Our Newest Additions

{We Are All Held}

With the beauty of Spring surrounding us all, I am reminded of the wonderful work of our Savior! This song really spoke to me this morning. I have been blessed not to have experienced such pain as loosing a child or anything of that nature. However, I know many parents have and I cannot comprehend how I could survive. I do know that there is hope and our Lord is there to hold you when everything else falls down around you. It may not be a loss of a child. It may be something else that is torn apart something in your life. We are reminded with every new day, with every breath, we are not alone. He has come and has risen! One day we will be reunited with him for eternity. How comforting is that! Eternity, I do not know anything here on earth that promises me eternity. I am not saying I am perfect. Believe me I am no stranger to sin. We all are capable of that. And do it regularly. It's promising to know we are given help and can be saved from it. I ask you to thank the Lord for every blessing in your life and know that he will be there when you need him the most and always. Enjoy this beautiful day he has given you and take comfort in the fact that someday eternity will come! Hallelujah!

Happy 8th Birthday Cade!

Our nephew Cade turns eight today. He is a funny, smart, happy-go-lucky little boy. And if you've seen the rest of the Carlson crew you know what I mean when I say, the darker of the four:) One of my fondest memories of Cade happened when Tim & I had just moved into the house we have now. Cade (as well as all of our nephews and nieces) LOVED the upstairs for some reason. I think it is due to the fact that it's a half-story so it is kind of attic style with a couple cozy little dormers. Cade just took to those nooks and absolutely enjoyed going up there every time he came over. Well, it was on one of these times upstairs where he confided in me that he never wanted to leave and he wanted to stay up there forever. He even went as far as to ask one of the kids (I think it was Corbin) "Wouldn't it be fun to live up here?" As to which Corbin replied very non-chalantly, "No." It was very cute to see his face lit up with such excitement at the possibility.

Happy 8th Birthday Cade! We pray you never loose that excitement of life and wonder of each possibility it brings!

{I know, all of my pictures are from my wedding. They're the only ones I had readily available at the time.}

{The Promise of Spring}

Spring has sprung in Sumner! I love it! I spotted these first blooms in my front yard yesterday. Lily and I picked them, placed them in water, and set them in the kitchen to enjoy. I absolutely love Spring and all that it brings. Even the rain. OK, not ALL of the rain, but it does have some good points. Like, the smell after a rain. The air smells so fresh and new. It seems as though our little town has awakened out of its Winter slumber. I notice more people out and about taking in this new Season. You know its Spring in Sumner when you can hear booms and clangs from the High School Band practicing around your streets. Lily and Jack love to get out on the front porch when they parade down our street and dance to the beat. It's an awesome perk to living in downtown Sumner. One of my favorite happenings is when it is a somewhat warm Spring day and then it gets a little blustery and dark clouds roll in and it down pours. There is so much excitement in Spring weather. You never know what each day will bring. And of course all of the wonderful blooms that pop up, peppering the ground with colorful explosions amongst the green landscape. Oh, how I love Spring!

Somewhat Truths About Washington State

You may have seen this already on my sister Amy's blog, but I had to post it 'cause I thought it was mostly true. Enjoy!

THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT LIVING IN WASHINGTON STATE :

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Washington .

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Washington .

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Washington .

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Washington .

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Washington.

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Washington .

If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Washington .

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Washington .

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over 8 layers of clothes, you live in Washington .

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Washington .

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Washington .

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Washington .

If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your WASHINGTON friends, you live or have lived in Washington.