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What started out as a site to update on our daughter's cancer has thankfully grown into a site to update on our beautiful family of four. Enjoy our journey...

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I have a few days worth of stuff to talk about, so I will hit Easter last :-)

On Friday Charli and I went out to the farm to watch the girls while Rachelle was at the dentist. After a little nap (Charli...Ryen is too big to nap she told me!!) and Grandma got home they decorated eggs together!! Later in the afternoon Colton came over for an Easter Egg hunt with grandpa and everyone had a good time!!

On Saturday we went to visit the Busselman's in Lindsay for some more egg decorating and just "hanging out"! Charli wasn't "into" the eggs much this year. She was good with them, but not that excited about the process, but I bet next year will be different! I think all in all she did nearly 5 dozen eggs...so I guess the novelty does dwindle!! After supper Uncle Brad wanted to take Charli to see the firetruck! You will see pictures from that! Although, once they got in the truck and took a drive she seemed more interested in a slide they drove by...but rest assured Uncle Brad - she is STILL talking about the fire truck and how it says "whoop-whoop" and she pumps her arm up and down like she is pulling the horn herself!

Charli woke up to find eggs leading her into the living room and to a great-big basket of Easter Bunny goodies! She enjoyed finding the eggs, but wanted to put all the real eggs inside the plastic eggs...and some just wouldn't fit! We left for church, which Charli was great for, and Charli got to see lots of little friends there! Many of the daycare kiddos go to the same church! One of her daycare friends even came to get her for the children's story and helped her find an egg with jelly beans in it!! She did a great job in church.

When we got home we discovered the Easter Bunny came to our house AGAIN! He left eggs in our front yard while we were in church, Charli was so surprised and excited to find that "each one has candy too mommy"!

The church message was great, I always know that when I tear up in church, I get it. Our pastor talked about writing our own ending to things, and how we have to have faith that God always wins. In his message, because his wife was recently diagnosed with cancer, he said "there may even come a time when you visit your doctor and hear that the scans show irregular results". Of course that hit home to me. He followed that up by saying, but when you write your own ending in your heart, you know that even that doesn't mean it is the end. God allows us to write our own endings in our heart, making each "downfall" a simple new opportunity for goodness in our lives. I looked at Charli reading her Dora book and snacking on the jelly beans from his children's sermon, and I "got it". I knew the exact thing he was talking about. No matter what devastating news we get, and no matter how hopeless we may feel at times - we MUST have faith that God is allowing us ANOTHER opportunity to write our ending. Hearing your daughter has cancer, a cancer that for some has no cure, seems pretty daunting one would think. But, although I had my moments - I don't ever remember thinking "this is it, my life is over". Don't get me wrong, I had days where I didn't know what would happen...but never did I think God abandoned me, Charli, or my family. In fact, I knew it was our opportunity to do 'something' wrapped up in this tumor. It was because I had already written our ending in my heart that I knew no matter WHAT life throws at me...we will all be okay, because behind everything is God - and he will never forsake.

I don't know how any of you have your ending written, but I think now is a great time to reflect upon it! We hope everyone had a blessed Easter and that they blessings continue to show throughout the year.



checking out her goodies...she spotted the chapstick right away of course!

putting her chapstick in her matching purse! (she wanted to take her picture in her timeout chair...which I am happy to say I can't remember the last time I used)

mmm, watermelon chapstick!


DORA EASTER BOOK!!



she said to me "mommy - remember when I ripped this off the wall mommy?"! YES Charli, I remember :-( grrr!!!!




do you think she is obsessed with chapstick?!


working the climbing wall!



three happy little campers!!



I think one was just as excited as the other!



she is so posed with her dad...cut me out and it would be a cute shot of the two of them!!




I found one grandpa...!



GOT IT!!


when Charli's hair catches up to Maceys - no one will ever believe that she is almost a year older!



it's blue!


Charli waited so patiently!


girls just wanna have fun :-)


this is trouble!!!!

9 comments:

Sheila Ferrell said...

I have to share that when you saw the picture of the ripped wallpaper I had to thank God. I thank Him because Charli is here on this Earth being a normal little girl. That ripped wallpaper is more priceless than any work of art that I have ever seen. I pray that you do not replace it for a long time...it is just perfect.
I wish when my boys were little that I realized their crayon artwork on the wall was truly beautiful.
Please pray for my cousin's 4 year old, Colin, who begins chemo/radiation treatment tomorrow for soft tissue sarcoma around his right knee.
Thank you and God bless you beautiful Charli Ann. It is because of you and the sharing of your journey that I can be a stronger support to my cousin and his family.
Love, hugs and Easter bunny kisses from South Texas, Sheila

Anonymous said...

What a great weekend! Looks like Charli really enjoys chapstick! How cute!! She should go through my purse someday...I normally have about six in there at any given time myself! ;) Sounds like today's sermon was a good one with a lot of meaning. Thank you very much for posting and sharing. Hugs and EXCITED to see you in May!
-Courtney

The Wiechman's said...

LOVE the last photo! That will be one for later use :) Glad to hear you had a nice Easter!

The Hudcaps said...

Brenda, The sermon spoke to our hearts as well. It was the perfect message. I thought of you guys as well with that message. Even though the ending has been written for some and not the ending I would have chosen does not mean that I can't write a different chapter on my heart.
I always marvel at Charli when I see her. We don't spend much time with her but it doens't take but two seconds to know God blessed this world with her presence so she can remind us of his grace.
I always love watching Chad light up. You can always see the pride ooz from him when they are around or in the pics you post. God Bless.

The Hudcaps said...

By the way. I loved her dress. I love that color.

Anonymous said...

What fun those three little girls had decorating eggs and finding them again.........I couldn't love them more!!!

G-ma B

Natalie said...

I too found myself crying in church, listening to close to the same message you received...I know in my heart God's plan will be shown to us shortly, and even if it isn't the plan we have for ourselves, we have so much to be thankful for! Such as good friends like yourself! :)

Charli's obsession with chapstick reminds me of someone else's obsession with hand sanitizer! Ha!

Grma and Grmpa Preister said...

What a wonderful message, Brenda. It looks like you had a very full Easter weekend. The pictures are wonderful, too. We love you all so much! XXOOPP

Anonymous said...

I think Andrew was glad that you came down....the pictures are great!!It is wonderful that a college goes that...