In memory of "Elsie the Great"

Ben's grandmother, Elsie, passed away on Tuesday, March 25th. We made the trip to Pennsylvania last week to attend her funeral and spend some time with family. Ben was able to participate in the funeral and share some wonderful memories of her. We were sad to see her go, but the whole family was happy that she did not suffer. Grandma Elsie ("Elsie the Great" to Karis) made these dolls when Ben's dad was a child. Now Karis has inherited them. They will be put up on a shelf until she is old enough to understand their value.
While we were in Pennsylvania, Karis was able to spend time with all 5 of her cousins. She especially enjoyed the sleepover at "the boys" house along with a ride on the kid-size four wheeler at her grandparents. She enjoyed spinning out on the driveway and running behind as the boys zoomed up the hill.

Easter cheer!

Happy day after Easter everyone. We hope you had a good day. We saw some snow AGAIN, but it didn't ruin the day. After two services, Ben came home to enjoy his first Coke since Lent. I ate the peanut butter eggs that I made Friday... enjoying every taste of chocolate. Next year we're going to give up something non-food related! As you can see, Karis enjoyed Easter too. She danced in her ballet slippers and watched "The Bee Movie"... both were in her Easter basket.

Spring?

Okay, so it's now SPRING! We were able to see most of our yard. Suddenly... a Good Friday Snow. It's been a lazy today with the return of the white stuff. We were awake most of the night since Karis was sick. I guess God knew that the snow would keep us inside for the day.

Bye Bye Beard!

With SPRING weather comes the shaving of Ben's beard. Karis thought it was funny as she watch him do this task. She was happy to get her first hug and kiss without being scratched on the face.

Saturday Fun

Ben took Karis out Saturday now that the snow is melting. This picture is from the Bluffs overlooking our community. Karis really enjoys spending time with Ben. She gets bummed out when he goes to work in the morning.

We took Karis to the doctor Monday to have her established as a patient. She really liked her doctor and we were relieved to be there less than an hour. That was unheard of in South Carolina.

Batman Ben

This has been quite a week for Ben. First, the basement of the church flooded. He, Eric and some church members spent hours trying to clean it up and keep it from flooding again. This morning, they found a bat in the bathroom right outside of their offices (see picture). Ben, being the brave nature-lover that he is, managed to get it outside without harm. Ben reports that Eric was freaking out and hiding in his office. However, if there's a snake in the building, Ben will be the first one to hide. I guess you can say that Ben has been able to put that Environmental Resource Management degree to good use in the ministry!

Glamour Girl!

Karis decided last night that she wanted to have her hair braided. We were so proud of her because she had to sit still through several "re-do's". Karis is growing up so fast.

I had the most amazing experience this morning as I took the mail to our mailbox... I SAW GRASS! It was only a small patch along the driveway, but it's a start. The meteorologists are expecting more snow before April, but I'll take any patches of grass I can get. Kudos goes out to Ben for picking out this house! Regardless of the snow and cold, our sunroom is a dream. We have not heated it with anything but the sun. It's a dreamy 78 degrees today.

Popcorn and a movie!

Ben feels like my picture is not on the blog enough so here we go. Last night we watched "Evan Almighty" with Karis. She was excited to eat popcorn and watch a movie together. This picture was taken just before it started.

The big news from our week... we got a new toilet on our main floor bathroom. We found out that it was leaking Friday morning and a new one was installed Friday afternoon. You know you're getting old when you're excited about a new toilet. Ben took a picture of the bathroom without the toilet and he was relieved when I agreed to not put the picture on the blog.

We went to the home and garden show Saturday afternoon. It allowed us to get some ideas for home renovations. It's great to dream... the challenge is fitting it into the budget!

A busy day.

Today started out with Karis being on the "Good Morning America" in your words segment. Check it out at http://ugv.abcnews.go.com/Player.aspx?id=2796427 Obviously, she's the one with the "Snow for sale" sign. When we told her that she was on tv, she replied by saying, "and I went potty too!" Ben took her to the Children's Museum this afternoon. They had a Teddy Bear Clinic. The local hospital gave the kids a chance to learn about going to the doctor and all of the standards of a check-up. She was very interested and too care of "Bear" the dog.