Easter in pastel

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Fr-amily

{184} happy 4th!

Let freedom ring!

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We're far from perfect but we have love. #FathersDay15

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Mom (I still can't believe I'm their mom!)

He Is Risen!

Happy Easter from the Bakers!

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"Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin..." Acts 13:39 

I stumbled across this verse today:  "There they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle." John 19:18

Revelation. Jesus in the middle. A truth that has escaped me all my life. 

The rest of the story:

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39 - 43

A lot of us have always known Jesus was hung on the cross between two criminals. What hit me today was the wording "in the middle, one on each side". Because Jesus is still in the middle. Each one of us is the first criminal, hurling insults and mocking and ignoring our own sin. But when we choose to believe Jesus is who he says he is...we become the last criminal, saved and promised paradise.

Those criminals could do nothing to rectify their behavior, they couldn't "fix" anything or earn their salvation, their time was up. All it took was to accept Jesus as the Messiah and believe him. That's how it is then, that's how it is now, that's how it will always be. I don't have to be clean and blameless to approach the cross, that's why Jesus is in the middle.

let's catch up

I don't know how this happened!

I always said "NEVER will we have a dog, and especially NOT in the house!"

Now we have this little guy...and he's with me 80% of the time!

And guess what?

I love him.

Hershel is the perfect little guy for our family!

He loves to lounge around and nap and snuggle...he fits right in!

We had so much time with family!

Even Mom and Dad were here for a while and we had our first Broyles family Christmas

in so long none of us could remember the last one!

We have a new baby girl, another on the way, and Kyle and Yuki got engaged!!

We are growing in size and in blessings.

Did I mention we have a new baby girl?!

Harlow Mae Lance was born on December 27, just after midnight!

She's sweet and precious and beautiful and we're all in love.

Harlow is Grandpa John's 8th great grandchild!!

We've had some snow...

but not nearly enough!!

We're still waiting for "the big one".

(please please please!!!)

We hope you had a very merry Christmas and a celebratory New Year's Eve!

Maybe I'll get back on the blogging train...

...maybe.

only a month late...

hey look! a new post!

No...I'm not a fail wife! He WANTED peanut butter chocolate chip cookies instead of a cake.

We had a great time celebrating our amazing daddy and husband.

He's a gift!!

An enderman and Steve...if you have no clue what I'm talking about,

click here. All three of our kids looooove Minecraft!

Halloween was freezing and raining but that didn't stop these two from filling their buckets!

I forced them all to dress nicely then I dragged them out for pictures.

They'll thank me when they're adults.

That's what I kept telling them as we tried to find the perfect spot in the freezing wind.

We REALLY wanted to use the beautiful area with the railroad track, but it was just too

windy and cold and the sun was too bright. I do love this picture I got of 

our handsome little man, though. :)

Stay tuned for more from this photo session...closer to Christmas!

These three though...

I rode down with Ashley for her hair appointment and some girl time with my BFF and sister.

Baby Lance is so close to her arrival!!!

We had Korie's first shower last Sunday, hosted by one of her clients in

her beautiful home. Korie and Baby were showered with love and gifts!

And Misti made the trek all the way from North Carolina, so fun!

{summer in a nutshell}

Whew...that went by too fast!

is anybody out there?

This past weekend, we got to visit with David & Misti and their girls for an afternoon.
David sweetly encouraged CHASTISED me for not updating the blog often anymore.
I wish I could tell you my reasons were virtuous...
...because I'm too busy volunteering all my time in my kids' classrooms...
...because I decided to go to college...
...because I've been traveling around the world, serving the needy...
Ahem.
No.
None of those things.
I have no reason! Except perhaps laziness!!
So please forgive me, and enjoy these excerpts from the past few months:

Spring decided to show up!!

Easter came and went...
Thank you Grandpa and Robin for the treats!!! The kids LOVED IT ALL!!!!
That last picture is a cookie Piper decorated to look like our babysitter, Elizabeth. hahaha!

This year, Piper's big ballet performance was the CAC School of Ballet's rendition of
"The Nutcracker", called "Clara's Magical Dream".
Piper was a peppermint.
The sweetest of all!
Yes, I am biased.

Mother's Day!
The top picture is the bag Piper decorated that held my Mother's Day present.
Notice she loves me...awww...
...but also that she is FARTING. Ahem.
On Mother's Day, we made the trek to Michigan to hunt for mushrooms.
While this was NOT my idea of the perfect Mother's Day,
(we just HAD to go THAT DAY or ALL the mushrooms would be GONE)
we all had fun and I enjoyed hiking through the woods with my little fam.

Randoms, from top to bottom:
1. Self-explanatory!
2. The last Friday of the school year.
3. Piper's class made a different recipe every Friday, then compiled them all into an adorable cookbook!
4. The first fire and s'mores night of the season.

Today is their LAST DAY of school!
We are very proud of them...they both worked hard this year.
They both made improvements.
They both learned new things.
But most importantly, we saw real spiritual growth in both of them.
THAT is a gift and blessing from above that this mama treasures in her heart forever.

Happy Easter!

...to you...from US!

He is risen!!

christmas leftovers

The kids received this North Pole Communicator in the mail before Christmas from my Grandpa and his wife Robin. 

They got to call the North Pole every night before bed and have a conversation with various North Pole residents...

even Santa and Mrs. Clause! 

This was so much fun and the kids LOVED it!

Soon after Jason and I got married, we began daydreaming and wishing and hoping and even praying for another couple to share life with. In our WILDEST and most hope-filled dreams, this couple would have children the same ages as our children and the children would all get along splendidly and love each other like siblings. 

We knew our dreams and hopes were unlikely to come true, but we did dream on. 

Then we got to know the Gerbers. This family is a gift from God to us!! All of our wildest dreams have come true and even some we never dared to dream! Our families are scattered all over the country, so the Bakers and Gerbers have become family to each other. It's wonderful and we are so grateful and we know we are blessed!! We got together before Christmas for what we hope will become an annual tradition. We had Ashley's Swedish Pancakes with bacon and sausage, we gave gifts, we played games, we laughed and laughed some more.

"WE ARE TIRED OF WAITING!!!!!!!"

(Christmas morning)

"Alright, alright...come open your presents!"

"Will this fit in my mouth?!"

This was our backyard last week!! The kids got to have a WHOLE extra week added to their Christmas break! It was absolutely perfectly wonderful. We enjoyed every single moment!!!! Today the snow is melting, I can see patches of brown earth being revealed by the dwindling snow piles. The kids are back to school and I am slowly getting back to normal.

Mack received this car-maker from Grandpa & Robin. It's so fun and really cool!! There are wax sticks that get melted into a mold and once it's cooled, he can customize his creation however he likes with stickers and various chassis'. 

We've all enjoyed this gift!