Happy Easter

~BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN AND HAVE BELIEVED~







I truly love every holiday when that time of year approaches and I love everything that Easter brings us!

This year we went to the Easter egg hunt our church has at Claiborne Park and that night we met at the church to dye eggs, eat pizza & popcorn, and watch a Veggie Tales movie about Easter!

The Russell house was so busy the week before Easter! Starting the Thursday before we took Addi & Ella on a date to see the movie Rio. Both of you girls loved the movie but my sweet Ella Jo fell asleep in mommy's lap before it ended. Alexa celebrated her long weekend by staying with a friend.



Ella Jo at the egg hunt I think you ate your
record in cookies!




Addi Grace you fell in love with this duck!
You have never met an animal you didn't love.



You were so proud of your rainbow face painting!
You felt like you were one of the "big girls"
with your sister.



Addi you are so blessed to have your friends
with you at school, dance, and church!
It is so much fun to watch you girls grow up together!
Addi~Lexi~Sofia



The egg hunt was so much fun! Addi Grace you jumped and played so much your little face turned red and Ella Jo you would jump and play for a few minutes before enjoying a cookie!! During the egg hunt it was so sweet to watch both of you! At first Addi was trying to pick only the pink or purple eggs but then gave in and grabbed all she could. Ella, it didn't matter to you what color you were picking as long as the eggs had candy in them!! I think you were one of the first children who hunted their 29 eggs!!!

For the first time we went to the church to dye our Easter eggs! We had so much fun with our friends! Each of you brought 12 eggs to dye and they turned out so pretty! Addi Grace, It was so sweet this year to watch you write your name or draw a picture on your eggs before dying them. You couldn't wait to show everyone the eggs that had your name on them! Ella, you preferred using your fingers instead of using the egg spoon to get the colored eggs out. It made your fingers so pretty and blue!!



The Easter bunny came and filled Addi & Ella's baskets.
Because Ella sleeps with Addi in Addi's room the
Easter bunny left their baskets in Addi's room so they
could see their baskets right when they woke up!





The Easter bunny stopped by Alexa's bed to fill her basket also!



While the little girls hunted eggs I had to put
this picture on the blog to show everyone
what our teenager was doing!!



Happy Easter~




















This Easter was so beautiful!
 I know as my angels grow each year they will understand more of what this celebration really stands for!
Thank you Jesus Christ for dying on the cross for my sins!
With all creation I sing, praise to the King of King's...
You are my everything and I will adore You~

Butterfly Fly Away

Happy Earth Day~ 
This year for Earth Day we went to Shangri La to celebrate by releasing butterflies!
The garden had 800 butterflies to release this year. They were shipped to the garden in this envelope where they have been waiting to be released for 48 hours! The instructor told us that when it was time to release them we had to all say "Happy Earth Day!" and then clap our hands to scare any birds away that might want to hurt the butterflies.
I had explained what we were going to do but I don't think either of you fully understood till it happened! Addi Grace you were so eager to open your envelope! Mommy was so proud how you waited so patiently even though it was a very hot day! Ella Jo I think you were getting tired of the waiting and just wanted your daddy to hold you. When it was time to release the butterflies you ran to the front with your sister to participate in the fun. Addi's butterfly flew down to the ground to get some water and Ella's butterfly flew away!
This was such an awesome way to celebrate our Earth with you girls! The innocence that both of you have is something that I will always treasure. Butterflies have such an amazing journey to go through before they can fly away..... just like my precious angels God has given mommy & daddy! All three of you are our beautiful butterflies going through your special journey before you are finally able to fly away~


Ella Jo at first you were surprised that this beautiful creature
had chosen your shoulder to land on....Then...
You had mommy get it off as fast as I could!
Now, you are so very proud to tell everyone you see
that a butterfly landed on your shoulder!



The children's garden was so much fun to walk through! All the beautiful flowers, decorative trees, green houses, and bird houses was such a site to see. Addi Grace every time you walked pass a beautiful area of blooming flowers mommy would watch you closely because I knew that if given a chance you would have the time of your life picking the pretty flowers and making your own bouquet! Thank you Earth for being such a beautiful place to live....

My Beautiful Honey Bear!

My beautiful Lex! Here we go again preparing for another year of Friday night football games, basketball games, fundraising, summer camps, and the best years of your life!
For tryouts this year you were so nervous. I don't know why but you were very emotional and tried your very best!! This was your third time to try out for drill team and I knew you would make it just like the years before but you were still so nervous and couldn't wait to open your letter congratulating you in the 2011~2012 Honey Bears!! I will cherish all the wonderful memories you have given all of us with this time of year! I love watching you and Kristen practicing in the living room. Rearranging all the furniture to make room and your "fans" (little sisters) watching you in awe!! You are such a beautiful dancer and I am so proud to be your mom. Keep lighting up our lives beautiful honey bear!

Spring is here!



 

Addi Grace you are so very proud of the beautiful flowers in Mims & PopPaw's yard!!

You helped Mims plant the flowers and every Sunday when we visit for our "Sunday Dinner" you carefully walk around the pool to look at how they are blooming. After you make your first trip to the flowers you will  grab one of your aunts to walk with you to show them how your flowers are blooming.

Addi, you are our blooming little flower....Just a couple of weeks ago we had you and now your getting ready for Kindergarten! Just like all the petals that have bloomed on your flowers, every petal that blooms with you is so very precious to my heart! Mommy just prays I can slow it down a little!

 

Addi Grace & Ella Jo you are so precious to your PopPaw!

Addi, Just until recently it would take hours before you would warm up to your PopPaw! He would wait patiently and when you were ready you would sneak him a small hug. Now...as you can see, you sit so comfortably in his lap with your little sister. It takes no time at all to warm up to him. As soon as we walk in the door you run straight into his arms! I think your PopPaw used a secret weapon to get you used to sitting in his lap and it's called his ipad! He enjoys watching all the animals on his ipad ap with you two! But now...ipad or no ipad you run straight to him!



Ella Jo, every time we are outside at Pop Paw & Mims house you and your sister
sit on the edge of the hottub and dangle your feet in the water!
You are such a fish! Both of you can't wait for it to get hot enough
to just run outside and jump in!



My little lady bug

My sweet Ella Jo! After your bath one night we were settling down in our nightly routine and you jumped up ran to your room and grabbed your lady bug costume. You asked me to put it on you but I told you that you were all ready dressed for bed. Next thing I noticed you had put it on all by yourself! After accomplishing that task and seeing how proud you were I didn't have the heart to tell you to take it off. I just knew that when you went down to sleep you would want it off but you kept the costume on all night and mommy took this picture the next morning! You are the cutest lady bug your mommy has ever seen!!

My Answered Prayers~

I look at this picture and I just can't express enough what it means to me!
Alexa, you were our only little girl for so long! 5 years old when we started trying to have another baby. We didn't know in the beginning it would be such a trying time in our lives! We tried for over 5 years with losing two babies early in the pregnancy. I can not begin to tell everyone how many conversations I had with my Savior! I couldn't understand WHY???
Well....after years of praying, crying, and trying God answered our prayers and gave us a beautiful baby girl and then 20 months later another one!
I love this picture because to see two of my daughters holding hands with trust and love is what makes my heart beat! I thank God every day for all the blessings with my girls! My prayers that I never imagined he would answer in such a wonderful way. I often think to myself ....Look at what you have given me God.....my beautiful girls that I will love & cherish and raise them to know and worship You!
Thank you so very much for all my answered prayers~

A day at the fair



Ella Jo you were so excited this year to be at the fair!
Last year you could only ride the rides that mommy or daddy
could ride with you. This year you are tall enough to ride all
the kid rides.



Addi Grace the expression on your face says the whole story!
You are not as brave as your little sister but you just loved
this ride! You rode it 3 times!!

Daddy had to ride this ride with Lex. It took some convincing
but in the end he loved it! Momma would NOT ride the ride!!

The fair always brings back so many memories! I would go every year as a child and then with friends as I got older. Now going to the fair with my sweet girls I can relive all the cherished memories! We rode so many rides over & over! Mommy would only ride a few but enjoyed watching all my girls with their daddy too! Lex, you do not have a fear of rides at all! You have always wanted to ride the biggest and fastest rides you could find. Ella you are going to take after your oldest sister. Even last year you were wanting to ride the rides before you were tall enough. You are 20 months younger than your sister Addi and will ride the rides she will not ride. My sweet Addi Grace...You check the ride out very well before you think about riding it! We start out on the carousel and then work our way to the faster rides. You do enjoy them all once you have warmed up to the idea.

I told your daddy this was my favorite year at the fair so far!! Addi, you are all ready asking when we can go again!    Till next year.........