I feel like last Sunday was SO long ago already. This volume of Jalosky Weekly is just packed full of fun activities and bucketloads of sunshine! We spent a lot of time in the great outdoors this week. I’ve lost track of how many hours we’ve spent outside in the last few weeks. I was faithfully filling in the bubbles on my 1000 hours outside challenge until we started being outside for multiple hours each day! I suppose that’s a good reason to forget.
Jonathan pulled out the grill this week! We’ve done BBQ chicken and burgers so far and I am just THRILLED for it to be that time of year again!
In preparation for her birthday, I ordered Alethea her very own bookshelf! If you know anything about her, you know she just LOVES reading. (Or rather being read to…haha.) We’ve already got two shelves just full of books, so I thought it was time she had her very own shelf. Good thing too! She got 30+ books yesterday at her birthday party! But we’ll get to that in a minute.
On Thursday, we did something we’ve never done by ourselves before. I took the girls on a walk into downtown Irwin, by MYSELF. It’s a walk that is literally up hill both ways. You can picture it as a V. Our house is at the top of one side of the V, and downtown Irwin is the other side. It’s not easy by any means, but it isn’t far, so that’s the positive side. So anyhow, we walked all the way to Irwin Park and turned around. Thank goodness for the double stroller! On our way back, we stopped at McFeely’s Gourmet Chocolate and picked up a treat for Alethea’s birthday. She chose the last giant peanut butter egg that they had! AND, the lady who was running the store that day (perhaps Mrs. McFeely?) gave her a white chocolate covered pretzel with sprinkles for a birthday treat for free! Alethea thought she was just allowed to hold and then had to give it back. She was shocked when she realized it was for her to eat. Haha. We got to see the train as we went under the train bridge on our way back! Layla and Alethea were both thrilled! And when we got back, Alethea was covered in chocolate.
On Friday, the girls got a little bit of a fun surprise. Jonathan had to stay home from work because he had to take his mom to the hospital again. This was a pre-planned admission from the day before. But pray for her. She is not doing too well!
The girls woke up on Friday and were so surprised to see Daddy! It was nice having him home in the morning for a few hours before he had to go.
While he was gone the rest of the day, my sister Ruby came over to help me with the cupcakes and cheesecake for Alethea’s party! It was a frozen themed party and so we had lots and lots of snowflakes! Ruby decorated the cupcakes to look super frosty, and I strung snowflakes on ribbon to hang from the ceiling.
That night, Jonathan and I went out to the Boulevard, in Greensburg, for dinner. Friday marked 5 years since our first date there. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years! We did not stay for 5 hours this time, like we did then. 😉 It was tempting though.
Saturday was jam packed. I got up early, and headed out after breakfast to my first engagement session of the year! We had such a great time at the waterfront! I can’t wait to share some of the photos soon!
Once I got home, we went straight into decorating mode at my parent’s house. Balloons, snowflakes, banners, you name it. Jonathan and I snuck out for some grocery shopping together once we were done. All this alone time has been nice. Haha.
We headed home for dinner, and after putting the kids to bed, I had a wedding meeting on zoom with a sweet and adorable couple! They live in two different states, so it was fun having a 3 way chat! So glad that technology allows us to do that these days!
Yesterday was Palm Sunday – the kick off to my favorite week of the year. (And no…it’s not just because my birthday is this week. LOL) I play the piano at our church and have been picking the music for a few months now. It’s been an absolute joy to be able to serve in this way. I’ll be honest, playing for church is not something I ever wanted to do. But when I was asked to play over the summer, it just felt right. Alethea was supposed to sing a song on Sunday as a special, and we practiced and home, and we practiced before church, but when the time came, she did not feel like singing. She had told me all week that she was not going to sing, but I had hopes that she would come through in the end. Haha.
After church, we headed to my parent’s house for her birthday party! She got tons of books, just like I thought! She also got many different activity books and crafts to make! We’re going to keep busy for probably the rest of the year with those! I got her a pair of frozen slippers, and she hasn’t taken them off since we got home yesterday.
When it was time to light the candles and sing happy birthday, Alethea sat down and I brought her a cupcake. We started singing “Happy birthday to you….” and she immediately blew out the candles! Didn’t even make it to the fifth word of the song! It was so funny! Everyone was laughing so hard. It was a great party even though many of the invited guests couldn’t make it.
Today is Alethea’s third birthday! We’re doing all the things she likes today. Eating chocolate chip muffins, watching Puppy Dog Pals, painting our nails, playing tangrams, and later, we’ll have some more cake and open a few more presents! Like I said earlier, this week, Holy Week, is my favorite. This Lent has been really good for my soul and body. Taking a break from social media has really rejuvenated my mind. Focusing on Jesus’ work on the cross for the last month and a half has given me a fresh perspective on grace, mercy, forgiveness, and hope. I hope you take some time this week to remember why Jesus came, who He was, and what He did for you!
Have a great week, and I’ll be back next Monday. Now that my busy season has begun, it’s too difficult to make these posts on the weekend. So mark your calendars for Mondays! Happy Easter!
Love Deeply. Live Passionately.
Ellen
