Long overdue!

We have lived in the desert for three and a half years. There is really no excuse. None. But nonetheless, yesterday was our first visit to the Desert Botanical Garden. Rest assured, it will not be our last. As a matter of fact, I think my camera and I just might need membership there. It was amazing.

In case I haven't said this often enough, I never cease to be amazed at the difference in the flora and fauna in our new (relatively) desert home than from my beloved Mississippi. Equal in beauty but impossible to compare because they are so completely different!

We serve an awesome, creative God whose artistic talent knows no bounds. I stand in awe. I do.

My family in front of the cactus garden at the entrance.
The Butterfly Pavilion cost extra. I couldn't resist going in. And the family had to pull me out (kicking and whining, I don't mind telling you.) This is one of many photos, I took. But it is my favorite because so many of these graceful creatures were flocking to this one Bottle brush bloom.

The Agave blooming.

I'm not sure what this is...but know the Sonoran Desert is one of the only places you will find it.

We actually have some of these cacti in our yard. There blooms just make me smile!

That is just a sample. I might add more in the days to come. Wouldn't you agree that we had a botanical blessing yesterday? To be sure!

Must see!

The Shraders went to the Rock and Worship Roadshow last night...it was amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

MercyMe (one of my personal favorite groups) had a vision to offer a concert that families could afford to attend. Lead singer Bart Millard described the vision like this, "For years we had been bothered by the fact that we were preaching the FREE gift of grace in Jesus but at a premium ticket price!"

The admission price was $10! There were no advance ticket sales and therefore the bands had NO idea how many people would attend. There were serious emotions displayed by the bands as the people first wrapped around the city blocks for hours in downtown Phoenix and then continued to pour in throughout the evening -- for a total of 12,500 plus people singing, praising and celebrating God! Did I say...it was amazing? At one point the lights went off. The instruments stopped. And these 12,500 people were raising their voices to heaven. It was amazing -- did I say that already?!

The show wasn't just MercyMe -- Addison Road, 10th Avenue North, Hawk Nelson and Jeremy Camp were there, too. My entire family loved it -- OK, admittedly Cate liked it less than the others...she thought Hawk was a little "too loud"! ha But we had a wonderful family time and nobody minded that we did not make it home until midnight.

So, go to http://www.therockandworshiproadshow.com/ and find a show near you!

You will be blessed!

Signs of Spring

OK, I have a confession to make. I resolved a few weeks ago to blog more often. To make it a priority and stick with it. And I did. For about four days. And then my "Supermom" cape apparently blew right off and the reality of homeschooling my beautiful children, actually feeding them meals, doing their laundry, and keeping the house in a state that prevents a "condemned" sign from being posted outside got the best of me. I am sorry. So here's to trying again. It is Spring after all -- a season that invigorates me, feels me with new energy and excitement, so I'm going to give it my best shot!! But you'll love me if I fail, right?!


The desert cacti do amazing things in Spring. We took a drive through the Carefree area of Phoenix last weekend and saw these beautiful cacti waiting to bloom. I am not sure what they even are -- had not seen them before -- but they made me smile all over! Aren't they unique?

The air temperature is not completely warm enough for swimming yet...but that has never stopped us. We heated the pool this weekend and the kids had a blast trying out their new super soakers!! (Note to grands: we could use MORE of these soakers...the kids each have one but the adults needs some defense weapons!!)

The first year our littlest mermaid hasn't needed any floaty support. Ah, she was swimming all over the pool and only scared her Daddy and me a few times as she dog-paddled and made us think she was "stalled"!!

She acts like she knows what to do with this baseball and glove...she and I were tossing it back and forth when her Daddy came home. As those of you who ever played softball with me know, I have little to NO eye-hand coordination. She quickly tired of my inabilities, sighed and asked her Daddy to play with her!! Good thing I know my limitations...otherwise, my feelings might have been hurt.

I love that she kicked that leg up with every pitch! Like this wasn't the FIRST time she had thrown a ball!

This action shot makes me smile -- wish her hair had been pulled back...but I think you can see the grin.

And then my favorite sign of Spring....the annual Shrader First Swim of the Season Portrait! With all the wonderful fragrances of Spring -- orange blossoms, baseball glove leather, and sweet gardenia -- chlorine may be one of my favorites of them all!!

Blessings indeed.

Poppies make me happy!

It will be a shock to many of you but the Shraders took a non-Disney trip to Southern California last week. (OK, you probably know us better than that...we DID drop by downtown Disney for a bit of shopping...and we did buy some wonderful Mickey and Donald treasures at a delightful antique toy store while in So Cal...but did not officially go in the gates of Disneyland!)

We had a wonderful week visiting with dear friends and visiting sites we don't usually visit. But the best part for the camera-toting Mommy was our Saturday morning visit to the Antelope Valley Poppy and Wildflower Reserve about an hour north of Los Angeles. The rolling hills, the blooming wildflowers and the perfect weather made me want to stay for a long visit. Unfortunately, hungry children ruled otherwise! But I might have had time to take one or two...or one hundred, pictures!

The Shraders in the middle of the reserve!

A Poppy waking up.

Fields of yellow and orange -- the poppies were not quite at their peak but the colors were breathtaking nonetheless!

These were Claire's personal favorite -- Fiddle heads! See how they curve just like the end of her violin?

Our love of Southern California is not just Disney-related -- Wade's best friend of 20 plus years lives there! We treasure all the time Uncle Todd gives our family when we visit!


Todd and his beautiful bride, Marti, and the Shrader clan!

I couldn't resist the pouty picture when Cate was told it was time to go and she plopped down on a rock to protest! I love this sweet little face!!

And these pictures of Mason and Cate running along the path just make me smile!

So just so you know, the kids and Wade have already been warned that Mommy has a new favorite place to go in Southern California! I can hardly wait to go back!!

A little pencil shaving with that carpet?

She's three. I know that I love every age my kids reach. I do. But she is so stinkin' cute at three (and yea, she heard me say that and now she says everything is "stinkin cute, Mommy.")

Yesterday, she was having a moment that had the potential to make Mommy crazy. She dropped the electric pencil-sharpener. The shavings (could there have been 200 years' worth in there? It seemed that way!) went all over the floor. I was busy on the computer and told her I would be just a minute and I would clean it up. No big deal.

And then she came walking over to me. Covered. From head to every single toe. In pencil. Shavings. Covered.

I started to fuss. Grabbed her up and stuck her in the tub so I could wash them off (do you think that will stop up my drain?). Fussing at her the entire time.

At least until she looked up at me, crying, and saying over and over again, "I so sorry, Mommy. I so sorry."

"Do you 'give me?"

And how could I not 'give her? Oh sweet, baby, you can spill pencil shavings on my floors any time. I will always and always 'give you. What a blessing.