Monday, April 21, 2014

Easter Sunday 2014








Happy Resurrection Day!!!!  Easter was this past Sunday and it was really the year that Hensley understood what Easter was about, the religious side and the commercial side. He learned so much at school and church this year about why we REALLY celebrate this amazing day and he really understood the story and told so many other people about the true meaning of this holiday. He was also OBSESSED this year with Easter eggs and hiding them over and over and over again!

We did a lot of fun stuff this year leading up to Easter. There were several Easter eggs hunts, a trip to visit the Easter bunny and a lot of memories made. Here goes :

One of the first events we had was an Easter egg hunt at Hensley's preschool. It's an annual tradition and one of many that I will miss dearly next year. This year Hensley's goal was to find the one gold or sliver egg hidden in order to get an extra surprise. We were fast and we looked high and low but ultimately some else found it. He wasn't phased he was far too busy going through the TON of eggs he did find.

It was wear purple to school day....the only thing he owned was this hat! HAHA!
HUNTING!

The Haul :)


 My boy is getting so big. 





We hit up Chick-fil-a for lunch after with our friends Gabe and Amanda. It was an absolutly beautiful spring day. 



Spring finally came to stay around here and we have been spending as much time as possible outside. Hensley received a new bike for his birthday from his Granny and Pawpaw and one evening I looked out to discover him already "working" on it. :) 



We also spent a weekend updating our front yard. Hensley was a huge help as you can see but the end result was amazing!!






Next up was an egg hunt and resurrection trail at our church. We invited some of our friends and it was a great time :) 






The resurrection trail was 12 tables set up with a person at each station. Each child received an egg at each station with an item inside to symbolize a part of the Easter story in the Bible. They were also read the verse that corresponded with that item.  It was a very neat way to teach the children more aspects of the real meaning of Easter. 

We made crafts as well and played a game of soccer and lastly we had the big egg hunt. There were prizes for the most eggs found and ...... Hensley won!! He had a total of 106!!!
I would say there would be no shortage of Easter candy this year at our house!!


We had amazing grand plans the Saturday before Easter to go to Lazy 5 ranch and have a glorious day and hunt eggs dropped by a helicopter but.....it rained all stinking day!!!! 

SO.....we visited the Easter bunny, grabbed lunch, hit up the bounce house and came home to dye Easter eggs with our friends ;) 















We did not let the rain ruin our fun day :)


Finally it was Easter Sunday. The Easter bunny had clearly been busy the night before! Hensley had a ton of stuff to look at and open. He was absolutely adorable on Easter morning. We raided the Easter baskets, ate breakfast and did a quick Easter egg hunt and a little photo shoot before we were off to church :) 



We left carrots out for the Easter bunny. 
He ate all Hensley's carrots and left him a little note :) 








  









Happy Easter! Remember to not only teach your children about the real reason for this holiday but to also remember it yourselves. :) 


Friday, April 11, 2014

Yearly Letter to Hensley (age 5)


My Beautiful Hensley:

Your 5th birthday is here and I can’t believe how fast our time with you has flown by. In one sense it seems like yesterday that you entered our lives and on the other hand I can’t remember what life without you was like. I write you these letters every year and I hope one day when you are older and look back on them you’ll remember just how much joy and love you brought to our lives. This was the year that you really outgrew a lot of your “baby traits”. You just seemed more grown up this year. No more little baby fat rolls, less clinging to a favorite toy (a very constant trait of yours since birth), and a more independent attitude. Luckily for me you still are mommy’s little boy and still love to cuddle and recently went through a phase where you would tell me 100 times a day that you loved me and give me lots of hugs for no reason at all. You will still crawl up in my lap and just snuggle, you still call us mommy and daddy (I don’t look forward to the day you start calling us “mom” and “dad”).

You are still a crier. You have always been “emotional” and cry when something bothers you or your feelings get hurt. You still spend nights curled up between daddy and I and you still insist on holding both our hands while you fall asleep and every single night before you fall asleep you ask me the same question, “Will you hold me?”, to which I always respond, “Always”.  You are obsessed with writing and knowing how to spell things. Your letters and writing skills are so great for your age! You are an incredibly bright and smart little boy who makes everyone smile and brings joy to so many people.

Your days are spent with preschool fun in the mornings and afternoon play time with Nate. You guys love playing in the woods and climbing trees, riding bikes, and jumping on the trampoline. He has been your best buddy for almost two years now and it’s awesome to watch you guys share so many memories. This year you met a new friend, Gavin Williams. He is the son of our friends Emily and Chad and you boys clicked the instant you met! You bond over video games and super hero's. The two of you can play for hours on end and never get enough of each other. He has brought so much fun to our lives and we are so thankful for your friendships. Your dad and I want you to always be surrounded by amazing people and good friends who love you and lift you up to be the best you can be always. Even though you are still so young we feel like you have a great foundation of friends and people in your life.

You take after your dad with your love for animals and your big heart. You are a very compassionate little boy and you are always asking questions and wanting to learn more. Our hearts are full because we have you. Our days have so much fun and laughter in them because you are here with us. You entertain us and love us with your whole heart. There are many times where you will just randomly say “Mom, I just love everyone in the whole town!” You talk about GOD a lot and ask a lot of questions. You pray every night and are always thanking GOD for the things you have and the people in your life. It fills my heart so so much to here you talk to GOD and see the love and belief you have for him.

This coming year will bring a big accomplishment and a big stepping stone for you. Preschool graduation is in a few short months and Fall will bring a whole new chapter with Kindergarten. We are currently praying hard that you get accepted to one of the several charter schools we applied to and we know GOD will lead us to the right place for you to grow and learn. We are so thankful to be your parents and we are so excited to continue to watch you grow and develop into the amazing person we know you are. The light that surrounds you is incredible and how we got so lucky to have you in our lives we will never know. GOD truly blessed us.

Our prayers for you are to be a man of GOD. To be strong. To be compassionate. To be giving and loving. To be smart and to be happy and content in whatever you do.


Love you to the moon and back,
Mommy and Daddy
2014



Let him sleep, for when he wakes he will move mountains.