There's no place like home...

So after spending our weekend getaway in EXCITING Austin, we quickly got back into our normal routine.

During this time of the year that means a lot of time spent outside.

This past weekend we washed cars, picked a few blackberries and spent some time with Grandad Morgan.

Jude impresses me almost every day with how fast he's growing up!

He even helped out with the car washing...well tire scrubbing anyway, since that's all he can really reach! =)

The big boy helping out daddy

And helping himself out to some bubbles...he splashed all the bubbles out of my bucket while I was washing my car!

Later that evening, Grandad came over so that we could go out for dinner and then we came back and spent some more time outside.

They were all being so silly!

Here they were chasing each other around in a circle on the driveway.

The kids were cracking up the whole time!

Attempted to get a shot of Terry and me...but the sun was on our faces...eh...not so good.

These flowers are at least 2 to 3 times bigger than they were last year!

I think all of the winter rain helped with the flower and berry populations around here.

It was a great family weekend that left my goofballs jumping for joy...

Enjoy your week and your family!

Vacation??

A wonderful weekend spent here

(that's Vegas by the way)

Frolicking, playing, and having a fabulous time away from monotony of real life

under beautiful, sunny skies

Awesome isn't it?

If you're my parents....

Not us.

No.

We spent our "vacation" here

(that's Austin, TX by the way...a few hours up the road)

Frolicking...not really.

Playing...maybe a bit.

Time away from monotony...only briefly.

Under sunny skies?

Um...no.

This was our view for a good chunk of the trip.

But WHY?

Why were my parents in Vegas while we were in Austin?

Because they are old enough to be able to enjoy those sort of trips without having to worry about the added responsibility of taking children along.

And we will probably be their age before we can afford a trip like that anyway.

No, spending one night in Austin was about as much as we can financially stretch these days since I quit working to take care of Jude.

But there was a reason for our going to Austin.

Cecilia

Her 5th grade GT class was given the assignment at the beginning of the school year to come up with a community project that would be both a challenge for them and would be something that the school would be able to maintain for years to come. It would also have to help to fill a need in the community.

So after some debate, the group agreed upon the creation of a school clothes closet.

They would promote their project at school and in the community and receive used clothing that would then be sorted by them and dispersed as the need arose.

Not only has their project given to children in need at their own school, but they have also given to county services as well from what I understand.

Cecilia came up with the name of their project:

Wear-A-Smile

Because not only can the recipients now wear a smile along with their "new" clothes, but the givers can also wear a smile because of their ability to help others.

The project was then submitted by the GT teacher, Mrs. Simpson, to the Texas Future Problem Solving Program for review for an award.

The project placed first in the Human Services division.

And that is why we were in Austin...so that the group could be recognized and given their awards.

They had a bit of a "fair" set up before the awards so that everyone could see each other's projects. The groups ranged in age from 5th graders to high school.

The kids had to stand by their display and explain their project to anyone who stopped by.

There were about 15 kids who worked on the project, but these are the 7 that were able to attend the awards ceremony (wearing their handmade shirts)

Here they are being recognized and receiving their medals

We are so proud of her, not only for being a part of this, but for taking such an active role in it.

She not only named it, but also wrote a skit that was performed on the morning video announcements. She has realized just how much she enjoys being a leader.

I hope she continues to be a leader for the rest of her lifetime.

Back to Austin...

Terry and I spent many days hanging out in Austin...B.C. (before children).

We would go to record conventions and dig through record stores.

And we ALWAYS made time to eat at Threadgill's

If you've never heard of it...you should read a bit about it's history.

This is the place where Janis Joplin got her start.

And before they recently remodeled it, they had a table set up on the tiny stage where she stood and performed. I ate at that table once. Amazing.

Anyway, we did eat at Threadgill's and we did check out one record store this weekend because it was "Record Store Day" on Saturday.

But the days where we can spend hours scouring through old records and current CD's are on hold. The children (at this point) have no patience or appreciation for stinky old vinyl.

And during our drive around Austin it was nothing but nasty blah rain.

We were kind of glad to head back east towards home where it wasn't raining as much.

We also had yet to accomplish my goal of snapping some pics of the kids in the bluebonnets.

So we TRIED to do this on the way home.

The problem was that once we finally found a good spot to stop, Jude had already been asleep for a while.

And we had to wake him up.

Yeah...he can be quite grumpy if he wakes before he's ready to.

He would not partake in any of the flower-ness.

So this is what I got from him...

A bit calmer in Terry's lap, but still wouldn't get down in the flowers.

I did get a good one of Cecilia at least


Oh well, maybe next year there will be TWO smiling children sitting in these beautiful flowers


And despite the weather's best efforts to ruin our weekend, I think that we all had a pretty good time overall. We got to spend some quality time together and everyone came through it safely.
What more could I ask for?

(well, maybe a weekend excursion with my husband to Vegas would be nice :)

Another Beautiful Easter!

Jesus Christ is risen!!

Through His death and resurrection we are forgiven and have received the gift of eternal life!

Nothing I do can take that gift of pure love away from me and for this reason I consider the celebration of Easter to be the most special day of the year.

Like most years, we spent almost every waking moment of Easter Sunday preparing for and celebrating Jesus' resurrection.

I took LOTS of pics this weekend....170 by my camera's count...so bear with me.

And though I would love to share every single one, I don't think you want to stare at pictures all day. =)

So we'll start with Saturday evening.

We had to prepare the Easter eggs for our egg hunt at home on Sunday.

Terry and I both loved doing this as children and so it's something we will do with our kids for as long as they'll take part.

Jude did a lot more "helping" this year by putting eggs in and even drawing on his own eggs.

Both of the kids had a lot of fun with the egg dying.

Here we are at the beginning...lots of clean white eggs and every Fiesta mug we have!

You know they dye faster if you stare at them, right? =)

Jude LOVES pumpkins...well, drawings of them anyway. So we made sure to create a "pumpkin egg" for him. When he found it during the egg hunt, he held it in his hand the whole time until his hand was completely orange!

Our colorful creations!

Terry had fun drawing on some of the eggs

Cecilia made some of the girliest eggs I've ever seen!

Jude is pointing out the egg with his name on it

So after a short rest (I was up at 5 a.m. to get ready for church), the kids got up to see what the Easter bunny brought them. I'd say they did pretty well!

Then we were off to church for Easter breakfast before the service. My parents and my grandmother (90 years and counting!) go to our church as well and we enjoyed the morning with them.

My mom and dad with the kids

After breakfast, it was time for the kids to hunt eggs....except that it had rained earlier in the morning, so they had to settle for just picking up eggs off the floor. This happened last year too. Hope next year is dry!

The church service was as beautiful as ever, but I didn't get to take any pics in the church this year.

After church we all went to eat lunch at Olive Garden.

During lunch Cecilia received her gift from from all of us...a necklace and cross from James Avery. She really loved it.

Pics of the family at lunch...yes, I was there...but always behind the camera!

After lunch we headed home for a little rest and then Terry's dad came over to see the kids while they hunted eggs.

For the fist 18 years of my life I attended a predominately Hispanic church and always enjoyed the traditions that the culture brought to Christian celebrations. One of my favorite memories of Easter at my old church was making and breaking confetti eggs.

Everyone at church got into the fun and reveled in the wonderful celebration of the day.

Well....my current church is NOT predominately Hispanic. Let's just say that most members are a bit more "reserved". A few years back, my mom and I thought it would be great fun to bring some confetti eggs to church for old times sake. Hmmm...the confetti didn't go off so well with the gringos. Haha! But really, it's just a culture difference. German Lutherans aren't known for their flamboyance and spontaneity now are they?

So this year I kept the confettiness at home and busted a few on the family.

And yes...they got me too.

We all had lots of fun this Easter Sunday and enjoyed the wonderful time with our families and each other.

Happy Easter!

Hope yours was as beautiful as ours.
(My wish may be a day late, but Jesus' great gift is an eternal one and should be cherished EVERY day of the year!)