Good Saturday Morning to you! It’s been a crazy week around here; preschool Easter parties, Mom & DaddyBoy in town, swing set building, baking, cleaning, healing craters, and lots of playing! The weather has been wonderful… sunny & low 80s, perfect for all that we accomplished this week!
My MIL has a beautiful yard and she graciously watched JM so that I could attended Paige’s Easter party without him, when we got there he was so enamored with her flowers {who could blame him} I couldn’t help but snap a few pictures of his bed head leaning over for a little sniff sniff!
I also have been meaning to make these for weeks and weeks and finally got around to it yesterday! We had some friends over to play and I should have known little ones would want all the coconut scraped off! 🙂 They are devil’s food cupcakes, butter cream frosting {Wilton’s recipe}, and toasted coconut! I trimmed the tops of the cupcakes off so the “birds” could sit down in them!
Our biggest feat of the week was building the 30,000 part swing set. I learned that building a swing set was good for my sanctification. We managed to finish it in 2 days and only had 148 parts left over! And of course, the kids love it! They’ve been outside since it was done and besides one fat lip, no blood has been shed!
I was almost convinced that little man was too small to play on it … he proved me wrong in about 30 seconds when he climbed the rock wall and proceeded to go down the slide… all by himself.
Morgan loves the swings.
And Paiger loves the slide.
And little man loves the “double swing thing” because he can ride while a sister pumps. I kept asking him if he was ready to get off and he would quickly reply, “Nooooooooooo!”
All three absolutely love it and have already logged MANY many hours on it in the first week! And very soon I hope Rover will learn to not walk in front of the swings.
Every time he does it I think, “that will certainly be the last time he does that” as I scoop him up off the ground and brush him off.
In other news, I dropped my phone in the pool yesterday. It was in my pocket when I leaned over the pool and then I watched it sink to the very bottom of the deep end. I fished it out, dried off, sat it in the warm sun and it’s still a goner. Justin thinks it was a secret ploy to get an iPhone, I assured him it wasn’t… but an iPhone does sound good to me. But my goodness those little things are expensive anyone know if you can buy them used? 🙂
Also… I’m putting together the April sponsors POST… be sure to check back soon for details and specials they have to offer! I have a handful of fun new sponsors this month!
And last but not least… I hope and pray that each of you have a wonderful Easter weekend to reflect on the goodness, faithfulness, and love of the Savior. I am reminded of the power of his redeeming blood that was shed for a sinner such as I… which gives me so much to be thankful for and so much to celebrate!! Thank you, Lord Jesus!
If you have time to listen to these powerful words, I think they would be a blessing to you!
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
My Redeemer Lives {This video has been around for a while but what a powerful picture of the love of a father for his son; a father pushes his physically disabled son in marathons and triathlons. And as I watched it I reminded myself that Jesus does all of this for us… he carries us when we can’t walk and the reality is he went beyond carrying us by dying for us!}
Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Easter!
diane
April 3, 2010 at 9:59 amHappy Easter! Give praise to the Lord who makes all things new!
Bethany
April 3, 2010 at 10:10 amI have no idea how I stumbled across your blog. . . friend of a friend of a friend? But I do absolutely LOVE it. Looking forward to “following” you! Blessings! ~Bethany @ cartwheelsoup.blogspot.com
Mott @ The Courtyard Gate
April 3, 2010 at 10:24 amYour MIL does have a beautiful yard if that little peak is indicative of her entire yard! Wow! JM looks so much like DaddyBoy in that last picture to me! Do you think so? The resemblance is awesome! Glad you got the swing together and the kids are enjoying it. Happy Easter to y’all, too!
Mary Elizabeth
April 3, 2010 at 10:24 amWhat beautiful pictures!
17 years ago we also built a swing set, I remember it as if it was yesterday… we finally took it down last year and replaced it with evergreens (it was a tearful moment for me).
May you have wonderful memories on your swings…I certainly did. (Except for one broken arm that occurred during a “let’s show off” moment.) Time marches on.
Have a Blessed Easter.
Mott @ The Courtyard Gate
April 3, 2010 at 10:25 ampeak should be peek 🙂
Suzanne
April 3, 2010 at 10:25 amGORGEOUS photos, as always! I love both pics of all 3 kids on the swing-set together. (And the hippo at the table is cute too.) Your kids all have such beautiful glowing skin!
Dianne
April 3, 2010 at 10:29 amWell needless to say I need an entire box of Kleenex after watching the father and son team. Thank you Darby for sharing. I hope you and your family have a lovely Easter. Thank you also for your prayers. We too are looking forward to a nice holiday weekend xoxo
Suz
April 3, 2010 at 10:30 amHey Darby–have you tried putting your phone in a bowl of rice? I’ve done that before. Supposedly it absorbs the liquid.
But the iphone option is nice too. Totally worth the price. 🙂
chesley
April 3, 2010 at 10:43 ambeautiful pics!! Happy Easter!
Holly
April 3, 2010 at 10:47 amYou can buy them refurbished on AT&T’s website.
Here’s the link: https://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phones/cell-phones.jsp?feacondition=refurbished&feapaytype=standard&startFilter=false&allTypes=on&manapple=apple
Holly
April 3, 2010 at 10:47 amI personally think everyone should have an iPhone, haha!!
E @ Oh! Apostrophe
April 3, 2010 at 10:58 amHappy Easter!! Those pictures of all three of your little ones together are just priceless! Enjoy the weekend 🙂
Anne
April 3, 2010 at 11:03 amThe tulips! I love them! Have FUN on the swingset. (I’m with Paige…I like the slide!)
rhonda
April 3, 2010 at 11:08 amI was going to suggest the rice as well. My hubby’s phone got wet, and after about a week it started working again. Just took awhile to dry out. And ask around, people are always upgrading. I got a used blackberry from a cousin-in-law that way. Its old, but it has internet which is all I cared about. an iphone would be nice, but like you…expensive~!
kristen
April 3, 2010 at 11:19 amwhat a week! those last 2 pictures are the most precious things ever..hope you do something with them!! like frame them or blow them up or make them into a card …something!!!! happy easter to you and your family!
Lindsay Lee
April 3, 2010 at 11:19 amWhat type of camera do you use? Your pictures are GORGEOUS!!!!
Alison
April 3, 2010 at 11:23 amMy neighbor went down the slide into the pool with his iphone. He put it in a ziploc with a bunch of those “do not ingest” packets that come in the shoebox (he’s a tennis pro, so I guess he had a bunch of shoes lying around!), and 48 hours later, his iphone was working again! Not sure where you can get your hands on those little packets not even sure what they’re called, but maybe your friend with the children’s store has shoeboxes? Good luck, it’s no fun being without your phone for a few days.
glorystory
April 3, 2010 at 11:37 amLike Bethany, I stumbled upon your site (not sure how, except for divine appointment) and I’m smitten. I love how you show a glimpse of your daily life and family, always focusing on the redemptive power of Jesus. While you appreciate the pretty things in life, your faith and witness are bold, and I love that.
Yes, our Redeemer lives! I spoke with Him this morning!
May you and your family have a Blessed and Joyous Easter.
(enjoy your cell-phone vacation…it’s hard to remember what life was like before them, but we lived, and always had a quarter in our pockets in case of emergency)
p.s. love the design of your site and your photography!
Nelle
April 3, 2010 at 11:46 amAmen! Darby you have been a joy to follow and I thank God that @spiceandsass posted on her cute blog about you. We are Easter people, hopeful in the resurrection and look forward to tomorrow.
angela
April 3, 2010 at 11:50 amhi there! can i just tell you how stinking cute your children are? I’m especially drawn to little man…. i’m so sad I won’t be able to join you all on the bbtn get together but i know you all will have a blast. happy easter!
Jan
April 3, 2010 at 11:54 ami can only imagine putting together one of those swing sets one day. i can’t even follow directions for a toaster oven! quick question…where did you get the lamp that’s in your first photo behind the bunny on the right side? i love it, and i’m looking for something like. thanks! vanderbilt13@hotmail.com
Janna
April 3, 2010 at 12:02 pmYour photos are so beautiful! The ones of the three of them on the bench are especially adorable!
Happy Easter!
Jill
April 3, 2010 at 12:08 pmJust wanted to tell you that the rice method works!! I dropped my phone in the potty a few months ago and it seemed to be a goner. My Dad told me to bury it in a covered tupperware of rice for a few days and it worked! Something in the rice seems to literally suck the water out of every little crevice…its like magic! Give it a try 🙂
meaghan
April 3, 2010 at 12:23 pmsomeone may have already said this, but when one of my boys spilled milk all over my phone someone told me to put it in rice over night. wierd, but it WORKS!!!
meaghan
April 3, 2010 at 12:24 pmoh, someone has mentioned the rice 😉 well it’s legit!
Meghan Cresawn
April 3, 2010 at 12:24 pmI personally would stay away from the used/refurbished iPhones… unless it’s refurbished by Apple themselves. We bought one from Best Buy, but it was restored by BB and not Apple (even though they told us it was from Apple). Big mistake! We traded it in for a brand new one within days and I’ve been in love since! 🙂
Melissa (melissab74)
April 3, 2010 at 12:25 pmGotta love those swingsets! I think every parent has a story about trying to put one together! When I was little, I got one for Christmas, but had a note from Santa that he didn’t have time to put it together that night. So the next day, in the freezing cold whipping wind, my daddy, granddaddy & great uncle spent all day trying to get it put together. Happy Easter to you & your family! BTW, I Know My Redemmer Lives is the title song in the cantata we’re doing tomorrow morning!
Anna
April 3, 2010 at 12:39 pmOh my goodness! The flower photo is so precious! If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get your swingset? We’re looking for something similar…not looking forward to putting it together though!
julie
April 3, 2010 at 12:42 pmjm and i might just be best friends forever!! im a big fan of that yogurt he’s about to devour!! 🙂 happy easter stickler family!!
Cami
April 3, 2010 at 12:44 pmOh my gosh, the picture of them hugging is the sweetest thing ever! The iPhone really is the best phone. 🙂 Happy Easter!
Katherine @ Grass Stains
April 3, 2010 at 1:10 pmI’m sitting here laughing thinking that if only you’d bought the playset before Christmas, you could have gotten that Perfect Christmas Card Picture you tried so hard for. 😉 These are PRECIOUS of the three kids together!
ashley
April 3, 2010 at 1:26 pmDarby,
I must say I am completely jealous of the amazing photogaphs you take of your children. (jealous- in a nice way!!) I love how you capture the everyday moments that I fear without documentation I will forget about one day. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THE PICTURE OF YOUR THREE WITH ARMS STRETCHED OUT LEANING ON ONE ANOTHER ON THE NEWLY BUILT SWINGSET. WHAT A TREASURE! As a mother of four, I know what a challenge it is just to get everyone in the same place for a photo. But yours are all looking at the camera, smiling, hugging on each other –the love you see– it melts my heart. I LOVE your blog, and your precious family — Keep this blog rolling.
Janice
April 3, 2010 at 2:11 pmI ran my cell through the washing machine, and after 4 days it worked. Remove the battery, then just leave it be, and after 4-5 days give it a try.
Gorgeous children. Gorgeous photos of those gorgeous children.
I continue to love reading your account of your nest.
Janice
April 3, 2010 at 2:15 pmOh yeah, I meant to add that 20 years ago several of us – the kids parents, me the auntie & one set of grandparents – built a swing set for my nephews & niece. If I recall correctly, it said 2 hour assembly. It took a couple of days. But the kids loved it.
hannah
April 3, 2010 at 2:58 pmyou would looooooooove an iphone… HAPPY HAPPY EASTER! MAY WE ALL EXPERIENCE MORE OF WHO OUR SAVIOR IS EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!
ps… love the cupcakes!
Ashley Williams
April 3, 2010 at 3:07 pmHey friend!!
Happy Easter to you!! My 2 cents today is for you to make Justin get you a BIG load of sand for the bottom of that swingset for your little boy(and probably little girls too-but I can’t affirm that from experience)! You will NEVER regret it!! More hours than you will know what to do with will be spent with a dumptruck and a big pile of sand. It will make you smile!!
Love you! The pictures are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!! JM is getting to big! When can we come play? OR can you come here? I’m ready!
mandy
April 3, 2010 at 3:42 pmThat picture of them leaning on each other on the bench of the play set is PRECIOUS…so cute! They are too cute for school! Hope you have a relaxing, fun, Christ filled weekend! HAPPY EASTER!!!! Mandy
Traci Curry
April 3, 2010 at 4:24 pmAs an owner of an Iphone you would love it!! it is well worth the expense, it takes a pretty good picture also. Love the pictures of your little ones, I can never get my four in the same place with them all wanting to smile. Good luck with your phone situation.
Whitney
April 3, 2010 at 6:06 pmwhat a precious picture of all three of your kiddos toward the end of your post! that definitely requires good timing even with a nice, fast camera!!! love keeping up with all of your happenings!
angela
April 3, 2010 at 7:15 pmHappy Easter Darby. May the Jesus we love be very real to you this Easter. You are blessed! Those three children: gorgeous!
pam
April 3, 2010 at 8:27 pmdarby..darling kids,great photos and the perfect easter message..iloved the videos..easter blessings to you…
pam
April 3, 2010 at 8:41 pmLovely pictures! Happy Easter!
natalie @ our old southern house
April 3, 2010 at 8:47 pm1. LOVE those peeps in their “nests”. precious!
2. i love the little table your three sit at. mary margaret uses my childhood table and today at an antique market i found her two antique chairs to go with it. yay! i love their little metal-topped table. classic!
Lauren
April 3, 2010 at 8:50 pmLooks like the children are enjoying their swingset! Precious pictures of all of them! Happy Easter!
Sarah
April 3, 2010 at 8:57 pmHave a wonderful Easter! We made resurrection cookies tonight and I can’t wait to break them open in the morning to see the “empty tomb.” My kids REALLY enjoyed to whole process!!!! I LOVE Easter Sunday- I know we celebrate his resurrection every Sunday but I’m always amazed to even wonder what they must have felt to go and see the empty tomb after those days of grieving His death.
Sara
April 3, 2010 at 9:34 pmWhat a lovely week you all had – those pictures of the three kids together on the new playground set are absolutely wonderful! Happy Easter to you and your family.
Karen Jo Moseley
April 3, 2010 at 10:22 pmQUICKLY….take the battery out of your phone…pour rice (uncooked) in a zipper storage bag…put the phone in and zip it shut…leave it for 24 hours…PRAY…open and it “should/could/maybe/hopefully” will be good as new! OH YEAH…Put the battery back in.
LOVE your photos! Happy Easter to You and your Darling family!
Love In Jesus Christ ~ JO
janet
April 3, 2010 at 10:43 pmLiving in Framingham, Massachusetts where the Boston Marathon passes through, I have first hand seen the Hoyt family in action for many years. I remember as a child seeing them and being in awe. As a mother, I now bring my children to watch the Marathon every year. It is such an inspiration to see the bond of a father and son. Truly amazing. I am honored I have had the opportunity to share this with my children and family! Happy Easter to you and your family~
CeCe
April 3, 2010 at 11:44 pmDarby, your pictures are GORGEOUS, as always! I love the ones of the three kids together on the swing set. Adorable! So glad I stumbled across your blog awhile back… I love reading up on your kiddos and seeing all the beautiful pictures of them. Hope you guys have a wonderful Easter!
Abby Maddox
April 4, 2010 at 6:31 amI love that (next to) last picture of all three of them hugging each other. Maybe you should hold onto it a few months and then you won’t have to stress about getting a Christmas card picture. ;)…if only those little stinkers didn’t change so much each month…but I won’t tell anybody.
I hate we’ve missed hanging out with the commune this weekend, but honestly, there has been some part of this weekend that has been a much needed calm (at least in comparison to one filled with lots of strangers and horseback rides and campouts…) Could we just all move to a big secluded farm? Way to love the ministry, Abby. I’m rambling. You deserve that iPhone!
Melanie Gore
April 4, 2010 at 8:39 amYour kids are adorable. I have a 16 yr. old son and he climbed on everything from the time he could walk. Don’t worry about little man:) He will be fine.
Have a great Easter Sunday.
Brittaney
April 4, 2010 at 10:21 amThe birds nest cupcakes are adorable! I’m a teacher and my class made nests out of chow mein noodles and melted chocolate. Then they put candy that looked like eggs in them with a peep on top! Oh, and the picture of Morgan swinging is great!
You can get a refurbished iPhone at the AT&T store starting at $50, but you can also get the 8gb for $99. I’ve had one for 3 years now, and I don’t know what I’d do without it! Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful Easter with your family!
Denise
April 4, 2010 at 3:07 pmHappy Easter to you and your beautiful family! LOVE the pictures of your children on the swing…these are memory making moments…enjoy every minute….time flies by soooooo fast. It seems like only yesterday that my “little girl” was enjoying her swing and this year she turns 30….don’t know where time has gone! Love the table and chairs…my daughter did an earlier post(Natalie @ our old southern house)and told you about MM using her table when she was a little girl. Things like these passed down are priceless. Enjoy your weekend!
Kelly@TearingUpHouses
April 4, 2010 at 4:07 pmHappy Easter! I love all of your pictures, but I think my favorites are the swing ones. So adorable.
Kelly
Jennifer
April 4, 2010 at 8:47 pmOH those pictures. Too adorable! And the flowers…seeing those made me so happy. Things are starting to bloom here…we just experienced the first warm weather Easter, maybe *ever* in Maine. 🙂 It was so nice (upper 70s) that we went to the ocean this afternoon; last year we were bundled up!
wanderluster
April 4, 2010 at 10:15 pmMy goodness, that photo of your little ones hugging each other made my heart melt! Hope your Easter was blessed and beautiful. And I think every mom needs an iPhone… its video camera is perfect for capturing moments like Rover taking that first slide by himself.
pve
April 5, 2010 at 5:21 amTry this, put your phone in a container of rice, in a dark dry spot, leave for 48 hours and it should dry it out. I do love my i-phone even though I need to learn a few tricks, the photos are not bad, and I e-mail, check my blog and others and can google anytime.
Not that I don’t spend my day doing other crafty things, but it sure is fun to share things, like showin my dad the photos of the kids or my art. He says it is “Great.” At 82 he oughta know.
pve
Regan
April 5, 2010 at 5:44 amNever miss your blog. LUUUV it!
Looking to get a new camera and wanted to know what you have? Seems like you posted about this a while back, but I couldn’t find where. Thanks for the info in advance!
Katie Talbert
April 5, 2010 at 10:29 amA good friend of mine introduced me to your blog and I absolutely love it! I was checking in today and saw your phone problem. That has happened to me and if you are interested in trying something to salvage it it has worked for me before. Just take the phone and put it in a ziplock bag with some rice (dry) and leave it in there for 3-4 days. The rice soaks up the water and the phone should work! Or just get the iphone!! It is wonderful too!!
Katie
jenny beth
April 5, 2010 at 11:10 amhey!! i am actually talking my husband into getting me an iphone, on att’s website i saw some 8gig refurbs for 49.00 but beware they do charge an 18.00 upgrade fee… sooo silly in my book but whatever!! iphone here i come.
natalie
April 5, 2010 at 2:08 pmi know i may be a little biased but my heart skipped a beat at some of those JM pics. precious precious son you have. makes me want to go wake mine up with an immediate attack of bear hugs and sugar stealing! happy Easter!
Julie
April 5, 2010 at 2:15 pmDarby,
We got that same swing set for Ellie and she loves it! You can buy ‘used’ iphones. My brother snagged one off ebay or something; but I don’t think AT&T will activate it for you. He somehow hacked into, which I’m sure you will not do!, and got a different phone carrier than AT&T. Who knows how he did it. I have one – it was my birthday present last year and I love it! It’s so great to be able to catch up with everything and everyone while I’m out and about freeing me up from checking email and such once I get home. They are expensive though! Happy Easter!
andrea
April 5, 2010 at 3:59 pmI have an iPhone and I absolutely LOVE it and cannot live w/o it anymore. It’s truly the smartest of phones. Next I will get an iPad. 😛 Altho I’m not sure why.
BTW, the iPhone is not expensive. Just wait till you see what the bill is each month!!! It’s more than the price of the phone! Really really!
Your boy is growing up so fast! Tell us how old he is now!
Melise
April 5, 2010 at 5:29 pmOh adoring the pictures! I dropped my phone in the pacific ocean in Hawaii one time. If one is going to watch their phone sink to the bottom of the ocean the crystal clear water of Hawaii’s natural beauty is the best funeral to attend. However losing ones phone is the worst thing that can happen to you! LOL. No idea about the iphone I’m a Blackberry girl but I do have one word for you – insurance!!! :0)
Hope your Easter was lovely!
Christie
April 5, 2010 at 7:53 pmHappy Easter to you and your beautiful family! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Katie
April 5, 2010 at 8:28 pmOh that little man is too much for me! I love the bedhead sniffing the flowers and the hands up to Jesus run.
Where did you find that little outfit of his? I look everywhere for stuff like that (simple without junk all over it) for my Jack. Hard task!
Roger
March 19, 2014 at 12:32 pmRidiculous quest there. Whhat happlened after?
Good luck!
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