remembrance.

each year, easter week is filled with remembrance, mourning, celebration, and thanksgiving. this year, ours was more so than ever. we remembered jesus' life, death, and resurrection, certainly. we carried on many traditions for kj's sake, certainly. we counted our blessings as we gathered with family, certainly.

but on top of all this, we added an opportunity to spend final, precious hours with nj's aunt. and as we eventually mourned her death on sunday afternoon, we also celebrated the goodness of her life, we marveled at what she had overcome in her life, and we gave great thanks for her life and the many she touched. we will continue this remembrance this week and in the many weeks to come.

we are so thankful for the legacy that she has left in the family and friends that were changed by her kindness. thank you, sh, for sharing your life with us. we will miss you, certainly.

odd.

an oddity occurred in duluth today. it wasn't the snow. no, that seems to be the norm this spring. it was finding the first mosquito of the season poking at the inside of our dining room window, while snow fell outside that very same window. what?!? now minnesota has really thrown me for a loop. what season is it exactly? oy.

pruny.

this afternoon, kj came prancing inside and i discovered that her fingers had become quite the pruny sight! that's what two hours of playing in a tub of water will do for you, i guess. yes, it was that warm here in the northland! almost reached 70deg with sunshine all the way. hurray for spring! and hurray for playing on the deck in short-sleeves with scoop-and-dump-and-do-it-again watery entertainment. summer, you are welcome any day.

newness.

there is something about the newness of life that must be celebrated. he is risen! he is risen indeed!
so let's party! in pine river, mn... ;)

so fun to see kj experiencing easter anew this year. with lovely enough weather for a trip to the lake (must throw rocks! and why not get your feet wet while you're at it??), courageous enough pastor to introduce live baby chicks at the children's message, lively enough nanna & poppa for dancing to the tennessee waltz, brave enough mommy for allowing a one year old to dye eggs, and patient enough uncle o & aunt c for waiting through kj's practice of opening every single egg on the spot as she hunted them (there was treasure inside, so why not?). may we always remember the beauty of new life.

rockrockrock.

can't you just hear kj's narration as you browse through these photos? rock rock rock... book! a..b..c.. aminal... all done! rock rock rock...

potty.

we have begun incorporating "the potty" into our normal everyday conversation with kj. it's now one of her many words that likely only her parents can understand. but it's more than just a word. she knows where this thing resides. she practices sitting on it. she talks about it more appropriately than you'd probably like to read about on this blog. and occasionally, she finds an uber-creative use for it. just one instance i caught on my camera-- it had become a pot for making tomato soup. yikes. guess we'll need to continue chatting and learning about the potty.

storage.

most people probably try not to show this part of their house, but as it's brand new, i'm still kinda proud of it. after replacing & relocating the furnace & hot-water heater a few months ago, nj designed & installed a more efficient use of the space in our utility room... increased storage (and it looks like we needed it, eh?)! aahh!