Easter 2012

This is how we started our Easter morning, oatmeal in coffee cups. A trick I learned from my mom. She used coffee cups as bowls for everything from cereal to soup.
Thomas and Natalie were part of the set up crew for their church's  9:30am outdoor celebration so Ella and Sami spent the night with us and we decided to meet them at their service.

The best way to get Lily Bean's hair done.

Papa helped get Sami's tights on. They all hate tights.

You would think three adults wouldn't have any trouble getting themselves and 4 kids ready by 9am.

You wouldn't think.

They all thought they looked pretty good. The girls twirling and Jack with his "flat" hat. They are standing on our bed to look at themselves in the mirror.

Lily tried to help Sami put her shoes on but amazingly Sami didn't want any help.

Jack didn't need any help with his shoes.

Aren't they the cutest kids!

We got the girls matching dresses from E Bay like last year. They loved them and got plenty of compliments. We got Piper one too but they didn't go to church with us.

This was the alter of our church that morning. Natalie enjoyed the warmth, she was part of the music team and did a great job.
She has a beautiful voice.

The middle of the service was an egg hunt for the kids. There were 12 numbered eggs among them that Pastor Stan had placed items in to help the kids retell the story of Christ's death and resurrection during his homily. It was the best Easter service I have ever attended.

SAMI

JACK

LILY

SISTERS

We enjoy watching them so much. Sometimes my heart swells so much it hurts.

Pastor Stan does such a great job of including the kids (and doesn't he look just like Tim!)

Our seats at "church" Thanks Ripleigh

Love her new hair cut! Tom & I took her on Saturday. I started freaking out when she was cutting the back VERY short and realizing she has a cow lick. It is cute though, just need a quick curling iron in the morning.

Look at our two little men in their seersucker and newsboy hats. ADORABLE

Wyatt looks like such a baby here LOL

We decided to go to a local restaurant with a buffet this year. Jennifer "does" Easter every year and with her living with us we wanted to do something a little more special than eating at Gram's & Pops' house. Charlie & Michele went to her family's church so they met us at the restaurant (the same place we had their rehearsal dinner 5 years ago last month) I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Wyatt & Piper together in their Easter best.

The staff was so nice, taking our picture and treating us like we were at home.They even had the Easter Bunny walking around.

The buffet was great and the Mimosa didn't hurt either.

Michele decided against Piper wearing her matching dress but she is adorable in her pink sailor outfit.

"Look Grams pretty stickers"

Papa and Piper shared a lot of their lunch.

COUSINS!

Wyatt eating 'like a dog'. Where were his parents?

It was so relaxing just being able to sit around. The kids were great.

Tom so enjoys when the babies sit with him.

Piper wanted to be like the big kids so I let her eat my rice pudding when we were all done.

Since we didn't get a good "before" picture of all six we thought we'd give an "after" picture a shot. . . .

not much luck, Natalie had to jump in the picture . . .

Stay tuned I have matching outfits for Mother's Day too.

Look Jack, Uncle Tommy & Wyatt had a "flat" hat too

Charlie really adores these kiddos

Handsome Jack

Lily didn't like that bunny but she knew there was candy in those eggs.

They loved the Silly String even though they could not quite push the button one handed. I hate to think what they'll be like when the get the hang of it.

Daddy loved hearing them run around screaming.

He is a HUGE instigator when he is here. We felt you in spirit, Shawn.

We moved to a townhome with it's low maintenance.
 Our back yard is 60ft. x 20ft.

 Who says you need a big yard to have fun? You just need a lot of STUFF.

We actually bought this Bouncy House for Lily for her first birthday from WalMart.com. We've gotten quite a bit of use out of it in the past year, even lending it to the neighbors.

ELLA

Another egg hunt! I think Jen helped the Easter Bunny hide EIGHT dozen in our little yard.

SAMI

The girls love Aunt Natalie

We got this $100 Roller Coaster for Jack's first birthday and it was well worth the cost.

They all love it!

Winding down, I love it when they're like this.

We had ham sandwiches for dinner.

Jack got to eat on the couch since he was out on a walk with Papa when the rest of them ate.

Tom does much better one on one so he took each one on a walk in the wagon.

CHRIST HAS RISEN, CHRIST HAS RISEN INDEED!

Friday April 13th 1984

Today is Friday April 13th, on Friday April 13th 1984 it was the week before Easter and we were living in a small farmhouse in Fulda, Germany.  Tom had been in the Army for just about two years and I had just found out I was pregnant with our third child.
We had been in Germany for a few months and had made fast friends of other Army families. Even though we were young ourselves, just each  24 with a 5 year old and 3 year old, we felt older so when one of the younger families (he was 21 and she was 19) with two daughters 2 years and 2 months old had to put their older daughter in the hospital overnight we gladly volunteered to keep their baby overnight.
We hopped in our VW bug and drove into Post to pick her up, stopping on the way out for a rare meal out, forgetting it was a Friday in lent and eating the forbidden meat. We joked on the way home that something bad was going to happen  to us being Friday the 13th AND eating meat. I wish we were wrong.

We enjoyed having baby Cindi with us. She was a bit fussy so I rocked her to sleep but when she didn't stay asleep I thought maybe she was cold in our bedroom since the farmhouse had no heat upstairs. Next, in hindsight I made so many mistakes.  I put an extra blanket sleeper on her (overheating her) then I put her in on her STOMACH in her Moses Basket (poor air circulation, please don't use bumper pads) then put her basket on the kitchen table where it was warm.
She seemed comfortable. Although it seemed a short while latter when she started to cry. I waited a couple of minutes and she stopped so I went back to sleep. I woke up at 7am and realized she hadn't gotten up for her bottle. I woke Tom up in a panic and he ran down the steps to check on her. It had to have just taken seconds but it seemed like hours waiting for him to yell up she was ok. He didn't. Instead I heard him screaming in panic Oh My God, she's dead!!!
He drove to the Post hospital in a fraction of the time it should take, tearing through the front gate without stopping causing the MP's to follow in pursuit to the ER where she was pronounced dead.

Cindi   Feb.4-April 14

Tom and I have never shared our grief with each other. We carry blame. Her parents, Harry & Pam, were supportive of us, feeling bad that we had to live through this. Pam was raised by her grandparents and her grandfather had recently died. She felt God took Cindi to keep her grandfather company but He knew Pam couldn't handle it happening in their home. The Army sent them home on compassionate reassignment. They went on to have two sons and for years we kept in touch with them. We haven't heard from them in a long time but have heard that she left Harry and the kids. No happy ending.