Easter Weekend

Ok, so I am the worst blogger ever.  Man, do I have so much to catch up on!  A lot has been happening and going on the past few months.  So get ready for lots and lots of posts about all we have been up to.  Family, church, friends, and work has kept us super busy.  So much so that by 9:30pm we are exhausted and ready to pass out.  I go to open my computer and start writing and literally fall asleep on my keyboard.  But we just got home from our church's Easter picnic and the girls are napping so I am gonna try and post all I can.  Let me just start with a quick life update on this one... More specific posts coming after.  So what has been going on in the Van Hoy's??  Lets start with Jonny:  He's been busy with work (which is going so well), working out, and being a wonderful husband and daddy.  He has been so helpful the past two months- doing so many things around the house to help me out and holding down the fort many nights while I had to work and such.  Whats been going on with me??  Well I have been so busy with work and mommy hood.  I feel like I am always on the go and never slowing down.  Young Life in the spring is usually pretty busy for me.  We had our Banquet (which went awesome) the end of March, bowl a thon on Tuesday, and our golf tournament in May.  I have had many many 2-3 hour of sleep nights preparing for our banquet and things- I am seriously sleep deprived.  So thankful for family who have watched the girls and helped me out so much the past few months and VERY thankful for the fact that I can do a lot of my work at home or with my girls tagging a long.  Outside of Young Life I have been being a mom, working for my dad, and training for my half marathon (which was April 12- post on that later).  The girls are good.  Growing like weeds and keeping us on our toes.  Well like I said, I was just giving a brief update (does this count as brief?? lol)- look for more specific posts soon.

 So Easter weekend is here.  I love Easter.  I am not that big into the easter bunny, the egg hunts, the candy, and all the commercial stuff that comes along.   In fact, I have one decoration in my house for easter- a sign that says 'He is Risen' (not that there is anything wrong with the other things- we do do an egg hunt with our girls).  But I think we get too caught up in all that stuff and forget to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord- the hope of the whole world.  So this year I have kept it simple- I want my girls to know why we celebrate Easter.  What easter is about.  The importance of Easter- not just for the weekend but for eternity.  When they think of Easter, I don't want them to focus on the bunny, the candy, and all that but I want them to KNOW our Savior and what He has done for us.  

 So yesterday was Good Friday.  We celebrate His love and grace and mourn for our sins that held Him there.  How deep the Fathers love for us is! Giving His one and only Son, bearing our sins and paying the price for them all. What a precious Savior!  "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds." 1 Peter 2:24 #Sundayiscoming

Saturday was a quiet day.  A day of waiting.  The crucifixion has passed and the resurrection has yet to come.  Hope is coming!!

Sunday, what a glorious day!!  And I love this song by Matt Maher.  It sums up what I would say perfectly:  

"Christ is risen from the dead 
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with him again
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave

Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!

Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light!
Our God is not dead, He's alive! He's alive!"

So I hope you have a blessed Easter with family and friends celebrating our Risen Lord.