Happy Easter! We’ve tried to figure out appropriate traditions for the last few years. We want this day to be a full day of celebration for our family. This has brought an interesting discussion: how do you create an atmosphere of celebration and rejoicing? What does that mean? What do you do? Today we had a mini-sing-along with the boys and some favorite Easter hymns. We read an account of the resurrection. We used cutouts and pictures to tell the Easter story to the boys. Levi repeated things like “tomb” and “Mary” and “soldiers.” He’s been working on “resurrect” all week—but it’s a tricky word. Lincoln surprised us earlier this week by folding his arms. He also recognizes pictures of Christ. He points excitedly and says, “Tsus!” From the way he gestures and babbles, and definitely from the look on his face, I think he remembers things that he cannot communicate at this time.

We invited some friends over for dinner. No one should be alone as we celebrate the reality that we can all be together as children of Heavenly Father. Hopefully it will taste okay!

Last week I forgot to mention a few things about Wesley’s NSF. Over ten thousand applicants applied. Two thousand are awarded. Of those, only seventy are chemical engineers this year. Wesley is one of seventy in a pool of ten thousand. That’s quite the honor! The funding will probably begin in September. We’re hoping to hear whether or not Colorado is going to happen at the end of this week or early next—but who knows? We don’t really feel antsy about it. We’ve felt that we need to move, that we’re going on to something different, for a while—but that doesn’t necessarily mean Colorado. We’re ready for whatever comes. And happy about it.

Wesley spent the week trying to get over his sickness. He still coughs so hard it hurts his back. Amazingly enough, the rest of us press along okay. On Wednesday and Thursday, Wesley attended an Austin electricty conference. I don’t know details. Good panels and discussion on where to go from here and debate on what the real issues and focus of energy policy should be.

Meanwhile, the boys and I partied. Book group means extra cream pies. Then—to kick off national poetry month we did what you probably did (okay—what you meant to do, I’m sure): we wrote poems all over our driveway and sidewalk to wish all passersby a happy life in poetry. Quite a few people have stopped and puzzled over it. Fewer adults. Perhaps they suspect that some crazy person watches them through the windows… I’ve been searching for family-friendly, not too late poetry events in the area, but have been unsuccessful. I’ll have to satisfy myself by reading poetry to them as they bathe. Poetry edifies. You should read some. Oh. And my exciting news of life is that one of my favorite literary journals, Fourth Genre, is publishing one of my favorite pieces. So hurrah. Official dream fulfilled. It’ll come out in February. They sent me one of the nicest e-mails I’ve ever received. I think I’ll put it on the fridge just for personal validation. (See Zits comic here: “Will you validate me?” “You’re a good person!” as the teen hugs the middle-aged balding man in an orthodontics office. “I meant my car…”)

We also mowed the lawn in a few segments. I was trying to lighten Wesley’s load. Alas—it takes me four days to do what takes him an hour and he still has to clean up my mess! Granted, Lincoln was strapped in the stroller, Levi hovered by the door, it had just rained, and I haven’t mowed the lawn for over six years. I’m simultaneously embarrassed and proud of myself. We washed the car afterwards which inspired them to eat the hose and love the water in all its forms. They even scrubbed a little. The car may or may not look better.

Levi and Lincoln crack me up. Usually Levi whines about using the potty unless someone stands there and directs his every action. One day he rushed to the potty without any prompting. After I finished congratulating myself on victorious transfer of independence I hear, “Uh-oh. Pee on wall. LOTS PEE ON WALL!” When he says, “LOTS” he means the size of a stop sign with the Indian Ocean sloshing into the rug and around the potty. He decided that he wanted to urinate standing up like he does in the men’s bathroom. Except he didn’t lift the seat. And he’s not tall enough. I’m still laughing about this. Our poor garbage men will never get rid of the stench I’m afraid.

After watching me spray paint, Levi likes to play that in the bathtub. He covers his face and Lincoln’s face with a rag “mask” and they pretend to spray everything down. Levi swings between extremes. He told Wes he’d like Lincoln to fall and roll down the stairs then break his head. Lincoln is perfectly willing. I fear the future. Levi came down the stairs saying that he “No want share with Linc,” then pulled his chair right next to him for snack time and said, “Need real close. Want be fri-h-h-h-heeds (friends) with Linc!” They run around together being birds, sharing bikes, and “running fast!” Levi has decided that they need to dance. They randomly embrace each other tightly and rock back and forth humming. This is all well and good until Lincoln has this panicked maybe I’m not breathing look on his face and we call it quits.

Lincoln and Chad must be on the same wave-length because he found an enormous red beetle (you know the kind that grow out of grubs), stuck it in his mouth, but thankfully spit it out disgusted. I think he believed it was a rock. He loves rocks. He clung to his Easter eggs very happily this morning. Give him something for each hand and he feels like a grown man. Sometimes he looks at me like he’s ready to move out. I’m not ready for that yet. I need him to help me lighten up again! He rocks in his booster seat until the chair almost falls. Forget the lightening up; I might have a heart attack.  His current favorite book is Farm Babies. He makes all the animal noises and when we get to the baby at the end he says, “BAY-bee. BAY-bee.” Then I melt all over. He climbed right on Wesley’s lap and read stories for 15 minutes one night—generally he’s too busy for this. So darling. When we reorganized drawers and shifted out too-small clothes, I had to grip the fact that Lincoln is in clothes Levi wore when Lincoln was born. This may not be a big deal to you. My boys grow all the time and it takes total cleanout for me to realize that!

We pulled out the kiddie pool because our air conditioner is now working overtime for summer. Swimming is basically exaltation. Come over. We’ll share.

Check out the “He Is Risen” video at BibleVideos.org. Well done.

Three boys and a happy girl