Happy Easter!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter!  Jack had a great first Easter :)  First we went to church with Gingersnap and Pop, after the service our church held an Easter lunch.  It was such a nice day we were able to eat outside.  After church we came home and took a couple pictures as a family while Jack was all dressed up in his Easter outfit.  After pictures I finished making dinner; we had deviled eggs, pork loin, mac and cheese, green beans, rolls and for dessert lemonade pie.  For Jack's first Easter dinner we were joined not only by Gingersnap and Pop, but our friends Bradley, Lea and their son Bennett from our small group at church.  We also got to use the beautiful china Grandpa gave us for Christmas that once belonged to Bryce's grandmother.  Jack's Easter basket was full of all kinds of goodies-books, clothes, and toys.  Jack and I also got to talk to my family via webcam today.  I am glad they got to see him and I can't wait for them all to meet him this summer!  This time of year reminds us of how blessed we are to have such a wonderful God and Savior who loves us very much!  We pray that Jack will never go a day that he doesn't know Jesus and the price He paid for him and we also pray that Jack has been chosen as one of God's children.  He is risen!  Here are a few pictures from the day.

This next picture is from Saturday, but it is a good one because I was able to capture Jack's smile on camera, which is a rare occasion!

Several people have recently asked me for my macaroni and cheese recipe. I honestly probably don't make this dish the same way twice.  Sometimes I just open up my cheese drawer and add in whatever we have on hand, but here goes the basic key you can follow.
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
1 can of cheddar cheese soup (you could also use velveeta or cheese whiz, whatever you have on hand)
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and hot sauce to taste
8 oz of a gooey cheese shredded (Swiss, mozzarella or muenster cheese are good choices)
8 oz of an extra sharp cheddar cheese (I like to do half of a white cheddar and half yellow)
4 oz of Parmesan or ramano cheese (really any hard tangy/salty Italian cheese)
1 pound of macaroni noodles

Preheat oven to 350
Cook macaroni noodles as directed on the package, I under cook them slightly because they will finish cooking in the oven
Melt butter
Add flour and cook together for a few minutes
Slowly add in milk with wisk
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and hot sauce to taste (I just add enough cayenne and hot sauce to make the sauce have a warm feeling, not to make it spicy)
Wisk in cheeses
Stir in noodles
Pour into baking dish

Depending on how thick or runny you like your sauce, you could add more or less milk.  2 cups was just an estimate by me, I just eyeball how much I think I need.  Same with the cheeses, if you like a really sharp taste you could add even more cheddar cheese.

Optional Topping
fresh bread crumbs-take old bread (I prefer white bread for this and I trim the crust off) and blend in blender or food processor until finely ground.
Lightly toast bread crumbs in butter then spread evenly on top of Mac and cheese before putting in the oven.
Bake at 350 until bubbly and top has slightly browned, usually about 30 minutes.
Enjoy!