, that we have much to celebrate today! Our salvation was made secure over 2000 years ago because You died and rose again. We love You!

HOLY WEEK -- Saturday

RESURRECTION ROLLS

You need:
Crescent rolls
Melted butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar
Preheat oven to 350° .

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus’ body.
Have her dip the marshmallow in melted butter, which represents the oils of embalming.

Then dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar, which represents the spices used to anoint the body.

Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up . . . bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus’ body after death.

Place in a 350° oven for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb—pretend it was three days!

When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)\

HOLY WEEK -- Good Friday

Hot cross buns for breakfast. A yummy treat with a simple message -- today I will remember that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins.

I have been reading a great book this Lenten season, "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross", edited by Nancy Guthrie. Some passages that I've read these past couple of days have stuck with me. Here are a couple of excerpts:

What Jesus was doing on the cross was bearing sin, carrying sin, wearing sin. Jesus was taking the sins of the world upon his shoulders. It was as if God had taken a giant bucket and scooped up all the sins of his people -- all the jealousy and the anger and the lying, all the rebellion and the stealing and the incest, all the hypocrisy and the envy and the swearing -- and dumped them all out on Jesus Christ. "The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us..." (2 Cor. 5:21)... Once he had done that, God the Father had to forsake all that sin. When Jesus was wearing our sin on the cross, God the Father could not bear to look at the sin or at his Son. (Philip Graham Ryken)

At the moment that Christ took upon himself the sin of the world, he became the most grotesque, most obscene mass of sin in the history of the world. God is too holy to even look at iniquity. When Christ was hanging on the cross, the Father, as it were, turned his back on Christ... There was Jesus, the Son in whom the Father was well pleased. Now he hung in darkness, isolated from the Father, cut off from fellowship -- fully receiving in himself the curse of God -- not for his own sin but for the sin he willingly bore by imputation for our sake. (R.C. Sproul)

I'm forgiven because You were forsaken
I'm accepted, You were condemned
I'm alive and well, Your Spirit lives within me,
because You died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be
that You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love, I know it's true
It's my joy to honor You
In all I do
I honor You.
(Amazing Love, by Chris Tomlin)

That's what we talked about before we each hammered a nail into a piece of wood, remembering that it was our sin (specific and personal) that nailed Jesus to the cross.

HOLY WEEK -- Thursday

This is my favorite day of our Holy Week family devotions (at least so far!). It is the day that we remember the Last Supper and the Passover, and enjoy a wonderful meal that is "similar" to the one that Jesus and His disciples may have eaten the day before He died. Besides the obvious benefit of reminding us of Christ, celebrating Holy Thursday with a Passover-type meal is a tradition that I did in my family growing up. I love sharing this with Eric, Avery & Ella.

Eric started by reading the story of the Passover from Exodus, as well as the Last Supper with Jesus and His disciples. It was really neat to talk about these events with the girls, now that they are old enough to imagine it and discuss what it might have been like. As you can see, we are sitting on the kitchen floor. Avery thought it would be better to sit the way that Jesus and His disciples would have -- not on chairs!


We started with unleavened bread (saltines -- the Matzo didn't go over very well last year). This symbolizes the bread that the Israelites took with them from Egypt. In their haste, they did not have time to let it rise.

Next we ate "lamb" (actually chicken because lamb was soooo expensive and I knew they wouldn't like it!). The lamb was killed so that the blood could mark the doorposts of the houses of the Israelites. When the angel of death saw the blood on the doorpost he would pass over that house and not kill the first born child. Jesus is our Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

We tasted horseradish as a reminder of the bitterness the Israelites experienced while they were slaves. We remember how bitter our lives are when we are slaves to sin.

Haroset (apples, nuts & honey) is eaten as a symbol of hope. Jesus is the hope of the world. He is sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb. This was the girls' most favorite part of the meal and it was always my favorite as a little girl too :)

We dipped parsley into salt water and tasted it. This reminds us of the tears that were shed in Egypt. The parsley is a symbol of new life. We are reminded of the sorrow we feel when we think of Jesus dying on the cross. But the green reminds us of the new life that we have in Him.

I forgot to take a picture of the grape juice, but that was our drink. Jesus said this cup was a sign of His shed blood for us on the cross. Whenever we drink it, we should drink it in remembrance of Him.

As we finished up our dinner, I got the Bible back out and read the passage where Judas was entered by Satan and agreed to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. What a sad story. We talked about what it must have felt like, to Jesus, to have a good friend betray you. And still He showed Judas love and respect at the supper. We had a couple of sweet "silver" coins for our dessert.