HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY!!!

"Good Friday" is coming to a close. Last night, my family took part in a Passover Seder (for Christians). I must admit, I was a bit distracted last night. Feeding Matthew, playing with baby Tootle, etc...it was all welcome and sweet distractions to say the least.

However, it made me think back, to the first time (a few years ago) that we took part in celebrating Passover as part of our "Easter" traditions. That first experience, I remember really being overcome. I remember eating all the elements, the bitter herb, the sweet Charoseth (made with apples), the wine, etc...and thinking on all that they symbolize...they all fully emcompass Christ. I remember thinking, "Why do we not celebrate this holiday?" "Why have we left so much of the story on the shelf?" I wondered when, in our history, all of this tradition was lost. I was sad I had lived for 28 years and not known about Passover...and how important it is to those of us who know Jesus as Messiah - as Savior! I was ignorant.

Now, it didnt mean I had been lied to or misled or anything dramatic like that. It just meant I had lived for a long time not knowing this richness of "The Story". Some of you may be thinking, what the heck is she talking about - we are not Jewish. You are right, obviously, we are not. However, our Savior came as a Jew...to a Jewish family, to a Jewish people. Therefore, if we are "grafted in" as scripture talks about, why are we so scared of the legacy that comes with Him? Maybe scared is the wrong word. For me, it was just ignorance. I didn't realize the richness that would come from embracing the WHOLE bible, the WHOLE story...Old and New Testaments. So, last night, I thought about that night 2 years ago when I learned so much. I thought about how excited I am to teach Matthew about Passover..about Jesus. I thought about how THANKFUL I am for The Cross! Geez...there are no adequate words!

Learning new depths of Truth I have known and studied for a long time has changed me. It IS changing me. Reaching in to the ancient beauty of learning about Jesus as Jew has been such a gift to me. It is shaping the way I understand the things He (Jesus) said and taught. They way He led and lived. It is awesome and I am thankful God has put me in a place to become...well, just that, to become more like Him.

Anyway, all of that being said...HAPPY EASTER FRIENDS! HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY! IT is a big deal. Maybe you will join our family this year in not skipping over some of the beauty that we often miss. Let's all just be students...of our LIVING God!

From our Bunny to yours...(for those of you thinking it...yes, I know, the bunny is totally not biblical...the kid is cute, what can I say!??!)

We love you Uncle Ryan and Aunt Lauren...

We had a party the other night for some dear friends that are moving to the island of Dominica... Ryan and Lauren are like family and this whole "goodbye" party was fun, but there is something about goodbye that feels all too final. Yall are our family Millers! We love you, send you with love and prayers and cannot wait to see what the journey holds for you. It was a fun fun night with lots of our closest friends!


Jenny, Lauren and I



Matthew and his girlfriend...oh and Ryan too! :) Matty bats his lashes and giggles everytime Lauren is near...very sweet...

I caught this great shot of Matthew and Jenny...so cute you two!



Not sure what to say about this hair! We are not cutting it...something Mom feels pretty strongly about for some odd reason. When the wind blows, you can really see how long it is getting!



I just love this pic because I LOVE every one of these girls! Love getting to all be together! We should do this more often...not just when someone is leaving! :)



Oh sweet Wendy! I told her this shot looks like an ad for birth control! HA! Ethan Heare and Matthew Garrison - they are best friends...they just dont know it yet! :)



Randy, Brian and John

The Garrisons LOVE being outside...

And we got to be outside on one of the most beautiful ranches I have ever seen. Thanks Rick! One of Brian's good friends invited us to hang out on his ranch in Johnson City. I know I say this all the time, but it's true...Matthew was ALL BOY! We hiked, sat outside, and saw one of the most beautiful views overlooking the Pedernales River (this river is so not spelled the way it sounds) that I have ever seen in Texas! After we hiked all the way to the beautiful spot on the water, we realized we had left the camera back at the house! UGH.

Matty was playing in his birthday suit in the mud and water and running through the grass and over rocks, eating bugs and leaves...and taking part in what I think is some sort of male right of passage...he peed outside for the first time. I think I saw a tear in Brian's eye! HA.

Check out these views and this awesome log cabin we stayed in...






Notice the photo sans pants for Matthew. He played so hard and so fast that his diaper basically exploded and his pants were soaked. Whoops...sorry Matty! I guess I need to remember to check those things more often. I am serious...I think the diaper weighed 5 pounds.

Hilarious flash back!

You just have to click and enlarge this photo...

Just chillin in the shade with the dudes...rub that belly Matty. Cant you just hear the boy noises and such from those faces! Oh so funny and how much they have changed!

LOOK HOW BALD THEY ARE! GEEZ...one looks so different with no hair!