Isn't Easter Sunday just one of the best times of the year?  I love everything about it: getting all dressed up for church, singing and praying through a beautiful service, enjoying dinner with family, and eating candy.  Lots and lots of candy!

Almond Joy for me, please!

Our church's Easter service was especially moving this year.  I was pretty much choking back tears the whole time.  I feel like each year I cry more during church services.  Not a sad crying, just an overcome-by-emotion crying when I think of love, forgiveness, hope, and all of the other beautiful parts of my faith.

Our church service is pretty early, so afterwards we came home and challenged Reed in his first Easter basket hunt.  Of course I went overboard and made rhyming clues for the four parts of his basket we had around the house.

I'm a poet and I know it!

As tempted as I am to write the rest of this post in verse, I'll spare you the agony of any more bad poetry.  You get the idea.

We read only the most high-brow literature here in the Hacker home.

Honestly, though, Giant Pants is a great book!  Yes, it's about a giant who can't find his pants, but there are all kinds of mythological creatures introduced in a super-friendly way. 

Spoiler alert: he eventually finds his pants in his own dresser.  Because nobody saw that coming.  It is hilarious every time.

Grand finale-- a giant chocolate bunny!

How does one even begin to eat such a thing?

​Go right for the face, of course!

Easter basket hunt complete, we packed up and drove to my in-law's house for our annual Easter dinner.

They outdid themselves, as usual!  Outdoors: a photo-spot, an egg hunt for each of the boys, and a quiet spot by the river for reflection.  Indoors: a magnificent feast of prime rib, corn-on-the-cob, mashed potatoes, rolls, and decadent desserts.

Kim, my mother-in-law, made this carrot jam for the rolls that was AMAZING!  It was like carrot cake in a jar.  I'll have to get her recipe and post it back here sometime.  Plus- how cute is that for Easter?!

She has cooking and decorating super-powers, I think.

Photo time was, well, interesting.  Just look at these two cuties!  Reed ADORES his cousin, Bo.

What you don't see is the crowd of crazy adults shamelessly yelling, making faces, shaking toys, singing, and otherwise looking like maniacs on the lawn behind the camera to get these smiles.

You only get Easter pictures once a year, after all.

While we are on the subject of only getting Easter pictures once a year, let's just talk about Reed's face for a second.  Seriously, every family picture we cannot get him to do a real smile!  I think he is mimicking the Easter Bunny here.  Cute, yes.  My ideal family picture, no.

That award goes to...

 Boaz and his mommy and daddy!  These people know how to take a family picture. 
​ I'm taking notes.

Finally, the big egg hunt!  Find those Almond Joys, baby!

And time to play and relax!  We needed it!  Easter proves to be a busy day!

Our day was wonderful!  There may or may not have been a few sugar-crash, nap-deprived "moments" (what's Easter without those, after all).  I may or may not have had a sore throat that kept me from eating most of the food, hives that kept me self-conscious, and allergies that left me with Reed in one hand and a tissue in the other.  

The silver lining?

Faith, family, fun.

And a snuggly nap with Reed while everyone else ate leftovers.

That's more than a silver lining, for sure.  What's a few Easter sniffles in the face of all of that? 

​I am so thankful for another Easter with the people I love and who love me.  And most of all, sniffle, for the God who loves me, too.

Spring break is here at last!  I think I heard trumpets blast and angels sing when I locked up my classroom on Friday.  We are heading to Oklahoma for a few days over break, just to relax and explore a new part of the country.  (And possibly see the land of Ree Drummond!)

​But first-- Spring Party!

Reed and I have spent the last few weeks ignoring the snow and planning a "Welcome, Spring!" party for his friends.  Honestly, I've never really been a person to throw parties or show hospitality.  My excuses were endless, but the top three were always:
3. I don't have time. (Excuses: work, school, parenting)
2. I don't have resources. (Excuses: house, space, money)
1. I don't know how. (I really just don't know how to show hospitality!)

Amidst my excuses, over the past year or so, God has been dealing with me about confronting this skill, this commandment, of hospitality. I picked up a few books on the topic like The Lifegiving Home and The Turquoise Table.  Sally Clarkson, especially, has been an inspiration and encouragement to me. After the long winter, I finally decided to take a baby step in the form of a Spring Party- Winnie the Pooh style!

I kept it low-budget and relaxed.  I bought a fold-out table, a couple decorations, a disposable tablecloth, plates, and napkins, and invited a few of his closest friends (whose mommies are my closest friends).

The kids ate PB&J, goldfish crackers, and apples.  I used bunny, butterfly and flower cookie cutters  cut their sandwiches into fun spring shapes.  I made a giant bowl of Simple Pasta Salad for my friends.  We ate the whole batch!  For dessert we had strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

After dinner, the kids played for a little bit...

Meanwhile, we steeled ourselves for the egg-dying activity that some psycho (me) decided would be fun to do with four toddlers and two infants.

What could possibly go wrong?

Believe it or not, other than a few runaway eggs, there were zero (yes, zero) messes!  These kids are egg-dying experts!

The lady at the table took the gold medal for the most beautiful eggs (of course).  And look at how neat and clean her space is!

The boys took first place in the "how-many-different-eggs-can-I-dye-at-one-time" category.  Yeah, that cutie with the blue hands?  He gets his clean-space skills from me.

From the youngest to the oldest, we had a blast welcoming springtime!  Something so small to many was a big step for me, and I feel encouraged now to open my home to my friends, neighbors, and family.  This experience helped me see that it is not so much about impressing people (because nobody likes that), but that hospitality is about loving and blessing others with whatever we have.  I'll keep you updated on my journey!

Happy Spring, everybody!  Now if that pesky snow would just go away...

Take a look at some of our past Easter and spring activities!

Happy New Year from our home to yours!  I have to admit, 2017 treated us well.  I don't know if I could say the same thing about 2016... 2015... so yeah, it was nice to catch a break!

We've never really "celebrated" New Year's Eve as a family, usually because Jacob was working the late shift at the PD.  (Let me give yet another shout-out to our men and women in blue and their families!  They sacrifice so much.)  Miraculously, Jacob was able to spend NYE at home this year.  So maybe it was the off-shift, maybe it was the three-year-old, maybe it was the extra-great year, but we decided to throw a little party for just the 3 of us.  Four, I mean.  Sorry, Ollie.

Our party was pretty low-key, but it was PERFECT.  Five bucks bought streamers, hats, horns, and confetti poppers for each of us.  Another 10 bucks bought sparkling grape juice and ingredients for our favorite fried ravioli recipe by Giada De Laurentiis.  We jammed to our new favorite Louis Armstrong album while frying up these delicious little guys in Jacob's new fryer, an amazing gift from his incredible, thoughtful, and beautiful wife, who obviously was not thinking how such a gift might impact her hips and thighs.

We basically can't keep Reed out of the kitchen now (still closely monitored, of course).  He helped us with this simple recipe: cheese ravioli, buttermilk, Italian breadcrumbs, and vegetable or olive oil.

Dip the ravioli in the buttermilk, then coat with the breadcrumbs.  Set aside a batch and fry 'em up!

Sprinkle with some parm and serve right away with warmed marinara.  Delish!

Jacob ate like 20 more than what is healthy, recommended, or humanly possible, and found himself in a food coma.  This always makes me feel good.  Ha.  He finished the Bengals game while Reed and I prepared with great anticipation for the "countdown".  

Let me take a moment and just say... THANK YOU, NETFLIX!  We use their "anytime" countdown each year so Reed still gets the NYE experience without missing bedtime.  King Julien led us to the New Year around 6:00, and we welcomed it with as much noise as possible!  It was a blast!  Best of all, Reed didn't miss any sleep, and I was still in bed at 8:30, asleep by 9.  Yep, that's right. 
​Party.  Animal.

2017 deserved a celebration this year.  Good health, positive relationships, spiritual growth, the launch of my blog, traveling, new nephews, love abounding.  It was incredible.  But really, every year deserves a thankful celebration, no matter how we feel as we reflect.  As I move into 2018, I pray for God's blessing upon my family, friends, and all of you.  May we start this year emptied of bitterness, and full of love, forgiveness, passion, and joyful expectation.

Best wishes to you and yours.  Happy New Year!

It's the dog days of summer in Ohio, but we have been busy today even in the heat. Why? It's the day before Independence Day- a day we spend mostly cooking and prepping for my husband's absolute-favorite holiday.

Our responsibility for the big day includes a pork loin and a strawberry poke cake.  Jacob's going to smoke the pork in the electric smoker, and, of course, I'm in charge of the cake.  Strawberry poke cake is a dessert that brings back a ton of memories for me!  I'll have the recipe up on the blog after the holiday.

My sister and I took the boys to a park this morning, I knocked out a bunch of homework during Reed's nap, and Jacob and I decided to clean out the fire pit and spend the afternoon at home cooking grouse over a campfire, soaking in the sun, getting the pork loin ready for tomorrow, riding bikes, and watching The Andy Griffith Show.  I am totally hooked on Andy Griffith right now.  What a great show!  You'd never guess I'm in my 20's, would ya?

 Now I realize many of you didn't get past the whole "cooking grouse over a campfire" detail.  This, lovelies, is my husband and two grouse.  He killed them in Canada on a hunting trip and brought them home to the freezer.  They are pretty neat animals, actually.  YouTube one sometime- it is well worth it.  They make the most interesting sounds!

So in preparation for this wild west trip, we decided to try cooking over a campfire.  We made corn on the cob and grouse, carrots, and onions on the campfire- like pioneers!

We had to cook it for a while and the smell was amazing!  We managed to call in Bo-Bo, our neighbors' little dog and Oliver's BFF.  He just dropped by to sniff around and beg shamelessly, even though his mom assured me that he had just eaten!  No wonder he and Oli get along so well!

While Jacob cooked and defended our dinner against Bo-Bo and Oliver's coordinated attacks, Reed and I played hard.  I think this pic wraps up just about everything that was going on.  Swim trunks, bicycle helmet, broken tractor, dirt on the belly.  The life!

Dinner was worth the wait!  Yummy grouse, buttery carrots, and corn on the cob!

Yum-O!  I just can't figure out where wild game gets the bad rep.  Clean eating, right there (unlike the cake I will be making tomorrow).  Happy Independence Day Eve, friends!  Stay safe and have fun!

There's a new man in the fam', and his name is Samuel Boaz, AKA "Bo"!  Isn't that the sweetest name?  My sister-in-law, Brook (affectionately known as "Aunt B"), and her husband, Sam, welcomed this little guy into the world yesterday.

Jacob, Reed, and I rushed to the hospital as soon as we found out that Bo had arrived.  Reed had to stay in the waiting area with Cha-Cha and Poppy while we met Bo, which was a major bummer, even though he has his flu shot and everything.  He was pretty confused about it since we had talked the ENTIRE way to the hospital about how to treat a new baby!  We rolled with it though, bribed him with a few suckers, and discovered a fish tank in the waiting room that provided the perfect distraction.

There is just nothing like meeting a newly born baby.  Little Bo was warm and curled up in his little newborn blankie.  He just rolled his head around a little and checked me out with one barely-opened eye.  He's an observant little fellow.  After looking me over and approving me (whew), he squeaked and hummed like newborns do (I had completely forgotten about that!) and captured my heart in about 0.034 seconds.  I couldn't believe how peaceful and content he was!  Such a good boy already...

Aunt B is doing great, and she and Sam are striding confidently into parenthood (the coolest, most exciting hood, in my opinion).  I'll be sure to post pics of Reed and Bo in the near future as they begin their adventures together as cousins!

Take care,
Rebekah

Holy Week is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the seriousness and solemnity of the week, the opportunity for reflection, and the extra time with family.

For the past three years, we have kicked off Holy Week with a Christian Seder, or Passover Meal.  I understand this can be a "hot topic" in the religious world for many reasons, but our family really enjoys this time of meditation.  We certainly do not pretend to be experts in Jewish tradition; however, as believers in Christ, we recognize Him as our Passover lamb, and the Christian Seder connects some of the traditional Passover elements to our new life in Jesus.

My mother-in-law takes her responsibility of arranging the Seder very seriously.  She sets a gorgeous table and creates an atmosphere of beauty and peace. We do make an effort to maintain an attitude of reverence and reflection throughout, which can definitely be a challenge with a toddler!  As usual, my family provided our share of inopportune moments of comedy.  But more on that later.

We entered the Passover meal through the side door of the home over which she had draped a red banner, symbolizing the Old Testament direction to spread the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and also the covering of Jesus' blood. 

Then we started the Seder.  It only lasted about 15 minutes or so.  I didn't take any pictures during the meal because I didn't want to distract or interrupt.  Here is a quick guide to what we included in our Seder and their symbolic meanings created and researched by my mother-in-law.  I'll list a few websites at the end of the post if you would like to do some research of your own.

1. Candles on the table: Jesus, the Light of the world
2. Platter of roasted lamb: Jesus was our final perfect Lamb Who was sacrificed for us all.
3.  Unleavened bread: the body of Christ that was broken and slain for all
4. Boiled egg: new life.  We have new life in Christ because of what he did for us on the cross.
5. Bitter herbs (horseradish): the bitter vinegar on the sponge Jesus was given to drink on the cross.
6. Charoset (description below): Symbolizes the mortar and bricks the Israelites used in making the bricks for the king of Egypt.
7. Karpas (parsley or celery): everlasting life because of Christ's resurrection
8. Small bowl of salt water: tears for those who haven't accepted Christ as their personal Savior.
9. Grape juice: Jesus' own blood poured out for us all. 

As we progressed through the meal, we discussed each of these in more detail.  We were able to make Old Testament connections to many of them, or my mother-in-law would explain what she had researched regarding the traditional, Old Testament meanings of each food.

One of the symbols, charoset, was my only responsibility for the night.  I mixed together chopped apples, chopped pears, nuts, and grape juice the day before and carefully placed it in a nice dish in the refrigerator.  Want to guess who forgot their responsibility?  Yep... left it in the refrigerator.  Our quick substitution, trail mix, was hardly the traditional charoset, but everyone was really gracious in going along without it.  
​I made it... I promise!

When we got to the bitter herbs (AKA horseradish), Reed stuck his finger it before I knew what was what.  Eeek!  He started coughing so much and we had to get him a Capri Sun.  But then he wouldn't stop sticking his finger in it- I think he liked it!  He kept sneaking a taste, coughing, and drinking his juice.  It was a horrible cycle!  I had to eventually take it away.  Weird kid.

After we were finished, Reed asked that we sing "Happy Birthday."  He's two, and after he saw us light the candles, he concluded that the whole thing was a birthday celebration for no one other than himself.  So much for a learning experience (this year, anyway)!  So we gave him some cake and sang "Happy Birthday"!  How else do you respond to that?