My new prayer

Matt and I have been struggling lately with decisions, exhaustion and stress, I decided I needed a new prayer that I could say as my "stop and think before I speak break"...

Dear Lord, give me the wisdom to choose my battles, the strength to make my points be heard, the grace to listen with love and give in with grace, the love to always put my husband and family first in all things.

What do you think, I am going to try and say this whenever an argument is starting, preferably holding Matt's hand. I hope it helps me to remember that I love him always and that there is nothing we cannot get through.

Oh, other great quote I read. Mercy is the willingness to enter into the chaos of others and help. I think that maybe my new motto :)

Last few weeks

Orson and I went to Texas last week to watch Dad ride in the MS 150, to see friends and to give Matt a chance to hang out with his Dad and relax without the craziness of us for a while :) It was a great trip, with its ups and downs (I turned 30 on Sat and it was hard to not be with Matt and to give up an opportunity to eat a lot of crawfish and hang out with Nate and Allison because Orson was so overtired), road trip adventures and time to relax with loved ones.
I think Orson's favorite adventure was going for a swim in the Berson's hot tub...he is now super excited for swim time!

Of course the discovery of corn on the cob comes in a close second

As does relaxing on the Berson's couches and playing with their grandson Kaleb.

We had a super time visiting with family and friends. Orson got to meet Seema (my oldest friend) for the first time...they hit is off :)

Parks, Kylie's son (just a few months younger the O)

Hang out with the Pools

My godchild and his many second? cousins (it was interesting to watch him interact with multiple older girls...he never had before)

And my friend and her two children (I had never met Abby before...she was soo cute!)

Then on Saturday, with a few bumps involving lost trucks, Orson and I sat out on our Texas Wildflower road trip. We stopped in a few little towns on the way up to Brenham...found an amazing field of flowers and visited the the Blue Bell ice cream factory. Then we headed onto La Grange to meet the cyclist.

Wow the flowers were great!

The factory wasn't open for tours but we enjoyed the outside area and the gift shop :)

The flowers switched from bluebonnets to Indian Paint Brush and Indian Blankets around La Grange....also amazing!

The guys road a great ride Saturday and Sunday and raised a lot of money for MS...I am always so proud of the riders at the end...and they, I hope, are proud of themselves as well :)

Sunday, after the ride was over, we met up with Nathan and Allison and enjoyed some crawfish and ice cream for my birthday. It was great hanging out with them both.

When we got back, Orson was super excited to get together with his friends and since the weather has been so nice, get togethers have mostly been outside, YEAH!

This weekend we went up to tabletop to see some of California's wildflowers, they were really different then the Texas hill country's but wonderful to see as well.

Joyous Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter here in Sacramento. Orson was super excited and funny all day and Matt and I really enjoyed him. We started with strawberries and bagels for breakfast (Orson ate a million strawberries, thus the overwhelming joy all day), went to church for an Easter egg hunt and then to mass. Ate brunch at a wonderful new find, came home for naps and then spent the afternoon watching the rain. The day before we all got out and about in time for Saturday market and then a stroll around a lovely little arboretum near by. All in all, a really great weekend that brought home spring, resurrection, new birth and well....just everything.

Then this morning we went in for Matt's first follow up appointment and got the great news that he is healing really well and can start the full recovery process. As of today, he took his first crutches assisted steps and next week he will start his physical therapy sessions. He is also cleared to start back at work...I think he is a little nervous but really excited to start back.

Other news, well I think I forgot to mention that we got in yet another car accident, that gives us a grand total of 3 1/2 in the past few months....Matt backed into my car, drunk hit us, I opened my door into a car next to me (and yes she made a claim) and then some stupid lady rammed her car into the back of us at a very red stop light (if I could take a bus everywhere, I totally would). Orson is pretty much running everywhere and he is in love with trying to figure out how things work (maybe a future engineer in the works), Matt got me an early surprise birthday present...an amazing new sewing machine (I have already made Orson two rompers and I am working on 8 more diapers for him), my garden is growing fast and I can't wait to see what all the bulbs that I have planted turn into. So as usual, the good far out weighs the bad and life continues to change and move here at the Ewalts :)

Here are some pictures from the garden that we visited on Saturday. Almost as good as a bike tour through Holland, right Dad?

Easter...this is Orson right after he consumed a million strawberries...

Opening the Easter basket:

Hunting eggs at church:

Some pictures from my garden (mostly for Lynda, thanks for all the help while you were here). Now we just need to add some mulch and watch it grow!

Happy Easter. May you find joy, peace and justice this season of new life, enough for you and yours and a little extra to share with those who most need it around you.

We may never see the end results [of our work],
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
That is what we are about.... See More
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water the seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide the yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. Amen!