Attack of the Easter Bunny

A negative reference to the Easter bunny in one of Scott's sermons prompted an "attack" on his office this past weekend. On Monday the kids went to church to document the scene and help with the clean up...

Kam found a little bowling-type line up of bunnies on Scott's desk.

Streamers hung from all corners of the room.

There was a sweet candy bar bouquet on the mantle. (Scott claimed that this one needed to stay at church....Hmmm.)

My sweet-toothed child is loving this.

Some more of the carnage.

Free bunnies to good homes.

Troy found some candy in drawers.

Sheila surveys the loot.

Troy claimed this one.

Nick helps with the clean-up. (Maybe a sign of guilt?!)

Ahh! So sweet!

Let's just say Scott will be finding chocolate eggs and confetti for years to come. The fun continues...

Easter Celebration Cont.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with two families from our church this afternoon. After we ate way too much, the adults hid some eggs for the kids to find in the backyard. (Thankfully this year we did not have to deal with snow!) Here are some highlights.

Katie and little cutie, Violet.

Colton getting some help from his dad.

The Easter bunny? Oh no, it's Scott hiding eggs.

I think the look on Troy's face says it all!

Hunting for those precious eggs.

Success!

A Wonderful Service

Today was a pretty exciting day for our family. Not only did we have a great Easter service, but Kamryn made a public profession of her love for Jesus in our church this morning. Although none of our own family could be present, we felt surrounded and loved by our new church family, who shared in our excitement. There were several students who professed their faith, many not being raised in a Christian home. It was a blessing to hear so many diverse testimonies from these kids. We are so thankful for the family and friends scattered across North America who have been and will continue to be an important part of Kamryn's faith walk.

The whole group in front of church.

Kamryn being "interviewed" by Nick, our youth pastor. (I love her friend, Nico's, expression on the left.)

Kamryn sharing why she wants to profess her faith.

There were two baptisms by immersion.

Two of the girls were baptized by sprinkling.

This was right after the prayer on stage.

We're thankful for Nick and so many people who are a part of Kamryn's life and spiritual growth.

Celebrating Troy

Last week was Troy's "special week" in his classroom. We made a poster with pictures on it about Troy to start off the week. Since I always read to his class in the library, he agreed that it would be special to have Scott come in and read to the class. The book of choice was a Magic Tree House chapter book. After reading, Troy and Scott passed out popsicles to the kids outside. I had also made up a word search about Troy's favorite things for the kids to do in class during the week. Troy seemed to have a good week and it was fun to share in his first grade activities.

During Spring Break, Troy was able to have his friend, Trevor, stay overnight. In a rare moment, here they are laying still, watching a movie before bed.

The Sytsma's Come to Visit

We are so thankful that our friends, Jerry and Lynn, made a trip out to So. Cal. this weekend. It was so fun to catch up with them and show them around Redlands. We shared stories and meals and caught up on life. Thanks for your continued friendship!

Rachel Comes to Visit

One neat thing about this Spring Break was being able to see friends and family from out of state. Katie was super excited to see her good friend, Rachel, who was staying in Palm Springs for the week. She came out to Redlands for an evening and we enjoyed showing her around town. Unfortunately it was one of the rainy, chilly days we had this week. (Rachel still thought it felt better than Grand Rapids.) The girls had a great time together and spent good time catching up. We are thankful for continued friendships with people both near and far.

Day Trip

We are still enjoying a wonderful Spring Break here in So. Cal. Yesterday we met up with some GR friends in San Diego. It was a great day of catching up with the Erffmeyers and exploring the beautiful park. Did I mention it was about 80 degrees and sunny?

For some reason I couldn't get Katie to pose this way!

We took the Erffmeyers to see the Pacific while they were in CA. We found a great new spot to us too, in Oceanside.

A great ending to a wonderful day-In-n-Out for dinner!