Resurrection Cookies: A recipe for sharing the story of Easter

I am all about traditions. I love my family's traditions. I love Matt's family's traditions. And I love the traditions that our family has made and the many traditions our family has to come.

Easter is right around the corner and while the pastel colors, baskets, eggs and bunnies are cute, they pale in comparison... No, they have no comparison to the real reason we celebrate Easter. While flipping through my "Mom Sense" magazine this week (a magazine for MOPS), I stumbled upon the following recipe/activity. I haven't actually made these cookies myself so I do not know if they taste good (although the recipe calls for chocolate chips, so they can't be that bad, right?). Ava may not be able to currently understand the meaning and significance behind this activity, but I plan to start it this year and continue it for years to come. I thought that the idea was too good not to share. Whether you try these cookies or not, I do hope you have a special way to discuss Jesus' resurrection with your kids/family.

You'll Need:
1 cup whole pecans or 1 cup mini chocolate chips (for nut allergies)
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Ziploc bag
Wooden spoon
Tape
Bible

**If possible, make these cookies the evening before Easter**

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Place the pecans (or mini chocolate chips) in bag and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him. (Read John 19:1-3).
3. Let each child smell the vinegar before putting it into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. (Read John 19:28-30).
4. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. (Read John 10:10-11).
5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. (Read Luke 23:27).
6. Add sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know him and belong to him. (Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16).
7. Beat egg white mixture with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. (Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3)
8. Fold in broken nut or mini chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. (Read Matthew 27:57-60)
9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. (Read Matthew 27:65-66)
10. Go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers felt despair when the tomb was sealed too. (Read John 16:20-22)
11. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. He is risen! He is risen indeed! (Read Matthew 28:1-9)

Simple Weekend

We spent this past weekend with family and enjoying the simplicity of life... Can't think of a better way to pass the time.

My parents came into town on Saturday. We played on Ava's new swing set, ate lunch, went shopping, played in Ava's tent, went for a walk around the neighborhood.... We did plenty of fun and exciting things, and I didn't manage to get a single picture! Arg. Our shopping extravaganza took place at Target... A trip to Target is fun and exciting any day, anytime. While we were there, Ava kept oohing and aahing at various items in the store. Somehow, all of those items made their way into my shopping cart... Hmm, could Oma be to blame for that? Hey, I am not going to put the blame on anyone since my mom flipped the bill at the end of our trip. Maybe next time though, I should ooh and aah at things in the clothing department and see if I have the same effect on my mom as Ava does. Doubtful.

One of the items purchased for Ava... These stinkin' cute shoes. I have the hardest time finding shoes that fit Ava's incredibly puffy feet. When I realized these sandals fit Ava's feet, I really think I saw a glowing light surrounding the shoes and heard harps and angels sing in the background. I just have 3 things to say: 1) Adorable 2) Cankles 3) Do they come in my size?

After my parents left town, we headed to The Harbor Inn to celebrate Nannie's 96th birthday. Nope, that's not a typo... 96! Nannie is Matt's great-grandmother, so that makes her Ava's great-GREAT-grandmother. It is amazing to me that 1) Ava has a great-great-grandmother. 2) Matt has a great-grandmother. 3) Matt's mom still has a grandmother. 4) Matt's grandmother still has her mother around! How many people in their 70s do you know who still have a living parent? Simply amazing!

Below is a picture of 5 generations, all because of Nannie (click here to see last year's photo). Nannie (Matt's great-grandmother) is at the bottom of the picture, front and center. Then, from left to right: Matt, Ava, Judy (Matt's grandmother and otherwise known as Mema) and Kim (Matt's mom, otherwise known as Mimi).

Happy Birthday Nannie! We can't wait to celebrate your 97th next year! :)

After church this morning, we headed to Bur-Mil Park for a picnic and some playground fun. Who could resist this beautiful weather today?

Ahhh, I love weekends that are slow, easy going and relaxing. Here's hoping yours was as enjoyable as ours!

And so it begins...

RSV

Medically, RSV is defined as: Respiratory Syncytial Virus. In our house, we change the letters up a bit, and define it as: Very Rotten Sickness. Either way you look at it, it's here, and Ava has it.

Ava has been suffering from a cough for a while now. A few days ago, she added several more symptoms to the mix. I'll spare you all of the bodily fluid details, but let's just say my washing machine has been working overtime lately.

I figured a visit to the doctor was in order, so yesterday we went to go see the fabulous Dr. Brett. This particular trip to the doctor will go down in the record books for sure. Blood, sweat and tears were all present and accounted for. Literally. At the beginning of the appointment, the nurse had to draw blood from Ava's finger to check her white blood cell count. Then, I had to administer a breathing treatment to Ava... by myself. This breathing treatment was not as serene as it might sound. Just picture me trying to hold a hissing mask up to Ava's face while the loud machine the mask was attached to, roared in the background. Not fun. And if that wasn't enough, Ava ripped the band-aid off of her pricked finger... Which meant that while she was fighting me and the breathing mask, she got blood on my clothes, my face, my hands and my neck. Add that to her tears and the fact that both of us were sweating by the end of the treatment and it looked like Ava and I had a fist fight. Did I mention that during the entire visit, Ava was s-c-r-e-a-m-i-n-g?!? No? Well, yes... she was. And no, that didn't add to the fun at all. :)

I am happy to report that the breathing treatments are going much better now that we are home! I let Ava familiarize herself with the face mask while it was not attached to the machine. Also, she gets to watch The Wonder Pets during the treatment and she is rewarded with an M&M when it is over. Matt and I really are so proud (and amazed) that Ava will sit silently and motionless on my lap for the 10 minutes it takes to administer the treatment. For the next several days, this is what Ava will look like after she wakes up and before going to bed:























What a little trooper. I must say, having Xopenex, Amoxicillin, Prednisolone and Ibuprofen pumping through Ava's body for 24 hours has made a world of difference! Matter of fact, as I sit and write this post, I can hear Ava breathing (and not coughing) through the baby monitor as she sleeps peacefully in the other room. Praise God she is on the mend! Thanks to everyone for your prayers... They are felt and appreciated! :)

Free Playground? Yes Please!

Back in December (around Ava's birthday), some friends of ours were looking to get rid of their swing set. The conditions were: If you can come pick it up and haul it yourself, it's yours... free! Conveniently for me, Matt, my dad, my brother, my father-in-law and my brother's massive pick-up truck were all at our humble abode for Ava's birthday party. Inconveniently for them, it started snowing, and started snowing hard while they were at my friend's house taking down the swing set.

After some hard work, creative thinking, elbow grease and frost bitten fingers, all of the swing set pieces made it to our backyard. Since the day the swing set was brought to our house we have endured several snows and unbelievably cold temperatures. Meaning... the disassembled pieces have been laying on the ground for more than 2 months. The playground is disassembled no longer! Matt took advantage of the beautiful weather this morning to go out and put the whole thing together! What a great dad and husband!

Here is a full-view shot from the front:

And from the side:

As soon as the swing set was functional, Ava wasted no time getting into a swing... bare feet and all.



Three swings came with the set. The swings can accommodate every swinger from beginner, to advanced. Take your pick.

The slide:

The rope ladder:

The fort:

The counter and bar stools:

The (empty) sandbox:

This was how Ava looked when Matt and I left to grab a bite to eat. No, no. We didn't really leave her in the swing all by herself. Although, I think she would have rather stayed in the swing instead of getting lunch. She screamed something serious when I took her out of her swing.

I am so looking forward to spending many, many summer days and evenings out here with Ava and as a family. Thank you Carlyle Family for letting us 'take this off your hands' for you!

3-Day V-Day

Valentine's Day was a 3-Day celebration in our house this year. Here is a recap of what we did:

Monday, February 14th:

Ava and I made a trip over to Gammy's house (Matt's paternal grandmother). We had a homemade card and homemade valentine treats to give her. Ava loves her Gammy. Ava also loves crawling around Gammy's house and investigating every little thing she sees. Thanks for letting us visit, Gammy! We'll be back soon.

Next up, Mema and Deda (Matt's maternal grandparents). Again, we delivered a homemade card and treats. And again, Ava loved visiting with her great-grandparents while crawling around and investigating her new surroundings. Thanks for letting us stop by!

Ava received a Valentine's Day balloon. She loves any and all balloons, so I had no doubt that this one would bring a smile to her face. When I went to the store to buy the balloon, my eyes were immediately drawn to the GIANT balloons floating in the air. My heart wanted to buy the enormous balloon for Ava... but my mind, and my wallet wouldn't let me after seeing the $15 price tag. The smaller balloon did just fine!

Ava also got a plastic heart filled with her new favorite thing... M&Ms.

Every once in a while (when Ava eats a decent dinner), we allow her to have 1 M&M for dessert. One of two things happens. She stares at the M&M for about a minute, while enthusiastically saying, "oooohhhhhhh!"... as if she is savoring the very sight of the candy-coated goodness. OR she will immediately pick up the M&M and shove it in her mouth faster than the speed of light.

Can you tell which one happened here?

Apparently the M&M was so good that Ava was left dumbfounded.

Tuesday, February 15th:

Ava and I didn't do anything out of the ordinary this particular day. We went for a run, we ran some errands, we did some laundry... The best part of the day was that we did everything together. I love my little partner in crime. 

So, Ava can't quite help with the laundry/folding/ironing yet... But here is something she can do (and loves to do, by the way). I stick her in the empty laundry basket and put the basket right next to the dryer door. I open the dryer door and dump out all of the warm clothes on top of her. Then I push the basket, the laundry and Ava down the hallway and around the living room. She enjoys it. I enjoy stalling as long as possible before folding all of our clothes. Blah.

After work, Mimi came over to babysit our little girl while Matt and I went on our official Valentine's Date. Before we left, I wanted to get a picture with my 2 valentines. Oh, how I love those two!

Wednesday, February 16th

Ava and I went to Harris Teeter first thing this morning. While I was going through the self-checkout line, one of the employees came over to my cart, tied a balloon ribbon to the side and said, "A beautiful balloon for a beautiful baby!" I replied by saying, "thanks" but honestly didn't pay any attention to the balloon. This wasn't the first time a HT employee had brought Ava a balloon. Though all of the other balloons Ava has received from HT have been your basic helium filled balloon. Not today... she got the mama-jama of all balloons. Matter of fact, she got the $15 balloon I had so badly wanted to purchase for her just 2 days earlier. Since Valentine's Day was long gone, HT was just giving away their left over holiday balloons. Ava was more than happy to accept the 'reject' balloon. 

Today was also lunch buddy day. Once a week, Ava and I head over to Joyner Elementary to have lunch with Ziya. We brought Ziya a belated Valentine's treat that literally made her grin from ear to ear. Ava really enjoys eating lunch with Ziya every week. Today, as soon as we started walking toward the front door of the school, Ava started clapping her hands and laughing in anticipation. I love that already, Ava has such a sweet heart and spirit.  

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

The Greatest Show on Earth

This morning marked another rite of passage in Miss Ava's life. We took her to see 'The Greatest Show on Earth'... The Circus! At some point last week, I got a phone call from a friend of mine. It went something like this:

Friend: Melissa, I have some tickets to the circus. Would you like to go?
Me: How much are they?

Friend: Oh, they're free. And there are 9 of them. And they are in a luxury box. And you get 2 free parking passes. And you'll have access to the Schiffman's Club. So, do you want them?

Me: Um, Yes!

As soon as we entered the coliseum, my senses were flooded with toys and treats that took me back to my childhood. Snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, light up toys, glow sticks.... Then I saw the price tag attached to many of these items. $20 for a light up toy. For real? My state of euphoria came crashing down when I realized that this will be the cheapest trip to the circus our family will ever take. Free tickets, free food, free parking, and Ava is not yet old enough to verbalize that she wanted any of the yummy food or entertaining toys. It was a great morning. :)

My apologies if the pictures are hard to see. The flash on my camera insisted on illuminating the heads and seats directly in front of me instead of the action in the 3-Ring show.

There were plenty of lights and moving people to keep everyone's attention, even Ava's.

Just a few of the very well-trained elephants.

I know the tigers are 'tame,' but you couldn't pay me enough to get in a cage with them so they could 'pretend' to growl at me. No thanks.

After being in a semi-dark coliseum for an hour or so, Ava was not so thrilled at having a flash go off just inches from her face.

Ava was however, thrilled to watch the circus from daddy's lap.

Tucker and Jack loved watching the show from their luxury box seats. Their moms enjoyed that the seats had cup holders so that they weren't constantly hearing, "Mom, hold this!"

Matt P (yes, the little man who recently gave Ava her first kiss) was possibly more consumed with his popcorn than the circus.

During intermission, Matt, Ava and I went to check out the "Schiffman's Diamond Club." We were allowed to enjoy the snacks thanks to our (free) luxury box tickets. I thought it would be appropriate to get a picture with the classy, 'Diamond Club' sign in the background and me, inhaling a cinnamon roll in the foreground. Not classy.

Here's the group of clowns (except Matt, who was taking the picture) who enjoyed the circus with us.

All of the excitement wore Ava out. About 20 minutes before the show was over, she fell asleep in daddy's lap. He didn't mind. :) I can't tell you how thankful I was not only for the tickets, but for access to a box. We had a fridge for the kid's drinks, a microwave for popcorn, a floor for the kids to crawl on, room to change diapers and our own BATHROOM. Let's face it, taking little ones to public restrooms in coliseums isn't fun. The private bathroom was a life saver!

Thank you, friend, for passing along the tickets to us. We enjoyed it and appreciate it more than you know!

Lowcountry Lessons

This weekend was spent South of the Border... South of the North Carolina border that is! Matt, Ava, Mimi, Poppy and I spent the weekend in beautiful Bluffton, SC. We visited family, we went shopping, we saw where Matt and I plan to retire (seriously, check out the website... created by none other than my husband!) and we celebrated my sister-in-law's 30th birthday!

We laughed, we loved, we learned. Here are a few of the lessons learned during our trip:

Lesson #1: After a long car ride to The Ussery household, there is nothing better than cuddling on the couch with cousin, Finn.

Lesson #2: Rolling a basketball back and forth with cousin, Jack, is necessary before bedtime.

Lesson #3: Reading a book with Aunt Erin & Finn is the best way to start the day.

Lesson #4: Island Playground (a local bounce house) is awesome.

Lesson #5: Ava loves bouncing with the big kids, especially if basketballs are involved.

Lesson #6: Ava will not grow up riding horses like I did. This Radio Flyer horse must suffice.

Lesson #7: Ava is a big girl, capable of going down big girl slides. She loved going down the slides so much, and so fast, it was hard to get a picture to focus.

Lesson #8: After speeding down the slide, Ava had a hard time stopping. She reached the bottom and rolled, similar to how stunt doubles roll out of moving vehicles in the movies.

Lesson #9: Racing down the slide 100 times + rolling at the bottom of the slide = crazy face and hair.

Lesson #10: Sliding down the slide with 2 nephews attached to my back may or may not have turned out as planned.

Lesson #11: Ava loves her Uncle John. For some reason though, she makes him work for her affection.

Lesson #12: Going to a Japanese steak house is fun. Going to a Japanese steak house with 3 kids is hilarious. 

Lesson #13: The next time we take Ava to a Japanese steak house, one of us needs to get a picture of her FACE during the flames.

Lesson #14: Jack is awesome at basketball. He is the one in the middle of the picture, hands up and ready for the rebound.

Lesson #15: There's nothing better than cousin lovin'.

Summary of lessons learned? We had a great time and can't wait to go back soon!