Resurrection Rolls

A few years ago a good friend recommended trying this recipe with the kids on Easter weekend. It is a neat recipe because you read the Resurrection story along with the preparation/cooking steps.

Resurrection Rolls
1 can Crescent Rolls
8 large Marshmallows
1 stick Butter (melted)
Cinnamon Sugar


Read John 19 while the oven is pre-heating to 350 degrees.

Explain the symbolism of the ingredients:
Marshmallow - represents Jesus, all white and pure because He was without sin
Melted Butter - represents the embalming oils
Cinnamon Sugar - represents the spices used to prepare Jesus' body
Crescent Roll - represents the cloth used to wrap Jesus


Each child took turns making their way down our assembly line.

Take a marshmallow and roll it around in the melted butter.


Take butter-coated marshmallow and roll it around in the cinnamon sugar.


Wrap the butter and cinnamon sugar coasted marshmallow with a crescent roll (making sure to pinch the dough, sealing it together securely).


Explain that the oven symbolizes the tomb. Place the Resurrection Rolls in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

While the rolls are baking read John 20:1-18.

Open the tomb and remove the Resurrection Rolls. After they've cooled break one open and find that the marshmallow is no longer there.

Jesus is alive!

Wordless Wednesday

Myself and Kris - Coney Island, NYC - August 2008

Easter Weekend

We had a great weekend! Easter is always a welcomed treat for a long weekend usually means we are all home from school/work and get to do things as a family without too much rushing around. We had a couple of fun things on our to do list and got them all accomplished!

We certainly wanted to get in our tradition of dyeing a few eggs.


This can be a little stressful. Since there is dye and breakable eggs and all! But, I must say this year was a little more relaxed. It wasn't too long ago that our dyeing experience went on with these sweet faces and hands :)


We also had an impromptu Easter Egg Hunt.







This year proved to be exceptionally fun for Bankston Hays. He totally got the idea of "hunting" and was so happy every time he found an egg! It reminded me once again how precious these young years are...everything is so new and exciting. I guess it was really the first time he had experienced an Easter Egg Hunt. Last year we had the Wicked scheduling snafu and previous years he would have been a little young.

And continuing on the secular note...the Easter Bunny left each kiddo their own basket of goodies:)

Wordless Wednesday

Bankston Hays, 8 months - July 2008

The Perfect Pick

A few weeks ago Bankston Hays had a check up with his pediatrician. It had been a year since our last check-up and I wasn't sure how he would react to all the measurements and prodding. (You see, the kiddos of The Five Dubs have a tendency to scream and cling throughout the whole "check your weight and height" routine and then watch intently and ask questions as they prick your finger. Fun times of being a mom, I tell ya!) He did great! After being weighed and having his finger pricked the nurse let him pick a toy out of the treasure chest. His perfect pick ended up being this little squeaky frog.


You might ask why a squeaky frog was a perfect pick. It was perfect because as our wait for the Doctor was getting a little long, Bankston Hays suggested we play "Hide and Seek Frog". It turned out to be the most fun! We took turns "hiding" the frog while the other kept their eyes closed and counted to 10. Each new hiding spot brought a squeal!


I love that he came up with this game on his own. Their little imaginations blow me away. Moments like these bring to light that being a mom is such a reward.

And for the record...I have mentioned in previous posts his affection for football. Yes, he wore the helmet to the Doctor and yes, he has been seen "making tackles" in the grocery store aisles while wearing said helmet. The above picture is evidence :)

How is this happening?

In the Spring of 2007 Wes started his adventure in baseball. That first experience playing T-Ball was priceless. He was so ready to tag out the runner and hit home runs! He loved to talk baseball and played every chance he got.


How did we get from that to this? Wes has started his fourth and final season of Coach Pitch. It is hard to believe! Next year he will enter the world of Kid Pitch.


Not much has changed with this big boy. He is just as eager to make big plays and smash the ball! Most afternoons still involve a backyard game - the only differences are he has a little brother that wants in on the action and he has to finish his homework first :)

Wordless Wednesday

Ann Elise, 15 months - May 2006

My Memory

I am a pretty organized person. I always have a list going in my head or on a note pad. I like routine and efficiency. I frequently play "games" with myself that help me remember or "accomplish in less time". Yes, I might be a little crazy. However, no matter how much I practice - my memory, or I should say memory loss, still surprises me!

The other day I was busy in my closet putting away clothes. Bankston Hays was right along side doing his thing...dressed in a Southern Miss football helmet, singing the fight song, and pretending to run through the big helmet onto the field.

The more time I spent in my closet my putting away clean clothes project turned into a swapping winter clothes for summer clothes project and BH wanted to channel his energy elsewhere. He asked if I would help him get into the hamper. Sure, why not? It was empty and it'd keep him contained/entertained a little while longer while I finished up.


He was having the best time in his "cabe". With his imagination, I think he could have stayed in there for hours! He was just a playing and I kept doing my thing. I had finished up and was ready to start the next thing on my list. I left the closet and came back a few minutes later to put something up...to be greeted by BH innocently rising up out of the hamper...I SCREAMED!!! I had totally forgotten he was playing in the hamper!


Where is my memory?????


See - told you I might be crazy - totally went and got my camera and had my three year old reenact scaring me so I could blog about it :)

Wordless Wednesday

Ann Elise (3), Wes (5), Presley, Bankston Hays (7 months), and Kris

Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans - May 2008

Liese's Little Love

We have always called Ann Elise "Liese (Lee-see)" and our Liese has many little loves. One of her loves is critters. She has always enjoyed roly polies, worms, frogs, etc. And with our recent warm weather she has been in heaven! We have seen so many caterpillars :)

When we were pulling into the garage the other day this one was waiting for us!


She jumped out of the van, scooped it up, and quickly became it's best friend (or nightmare)!


She loved on that caterpillar all afternoon. She carried it everywhere, built it a home, and fed it.


She even convinced her little brother it's feet tickled!


Liese has such a sweet tender heart. It is definitely one of my favorite things about her personality :)

Taking advantage of nature

For the last few months we have noticed a dead pine tree to the side of our house. The day finally came to take care of that tree...before it took care of our house! Bankston Hays and I were at home and heard a big crash. When we went to the front door we saw this:


My father -in-law had the situation under control and was working with the guys to get the job done right.

Bankston Hays immediately ran to get his own chainsaw and was disappointed they wouldn't let him in on the action! He had to settle for another tree.


They got all the stumps and limbs to the end of our driveway.


It took about a week for the city to get it picked up and everyday I would drive by and see all these great stumps. I remembered a recent blog post by one of my favorite decorating blogs. She recently had a tree fall in her backyard and she seized the opportunity to turn the misfortune into a decorating treasure. You can read the post here.

I recruited Kris (and the kids' red wagon) to help me haul two stumps back up to the house. I decided I didn't have anything to lose! They might just make nice side tables for our back patio!