good friday

We started the tradition last year of reading the Easter story from the Jesus Storybook Bible.  The Good Friday passage is entitlaed "the sun stops shining" and even though it's written for small children, it makes me cry.

 The best part of easter that the story doesn't end there:

He rose from the dead.  He is alive.

He is risen.  He is risen indeed!

I hope that you have a very special Easter weekend with people that you love, celebrating that we are loved by a living Savior!

Fashion according to Ryder and Eden Marie: Easter

Eden wanted to show you her Easter dress.  

She is very excited about it!

(Maybe I am too, just a little bit♥...)

Her little face just kills me!

Last year I don't even think that Eden was a month old at Easter so even though we had a very special dress, she pretty much just chilled in her baby carrier.

What a difference a year makes!

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Ryder will be dressing like Kit: plaid, short sleeve, button up shirt.

(Hey, if it's not broke, why fix it...♥)

Ryder loves doing ANYTHING like his dad!

He loves to look at it but has not been up to putting it on so that I could get a picture.  I will take what I can get around here♥.

Tonight we are planning to head to the OC fairgrounds to help set up for our Easter weekend.

Have a great day my friends!

Guess who's walking?

Is it:

a. Kit

b. Gina

c. Ryder

d. Eden Marie

e. all of the above

If you guessed e, then you would be getting a 100%!

Eden took her first unassisted step on Sunday, March 24, at 13 months old exactly!
We were all there to see it!
She now thinks she owns the place...
(These were taken the day after.  She looks so much older walking around!)

We are very proud!

birthday traditions (ok, a little late...)

We recently took Eden to paint her birthday plate, in celebration of her first birthday.  We had done the same thing with Ryder.

So last Friday we headed to Color Me Mine in Brea on Birch Street.

then we celebrated that we didn't break anything in the store by having lunch at Farrell's:

She's pretty expressive...

I wonder where she gets that?

We had some fun...  

I love when we are all together!

church at home

The kiddos have been sick, which means that we are pretty housebound, mainly for two reasons: 

1. the kids don't feel good so being out and about is not very fun for them and

2.  I don't want to get anyone else sick and we don't want them to get any worse.

All that to say, we were not able to go to church on Sunday due to runny noses.  Ryder LOVES his class and was so bummed that we weren't able to go.  So I tried to have a game plan.

The morning started pretty rough.  He found my turquoise ink pad and stamped himself, our kitchen floor and cabinets, and his clothes... all while I was going pee for less than a minute.  I was so frustrated!!!  So I called Kit, crying that I had so much to clean up.  He talked me down, and the morning proceeded as planned.  I felt the need to tell you because you will see the residual ink probably for the next few days... Sheesh!

 Okay, but then the morning got so much better.

We read the passage of Palm Sunday from Matthew 21 and John 12 in the Jesus Calling Storybook Bible.

I found a coloring page online to go with the story:

Ryder's take away of explaining the story:  

"Jesus rode a donkey while people said 'hi' with leaves, then he died and woke up."

Ryder, did he die for you?

"Sure."

Then we made our own palm branches using his handprints:

The whole activity kept us pretty busy for almost an hour.  We missed being with our friends and family at church and are hoping that we are completely healthy for next weekend!
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The highlight of our day:
When our friends Nick and Karen heard what a yucky morning we had had with Ryder and the ink and both of the kids being sick, they brought us dinner.  Seriously, they loved on us in such a HUGE way and just blessed us BIG time.
We love that they are in our lives.
How incredible to have friends and community like that!
We love you Benoits!  

Have a wonderful Monday!

Happy Sunday!

Hi friends!  Since today is the beginning of Holy Week, I wanted to send you an incredible devotion link that our friend Mark connected us with, though the ministry organization CRM (Church Resource Ministries). 

 Click here to sign up to get a daily devotional that prepares your heart for the celebration of Easter!

Have a very happy Sunday, my friends!
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Here is what we will be up to this Easter:
oceaster.com.

eating

Oh my goodness, I don't know if you feel this way, but with two Littles, I feel like the majority of my days are preparing, assisting Eden with eating, and cleaning up meals. I can sometimes get in the worst mood about it!  I'll think to myself, "I WAS JUST CLEANING THIS UP!"  Meal prep and clean up are also on my list where I can go into autopilot.  I go through the motions and then wonder why I smell like 409 ALL THE TIME...

Then they other day, as I went to get my stuff to clean up breakfast, I just looked at Eden enjoying her food.  She had eggs in both of her little hands and her chubby fingers were doing such a great job at precision in picking items up off of her tray.

I just sat there.  Looking at her.  Ryder had finished his breakfast and was running around making his sister laugh and being in an AMAZINGLY great mood.  I was overwhelmed by gratitude and thankfulness...  We have babies to feed!  We have the ability to provide food for our kids, to watch them never have to go without a meal.  Thankful they can use their hands and have the developmental ability to feed themselves, and to have little bodies that are able to take that food and produce nourishment and growth.  They are great eaters and, being an Italian mother, it makes me so happy to feed them!  I know that the monotony will ensue on some days, but I was so THANKFUL that the Lord gave me that moment to refocus my heart and my perspective! 

The Lord is so good and gracious!

Screen time (keeping it real...)

At the beginning of February, Kit and I realized that Ryder was really racking up lots of "screen time" between the iPad, iPhone, and tv/movies.  Now I want to say that we think there is nothing wrong with using technology and kids, we just weren't using it in moderation.  The problem I found was that in my "survival period", right after Eden was born, I felt like I couldn't entertain him at all so my first response was to give him one of the above devices or put a movie on.  Around thanksgiving, I think that I switched from "just-trying-to-survive-so-I-have-to-use-them", to "I-am-just-lazy-and-I-don't-want-to-plan-things-with-two-kiddos."  That transition was a really hard one for me to face, but I am SO THANKFUL that we did.   Over the last few months, we have dropped our screen time down to about 30-40 minutes a day and it has been awesome!  I feel better because there is more interaction and communication with Ryder, there is less battling of the wills over turning something off or giving it back.  We are outside more, we read more, and I feel like he is more tired at the end of the day.  It forces me to be more of a planner and that has been such a good thing for me in regards to motherhood and our daily activities.  I can get into such a rut!  We are thankful to be going in a better direction and I am so thankful for those of you that prayed for us as we parented Ryder during this specific transition.

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Now, don't get me wrong, we will have special movie nights, or matinees where we make popcorn and snacks and snuggle together but more on a weekly basis.  He will use my iPhone if we are waiting at the doctors office or in a long line at Costco, but it is very rare and he views it as such a treat rather than an entitlement.

Sister of my Heart!

Sister, you were my first friend, and now my best friend.  I am so thankful that I get the privilege of living life with you!  You are an amazing friend, wife, and mother...  You are unconditional with your love and I am so thankful that my kids have you as their auntie!  You are beautiful inside and out and there is still that little sister inside of me that wants to be just like you when I grow up!

Happy Birthday Cole!  I could not love you more!

And for posterity (And a good laugh...)

Have a wonderful day being Queen!

creating: planning a baby shower

My friend Angelina is having a baby boy in June and I am so honored to be throwing her a little celebration for she and baby Seth!

Here is a little teaser: 

We just can't wait to meet this little guy.  His big brother Micah is one of Ryder's best friends and we are excited to add Mr Seth to the mix♥!  

 (I love how Ryder wants Micah with him...)

(Seriously, they ask to play together and go to each other's houses and cry when they have to say good bye...)  I think it's because Ang and I were pregnant with them at the same time and LOVE hanging out together.  The connection was inevitable♥.