What a Weekend!

Ryan and I just had the most amazing weekend!  We love to participate in an event called Secret Church each year.  This is an evening of intense Bible study led by David Platt.  David is currently serving as the President of the IMB, but his ministry is one we have loved for several years.  David's heart for God's word, missions, and shining light in dark places is unlike any other.  Secret Church is broadcast around the world, and we've taken part in it that way for years.  A year or so ago, Brian Henderson's brother-in-law, Chris, (who we actually know from college) became the President of David's ministry called Radical.  So, last year, Brian and Ryan actually attended the live broadcast of Secret Church while it was in Charlotte, thanks to Chris.  When they announced it would be in Atlanta this year, we knew we had to go.  

We were overjoyed when Chris offered to help us with tickets this year.  On Friday, we took in almost 6 hours of worship and Bible study on the reliability and truth of the Bible.  It was an amazing evening of study.  Then, thanks to Chris, we were invited to stay the night and on Saturday to take part in a VIP session.  We got to meet David and his wife, Heather.  We were actually seated at their table for lunch which was wonderful.  We knew how incredibly smart David was, but this provided the opportunity to get to see what a humble, kind, and funny man he is as well, and Heather compliments him perfectly.  They are so well-suited for one another.  In the afternoon, we heard from several of the individuals who work with Radical or have been impacted by this ministry, and David and Heather did a Q&A with the audience of about 50 people.  In the evening, Aaron Keyes led a fantastic worship service, and David spoke for about 45 minutes on the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11.  It was such a privilege to be included in this intimate gathering and learn more about this amazing ministry.  

On Sunday morning, we attended First Baptist Church Woodstock where David preached, this time on Esther 4.  This whole weekend was incredible.  We were ecstatic to meet and sit under the teaching of one of our faith heroes.  We look forward to supporting this ministry in the future as we watch God's Kingdom expand from its efforts.

Easter 2017

The girls were excited to get their baskets on Easter morning.  They each had a new shirt, chocolate frogs from Harry Potter, socks, sparklers, a movie and a book.

 Ready to head to church to celebrate our risen Savior!

 We headed over to Robert and Judy's in the early afternoon.  We enjoyed lunch and catching up with family that we haven't seen in awhile.  This is the traditional picture of the cousins in attendance.  We were missing a few, but this is most of them!

 Soon it was off to the races.  Mia ran hard!

 Lily did a good job searching high and low.

 Showing off their loot.  While some of these eggs have candy in them (which they thoroughly enjoy), most of the kids are a little older now, so the majority of the eggs have coins in them.  They love this!  Can you believe they both came away with over $15 in coins?!

 After the egg hunt, it was time for the kids egg toss challenge.  Ryan went out as Mia's partner this year.  They made it to the top 3, but then it cracked.  Congrats to Ben and Nicholas on their win!

 I'm always thankful for time with Meme.  She was feeling good today and looking pretty in her new outfit.  She always gets a boost by being around all the kids.

 When we left the Howell's, it was time to come home and paint eggs.

 Like little scientists!

 Some of the finished products!

Such a beautiful and wonderful day to celebrate!

Chicago Spring Break

The girls could not wait to head up to Chicago with Ryan for spring break this year!  They knew they would get to see Grandpops and Grandma Jan and have all sorts of adventures!

 They started off at The Shedd; they love this aquarium.

 Not surprising, they choose to spend their souvenir money here.

 Yummmm, everyone loves a Giordano deep dish!

 Stan's Donuts for breakfast is a great treat too.

 Probably the biggest treat was going to see Blue Man Group.  Adults and kids alike loved this show.

 The girls had fun on the new musical see saws outside Navy Pier.

 This was their first time to visit the Museum of Science and Industry; it was a hit.

 The Lego creations were pretty cool!

 Relaxing at home, reading next to Grandma Jan, and playing with Taz.  That's a great day in Lily's book.

 A couple of the spectacular views from their home.

 I'll admit that I'm jealous when they have so much fun without me, but at the same time, I'm so thankful they made these memories!

Springtime Fun

We always have such a blast with our friends, the Smiths, and we have absolutely loved getting to know their neighbors as well.  This is such a sweet family, and they are going to be missed as a job change is making them leave Atlanta.

 Eliza is such a sweetheart.

 Happy 1st birthday to our nephew Liam!  Ryan and the girls went over to celebrate this milestone.  Unfortunately, it was a Saturday near the end of March so I had to stay behind and work.

 Liz was excited to have all her grandkids around!

 This was a precious treat to find when I came home late one evening.  Sweet girl.

 We were so proud that Mia made it into the school-wide poetry bee, and Lily made her this encouraging sign on our whiteboard.  She recited "The Crocodile's Toothache" by Shel Silverstein.  Even though she didn't win, she did a great job and represented 2nd grade well!

 Lily loves having Decker around.

 Ryan was beyond excited to get tickets to the first regular season Braves game at the new SunTrust Park.  He and Brian got great tickets, went down early to explore the park and the Battery, and to take it all in.

 Lily and her friends, Elizabeth and Emory, participated in the school's Science Fair last week.  They showed different leaf skeletons, had kids color and trace the leaf skeletons, asked trivia questions, and handed out stickers.  They loved their matching shirts that Mrs. McKeeby made, and they had a lot of fun!

 Mia started playing Upward Softball this season, and she's loving it.  She's on the Lady Mets team.  In the last game, she was awarded the defensive team member star for outstanding work in the field.

 She's gotten a few hits too and some RBIs.  She's a natural little athlete, so it's fun to watch her play.

 After one game, it was a lovely evening, so the girls and Decker had fun playing in our yard sprinklers.  Fun times!

 On the first Sunday of Spring Break, I took the girls down to the Marriott Marquis for some girl time.  We had a blast!  We swam for a couple of hours, ordered room service, and watched a movie.  I may have them let them jump between the beds in order to perform an acrobat show, and then they runway walk down the hallway to get the energy out before bed.  I love spending time with these precious girls who are growing up way faster than I want them to!

This Spring has treated us well!