Easter 2011

My family came to visit this past weekend for Easter and we had so much fun visiting with them and celebrating Christ's death and resurrection!  My sister- Rachel and her husband Mike visited as well and we enjoyed some "coffee shop time" with them.  We also went to Montgomery Inn to try their delicious "Cincinnati" BBQ sauce- the restaurant was down on the river and boy was that river high from all the rain we have had- and it happened to be raining all weekend.  

Daddy & Jeremiah tried to dress similar for Easter morning.  Jeremiah received as a gift this little outfit with the lion on his vest.  :)  Grandma Lyons got him a bib that said his first Easter. :)

Here is a picture of my whole family- minus Jonathan- he had to work and go to school back in PA.

Both sets of grandparents!  We had our 6th annual Lyons Den Easter meal now at Grandpa & Grandma Lyons home for more room!  We still tried to help and make some fixings.  I admit it was sad that I did not host this year in our apartment but it worked out well!

My dad- Pop-pop Delp had a way with Jeremiah all weekend- usually at night when he was fussy- he would put him on his shoulder and just rub his back and he would just calm down and become all relaxed- just look at that face!!!  It reminded me of when my dad would lay with us as kids before bed and we always wanted him to rub our backs.  Sometimes- well most often- he would fall asleep before we would but it was so special and I can tell Jeremiah is going to enjoy his Pop-pop time as well as Mom-mom time too.  He loved playing with my mom as well.  Jeremiah was happy they were here and sad when they left. :(  We are thankful for the reminder this weekend of the glorious resurrection and the hope we have in Him!  I pray that in future years as Jeremiah gets older- I will be thoughtful of activities that can help him think through the TRUE meaning and hope that Easter brings!  For now, today is one of the first days of sun in weeks- so we are going to Winton Woods to walk!  :) 

Sweet Friends

This weekend, sweet friends Nicole Fenton and Sara Fillmann packed up their Sara's minivan and brought their two kiddos the 8 hour trip to visit Sarah Brown and I in Cincinnati.  It was so fun to hang out together and catch up!  I know it was quite the trip for them to bring their kiddos all the way out here.  We did various things around nap and feeding schedules but were able to go to a few parks and let Joshua run around and then we did make it to Jungle Jims for a little bit.  Sara Fillmann and I have been friends now for over 17 years I think.  She was my best friend throughout high school and we got the privilege of rooming together in college.  More than that she is a sweet friend and sister who pushes me to be more like Christ!  I value her prayers and advice as a mom now in this season!  Nicole Fillmann I met through the Saras- she and her husband challenge me in their love for Christ and how they make hard decisions and sacrifices to serve Him!  And Sarah Brown is a sweet friend who now I get to see in Cincinnati- she is a great compassionate nurse at a children's burn hospital downtown!  Sarah has a heart for serving people and for the world in missions!  Sarah Brown will do anything for you- she truly serves with joy and a servant's heart!  So I learn so much from being with these sweet friends!   I love Watermark's Song, "More Than You'll Ever Know", which sums up how the Lord has used these sweet friends along my walk in this journey of life.  :)

Something brought you to my mind today

I thought about the funny ways

you make me laugh

And yet I feel like it's ok to cry with you

Something about just being with you

When I leave I feel like I've been with God

and that's the way it ought to be, yeah

Chorus:

Cause you've been more than a friend to me

you fight off my enemies

cause you have spoken the truth over my life

And you'll never know what it means to me

just to know you've been on your knees for me

Oh, you have blessed my life

more than you'll ever know

Yeah, yeah, yeah, more than you'll ever know

Yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Just A Few...

A few weeks ago we took a family picture with 4 generations of Lyons men- I thought it turned out pretty good.

Jeremiah enjoyed taking care of Grandma's cat- but they kept their distance...

Jeremiah got his 2 month shots last Thursday- he was so happy on the changing table and moving around and then wham- he didn't know what hit him- poor guy!  I am very thankful that he is gaining weight and the doc feels like he is on track now better than he was.  :)

This past weekend, Jeremiah and I went to a Family Summit at church and was blessed by some sharing on Godly men and women about parenting.  I realized that I need to be praying more during the day for Jeremiah and be more reliant and dependent on the Lord for His wisdom!  I was listening to a sermon by John Piper the other week about the love of God and was reminded that as parents and any children we have in our lives- we need to model the love of God.  John Piper said that his mom showed him a picture of the love of God and how he was able to believe in God because of her model.  I pray that the Lord would be making me more like Christ so that I can point my family to Christ!

Also, keep praying for Michael- he has a hugely busy week- really until the beginning of May- so we are in survival mode in our house and Jeremiah and I are trying not to make like too difficult for Michael.  Though Jeremiah still hasn't gotten the memo that daddy can study so much better if you don't cry all night for his attention.  :)  Really, we don't know what he is crying for.  :)

Cincinnati :)

So as a newcomer to this great city, I am learning about certain events that are important to the "locals" here.  Opening Day is definitely one of them!  Last Thursday, March 31- the Reds played their first game and won!  So many people are all excited and celebrating the Opening Day of baseball.  So we decided to take up some of the offers of the local eateries around!  We decided to go to Skyline before Michael's Hebrew class.  It was Jeremiah's first Skyline experience, complete with bib and all.  So I enjoyed my 2 free coneys on Opening Day! 

This spring and summer, I am looking forward to exploring my new city more and seeing what else defines the city of "Cincinnati."  :) 

We also had a few visitors and helpers last week.  Nicole Nephew is a great young lady and comes over twice a month to help me with Jeremiah!  She is great with babies and she has helped me do the dishes, take Jeremiah and grocery shop at Kroger, feed him a bottle and give him a bath.  It is fun to get to know her and she is super helpful!!

Erin Spring and Olivia came over to visit last Monday and Olivia loved holding little Jeremiah!  We were excited to see them as I used to watch Olivia this fall so it was fun to see her again and see how much she has grown, especially in her vocabulary!  :)

What We Did Yesterday...

It was just one of those days...

OK- so Michael didn't really sleep- he has a busy next 2 weeks of classes and will finish up his first year at Hebrew Union the first week of May!  We are very excited for him to have a little "free time" so he can play with us.  :)  It has been a rough semester for Michael but the Lord has given him much grace and has sustained him!  He has been a great husband and daddy through it all!  But we look forward to having more time with him!