Easter Fun

Last weekend was Easter.  We went to Wichita Botanica for the first time because we had some tickets to use.... The Easter Bunny was there along with lots of girls dressed as fairies handing out eggs.  Not much was blooming yet, and all fountain and water areas were either turned off or not filled yet.  It would be interesting to go back, maybe in May, to see the difference a month or two makes in the appearance.  The girls liked looking around and climbing on the big fake tree area there.

At church on Sunday we enjoyed a large breakfast potluck, a little egg hunt and a fantastic Easter church service - filled with people in our congregation's testimonies about how God has worked and is working in their lives.

Getting ready for the kid's egg hunt...

Our family

After church we headed North to my cousin Josh's house for a Hastings family Easter gathering.

We cooked out, threw some Frisbees, played the annual wiffleball game, visited, had an egg hunt, and did some barn work, and got a little dirty.

Frisbee Golf....

Wiffleball....

Pictured left to right: Jess, Drew, Wyonna, Stacee, Silas, Phoebe, Eric, Sarah, Dale, Jackson, Jan, Johannah, Camryn, and Josh.  (not pictured, but actually taking the pictures: Charles and Beki)

Cute kids!

Easter egg hunting....

Another generation of Hastings kid egg hunters....

Josh, Eric, and Dale did some barn work.... The rest of us watched and took pictures of them working, and occasionally said, "Be Careful!"

We got home that night around 9pm.  We had an Easter bucket with some surprises in it for each one of our kids from us... Sarah and Silas were still awake to look in their buckets.  Phoebe was just too tired and would not wake-up.  She was happy to look in her bucket the next morning.

I hope you had a nice Easter.  Remember God is with you.  ALWAYS.  You may or may not want him to be, or you have yet to realize and know God, and know his love for you is constant.  But, my friends, he is not going to leave.  He has been with you always and will be with you always.  And, he is a good God.  Turn to him.  Put your trust in him and BELIEVE.

March Schoolwork

Sarah's handwriting and reading have improved tremendously in the last month! She likes to write stories and make books when she is at home.  She has written several... one about getting a check-up, one about the fruits of the spirit, one about going swimming and another about rainbows dancing.

At school she continues to do very well!  She enjoys being with her friends and learning.

Her drawing skills amaze me.  Below is a rainbow heart and a rainbow submarine.

Below are a couple of pictures that she painted at school.

Her class has been working on simple addition, time, counting by 5's and 10's, and number recognition.  She surprised Eric and I a few weeks ago by recognizing and reading numbers in the 100's, 200's and 300's!  Often times she will ask me what does __+__ equal?  (asking me over and over with different numbers filled in the blanks.)  She also likes to impress us by counting as high as she can.

Many times during indoor recess this month she choose to make pictures for Phoebe, Daddy, Silas and me.

Me:  It seems like you have had a lot of days off from school this month due to snow and Spring Break... What did you do over your Spring Break?
Sarah: "Go'd to Emporia. We went to the chocolate shop, and swimming, and watched basketball."

Me:  What is something that you want to learn or get better at before Kindergarten is over?

Sarah: "Counting to 100, reading books"

Writing Her Name

Phoebe can write her own name!  She started doing this about two weeks ago... I give her verbal cues and sometimes show her what the letters look like... but she can hold the crayon or pencil and write all of the letters in her name unassisted! 

The top PHOEBE I wrote.  The bottom PHOEBE she wrote!

Moving Together

I am captaining our "Go For Gloria" Walk Ms team again this year in honor of my Mom, Gloria Hastings.  She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about three years ago.  Since being diagnosed my mom has taken medicine to help keep the MS symptoms controlled.  Currently, she is taking Copaxone nightly by injections.  She also takes other medications which help manage her symptoms of MS.

Stacee, Sarah, Phoebe, and Gloria before Walk MS 2012

The Emporia MS Walk will be held on April 20th this year.  We have had several people register online and join our team already.  I welcome anyone else who would like to show your support for my mom to join our team.  Help us promote MS awareness by participating with us!  Click on the following link and you will be directed to our "Go For Gloria" team page.  Once there click on the orange tab on the right side of your screen that says "JOIN OUR TEAM".    "GO FOR GLORIA" TEAM PAGE link

MS interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms vary from person to person. One person may experience fatigue and numbness, while another may experience dizziness and have loss of balance.  Local Walk MS events are connecting communities to end MS forever. This event raises critical funds to support local programs and cutting-edge research. Your participation puts us closer to realizing our promise to STOP MS in its tracks, RESTORE lost function and END MS forever. Ending MS means no one will receive an MS diagnosis again. Every step counts. Every dollar helps. Every connection matters.

If you cannot join us the day of the walk, please make a donation! Any amount, great or small, helps make a difference in the lives of people living with MS.  Click on the following link and you will be directed to our "Go For Gloria" team page.  Once there click on the orange tab on the right side of your screen that says "DONATE TO GO FOR GLORIA"  "GO FOR GLORIA" TEAM PAGE link

Not only does your donation bring our team closer to our fundraising goal, it supports critical funds to support local programs and cutting-edge research. Your donation puts us closer to realizing our promise to STOP MS in its tracks, RESTORE lost function and END MS forever. Ending MS means no one will receive an MS diagnosis again. Every step counts. Every dollar helps. Every connection matters

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or contact the National MS Society at nationalmssociety.org.  On behalf of my Mom, my family, and all those affected by Multiple Sclerosis, THANK YOU!  We appreciate your support.

Our Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday Dear Sarah!  Wow, this cutie is 6!  Time has sure gone by fast these past 6 years....  What a blessing this little girl has been to me and everyone around her from day one.  She smiled at one month and hasn't stopped since.  She was God's blessing to Eric and I when we needed happiness the most.  Thank you, God, for this ray of sunshine in our lives!

I made the kids pose for a few birthday pictures....

Opening presents from us... She was excited to get a couple more Brave presents from us and Silas, and a Rapunzel ~ Tangled present from Phoebe.

New Spring shirts.  She likes frogs and butterflies so these were perfect for her.

And, here it is... Her new BIG bike!  She was so excited to get this and to take it outside and try it out!!!  She wanted to ride it around the basement, but Eric thought that was not such a good idea.

She took right off on it, going fast, and... riding it like she had been riding it for years... with minimal wobbling.

That night Eric made some ice cream sundae cookie supremes for a treat and she blew out the candle!  We hope you had a fantastic 6th birthday sweet Sarah Jo.  We love you so so much!