Easter
2014

And.....it is Easter Morning....

Can I please freeze these boys forEVER!

Yep, my five heart beats....each and every single day. SO thankful...so very, very thankful!

Ellie joined us for "big church" on Easter morning. 

We even have our hair parted the same way. Lol.
She couldn't look any more like me...Sorry Claire Bear, "it is what it is" ...
You gotta way more Momma Bear genes than Papa Bear. 

I love my crazy family.
Crazy...
and Complete.
Definitely. 

Beautiful friends...
Ellie has built friendships with some of the girls on her gymnastics team over the years that will last forever. These two girls right here are such special friends in our lives. True loving, and genuine friends. We are grateful to "do life" with them. 

"eating his ear"...
WHAT!?!

Oh my goodie goodie gumdrops....
I look at these three and still see them posing on our front porch at 1, 3 and 7 years old.
TIME IS PASSING by waaayyyyy to quickly. 

Oh my sweet Jenna. Loving on her Beck Beck...
Precious time together. 

Getting ready for a baseball game and egg hunting.
I know one thing for sure. The memories we make at Mamaw's house will always involve two things...
Yummy foods, and OUTSIDE playtime. 

JD ....
Officially obsessed with Baseball!

Claire and Camille and Jenna ENOING!

Goofball. She was turning herself upside down and spinning in this eno, like a cocoon!

Man and his dog.
NUFF SAID!

Mamaw and Papa..(and Lil Miss Paula Dean)...in the kitchen mixing up some crazy sweet crock pot treat.
Ellie called it "ooozing fudgey, chocolate lava crock pot cake"

Kids want candy for Easter, but Momma is super uber happy when they get Undies!

The Boys...OOOOooohhhh
Ready to take on --
Something???

Nana and Mr Howard watching the egg hunt....
weating to death..
all in the name of "watching grandkids play" Lol

Love this picture. 

Ellie making reese, cookie brownies for her teacher.
Somebody get this chick a gift certificate to the grocery store. She is always baking, making, creating some kind of delicacies in the kitchen.

Ending our Easter day with Resurrection rolls...

He IS RISEN
RISEN INDEED!!!!

And because Jesus defeated death...we do the same.
Through the blood we are washed and through His Resurrection we find LIFE!

Thank you Jesus Christ for your sacrifice!

Happy Easter!

Easter Celebration!

Jenna makes me SMILE! This was her "Easter egg" she designed all by herself. We have been singing John 13:34 all week. Today at church that was the same scripture we had been singing all week. She thought it was "really neat" how her teacher used that scripture in Sunday school today and we had been focusing on that particular one all week already. 

The Farm....in TN!!!

this picture doesn't justly indicate the over-joyed little boy standing beside the "Bunny"
I will always remember how incredibly thrilled James was to see the "Dressed up Bunny Lady"
Prior to this trip James had been dressing up like  a bunny for weeks. Lol

Ellie's best buddy....Nora!
This young lady is a beautiful friend for my Ellie Bug. They have a special friendship and we adore their family. Godly, loving, supportive friends just doing life together. 

We walked up a BIG ole hill and place a HUGE rock (represented our burdens) at the cross. It was super cool. We prayed. Worshiped. AT THE CROSS. I lovvvveeeed this part of our visit. 

Treasured memories for our family....

We had such a fun, sweet day celebrating Easter with special friends. This will definitely be one of the "family weekends" we will remember for many years to come. 

Thankful to the Wynn/Dawson family for inviting us. 

Happy 9th Birthday Ellie Bug!

Happy 9th Birthday

to our one and only...

"Ellie Bug"

Robust, rambunctious, really-really-really smart and talented;
Always searching for the fun in the 

Chowing down at Mt. FUGI..with her gymnastics teammates. 

Super special friendships right here. Ellie spends countless
 hours a a week with these sweet girls. They have such a bond together.

Gymnasts have MUSCLES...Lol.

Prepping for a handstand in the parking lot.

Sweet Frog! YUM!!!!

Ending the evening with a little gymnastics tumbling at a near by soccer field.


SO this sums up a great 9th birthday for Ellie Brooklyn Pate....

She is an amazing kiddo. We are so thankful for her uniqueness. Nobody could ever take her place or come close to filling her shoes. She is, and always has been, a kid who marches to her own beat. I think of a field of daffodils covering the ground and one tall, gorgeous purple lily standing broadly among the field of yellow....that is our Ellie!

We love you Ellie Bug and our family wouldn't be the same without you...

Jenna Boo! Happy Birthday to YOU!

Jenna Kat Turns 7 yrs old!!!
And yet again, I somehow blinked and my "baby girl" turned 7! I vividly remember the tiny details of the day of her birth. She loves to hear about the stories of when she was a baby. And I love to sit and reflect on those memories from time to time....it keeps them rich in my mind and refreshes my heart with the spirit of JENNA KATHRYN PATE...

Special cupcakes for her friends...she designed each of them. Found a few pics on pinterest, and then asked me to stop at the Shell station to get tic-tacs and Peeps, and sour straws....

Woke up to Mommy and a chocolate sprinkle doughnut... and a locket necklace and earrings. 

Went to yard sales together. Per her request....

Bath and Body Works.... for her birthday!

First kid in our family to request a "Cookie Cake" for the birthday party. She loved it. Designed it herself. 

Gas Station icee...RARELY happens because I don't like giving my kids this kind of junk. But on your birthday, most all normal family rules don't really apply. Lol!

And it is finally PARTY Time! 

@Legacy Gymnastics....

Daddy learning a back handspring...

So many precious friends came to celebrate with Jenna. Here is their silly face picture. 

Jenna had so much fun at her 7th birthday. She ended her party with a big ole kiss from Mrs. Bri....her gymnastics coach. But Bri is much more than just a coach to our family. She has been a part of our family for well over 5 years now. Our kids love her like family, and I am truly grateful for the positive impact she has in their lives.

So, Happy Birthday Jenna Kathryn Pate. You have blessed our lives immeasurably for the 7 years you have been on this Earth. The bazillion memories I have of you, from the moment you took your first breath, are undoubtedly PRICELESS. I treasure you. I thank God for you. You are one of a kind.