Easter is upon us

We are all ready for Easter around our house -- even my tulips decided to FINALLY bloom on Saturday!

Below is just one of the 100 bulbs I planted in the front bed -- LOVE THEM!!

It's amazing what God creates out of a very not pretty "rock looking" bulb!

Here is a little recap of our Sunday (kinda long post -- sorry).

So, yesterday was Palm Sunday and the BBs walked into church waving their Palm branches so angelically! I thought everything was going smoothly until Reed spotted Rob who was in the back of the church because he was an usher. Reed ran over to him to give him a hug and Rob then told him he better go on down to the front with all the other children. Well, Reed did not like that one bit and proceeded to cry all the way down the aisle -- and when I mean cry, I mean SOB. We were almost to the end and ran back to the back to Rob saying, "Daaaddyyy." After the older kids sang a song, he must have decided it would be okay to back down for children's church. The children's sermon  was about Easter and Reed whispered to me, "JESUS DIED!?!?!?!" {They had already discussed this at preschool}. So I reminded him that "yes, he did die but he rose from the dead, remember, to save us from our sins?" "That's right mommy..." Pretty cute conversation in the middle of children's church.

So I get Luke to the nursery and I'm back to my seat just in time for the sermon when Laura whispers in my ear  that Luke was hysterical in the nursery. Went down and they said he had been screaming for "Ree, Mama, Da-dee." (he says "da-dee" kinda like Auntie Em when she is looking for Dorothy during the tornado scene in The Wizard of Oz, and just about that loud!! Da--Dee). He was NOT HAVING the nursery today, so we went back up to the back of the sanctuary where I thought he might would sit in my lap and let me listen. Not having that either. He kept screaming through his paci "um, Ree, um, Ree" -- so against my better judgement, I went into "big" church with the little one. He saw his brother and da-dee and finally no crying. It went OKAY, other than Luke yelling "nandy" -- Luke lang for candy -- then Reed did not want to share the "nandy" -- typical. SO after several mini-meltdowns in the middle of the sermon, I did (God does perform miracles every day, and this was one) manage to get three key verses out of the sermon. This is them:

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

I tried to write something about this verse, but Paul puts it so simply, yet so much is being said -- I absolutely LOVE this verse. And like I said in an earlier post, I'm a music girl, and this verse was the inspiration for this song, Forgiven and Loved, by Jimmy Needham

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our sins; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isiah 53:5

Listen this very verse in this song by Mac Powell (and others) of Third Day -- By His Wounds

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

WOW -- what Jesus did that day on the cross is out of this world, and as Bro. Mike said, "very hard to wrap your mind around" -- and we won't until we get to heaven. But while here in our earthly lives, the great part is, we don't have to -- Jesus died to take away our sins and that's all we have to know! The more I read and re-read this verse, it is so hard to grasp but there is a peace about it brought only by God's grace.
Another thing I did hear Bro. Mike say (during our candy "situation") was that when Jesus praying in the garden and asked God to "take this cup from me" he was probably not only thinking about the physical pain of the cross, but the mental pain (think about all the sins running through His mind from over the span of time--this is also very hard to wrap your mind around) that He would go through on the cross as he bore all of not only my sin, but all of humanity.

This week I am really going to focus on Easter -- to be thankful for salvation and all the blessings I receive each day!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all Creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

oh -- and here are a few pics of the BBs after their nap yesterday afternoon

Luke has taken to sleeping with this bunny that is bigger than he is (told y'all we were ready for Easter)

Reed has also added a rabbit to the multitude of stuffed animals he calls "my people" that he sleeps with