Easter 2026- morning photos.

Happy Easter! Christ the Lord is risen today!

Easter 2026- Family celebrations.

We were in Des Moines for a few days over Easter break at my parent's house and had lots of fun family time with the Schut side! The weather was rainy and chilly, so we didn't get to do some of our usual outings, but we still had a good time. We were able to get out a bit to play in the yard and we still had our egg hunt outside in the front where it wasn't muddy! We enjoyed lots of cousin playtime (and aunts/uncles/grandparents too), egg hunt, and Easter baskets. :)

Margo (my niece) got these glasses in her basket and thought they were so cool. She was wearing them and walking around pausing in front of everyone, wanting them to acknowledge her and say something about them. It was very funny and cute!

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for the special Easter baskets!

I said I didn't get pictures of Stuart on this trip (my brother's 4th baby) because he was either napping or too small to participate, but I got his sweet little head in the bottom of this one! My sister, Karlie, and her family didn't come because they just had their 3rd baby last week and her husband's parents were going up to help them this weekend. Yay for the family growing!

Checking out their egg hunt findings.

Egg hunt crew.

When we came back from Des Moines, we got to celebrate with the De Jong side too! They do their egg hunt as a scavenger hunt and it's always so fun and the kids love it! Love cousin time!

Looking for one of the clues in the hunt.

We played Left, Center, Right and that was so fun and a game that all ages can play.

Love a full table!

The victory dance for Gerrit winning! He was so excited and love everyone's excitement for him!

Happy Easter- He is risen!

Easter 2026- Dyeing eggs, egg hunt, and Easter baskets.

What a fun Easter night as a family! We celebrated a little early because we were with extended family over Easter. The girls loved it and we had special time together- so fun to make holidays special for your kids! So thankful for the forgiveness and salvation granted to us as believers in His death and resurrection- the greatest news ever!

Easter baskets.

Egg hunt and candy piles! (Sometimes when we get home from school or our after school activities and we don't have to go anywhere for the rest of the night, the girls like to wear pajamas, so that happened today.)

Dyeing eggs.

Love these traditions, our girls, and the celebration of Easter! :)

Recent reads 2026.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman- This book is set in present time where Rocky's family is on their annual vacation together in Cape Cod, but also jets back in time here and there to different memories. A big secret is revealed, which helps connect everything and explain emotions/behaviors. She is in the "sandwich" generation between her almost grown kids and aging parents. I did not love the LGBTQ aspects (not the main point of the book but there), but I did really enjoy how much of the book was just about the simple moments of life and how to find wonder and joy in the everyday.

Gospel Mom: How to Make Biblical Decisions and Discover the Mom God Created You to Be by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler- The women in our life group went through this this year, and wow it was good! So practical and encouraging, filled with thought provoking elements and good reminders. The first section takes you through the framework (creation, fall, redemption, consummation). The second section takes you through the practices (spiritual disciplines and habits). The third section takes you through the thinking (unique circumstances, personal conscience, and heart motivations). It would be a great study to do with a few other Christian moms, but also encouraging to read on your own too.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans- This book is written entirely in letter format, from the different letters/emails that Sybil Van Antwerp sends and receives. It's hard to say more than that without revealing too much I think? I heard this book receiving incredibly high praise online from many people! I don't know that I'd say it was the greatest like I heard many others say, but it was very good and I did enjoy it very much. 

Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland by Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus- What a powerful story! This was cowritten by Amanda and Gina, two of the girls who were kidnapped by Ariel Castro in Cleveland and held captive for about a decade in the 2000s. (Michelle Knight, the third woman he captured, retold her story solo.) Amanda had a daughter during that time. What a story of redemption, perseverance, and resilience in the face of great trials. They hung on, kept hope, and did their best to make the most of a truly terrible situation. 

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear- This one had been on my book list for awhile, and I'm glad I finally read it! It was very interesting- he talked a lot about how small changes can produce big results. He talked about things like habit stacking, improving your environment, setting yourself up for success, etc. and gave many examples of how small changes make a difference in the long run. He also gave tips for how to combat our world of instant gratification to make doable, sustainable small changes to help yourself improve.

Lucy and Ellory's 3rd grade music concert 2026.

Lucy and Ellory had their 3rd grade music concert at school and they did great! It was a food theme, so they sang some fun songs like "Green Bean Casserole" and "Pizza Love." Lucy got to play the xylophone for a song and both Lucy and Ellory's classes each did a song on recorder too! Way to go, Lucy and Ellory! It's fun that they can look super smart in music class at school because many of the musical things they are learning they already know from piano lessons!

Ellory's class! (There were two classes on this riser section, so only half of them are her class.)

Lucy on recorder.

Ellory on recorder.

Lucy playing C and F and keeping the beat.

Lucy's class.

Cousin fun at our house and Norah's last volleyball tournament.

Norah had her last tournament of the AAU season! It was really fun to watch them grow and see the gains you can make in a short amount of time, they really did get better from beginning to end! I loved playing volleyball, so it's a joy for me to share that love with Norah! Go Dutch!

My brother, Keaton, and his family came to our house for a few days when their kids had spring break and we had lots of fun play time together! Keaton and Rose have four kids, so it's always a sweet cousin time when they are together. We enjoyed lots of games at home and outside play, walks to a coffee shop and park, Pizza Ranch, and swimming. I also got to take Jorie and Murphy on a little aunt date while Margo and Stuart were napping and our girls were at school- so sweet!

My mom got to join for the last part of their trip to catch Norah's last volleyball tournament, and my grandma came for supper too! 

The cousins all sat together at their own table and did so great!

Cousins! (Margo didn't really want to join but you can see the top of her head, ha!)

Game time.