Happy Easter!

I know, it seems a little late, but as Catholics, we are actually in the Easter season for 50 days, so see? I'm not late!

I love you so much I just wanna squeeeeeze you!

My little angels.

Sweetie pies. They would never misbehave.

First of all, I'd like to say that we really had a nice Holy Week. We started off the week with Palm Sunday of course, and then on Tuesday evening, the girls and I went to confession. We hadn't been since around Christmas, so it was definitely something we needed to do. I always feel so wonderful after confession! Holy Thursday mass was nice (this is the mass that the priest washes the feet of 12 parishioners - to represent Christ washing the feet of his disciples).

Sky and Emma Rose in front of our church, amid the cherry blossoms!

On Good Friday, we took the girls out of school and spent the day fasting and in quiet contemplation. We watched The Passion of the Christ at 1:00, finishing up right around 3:00, and then prayed a family Rosary together. Later that night, we attended the Good Friday service and Veneration of the Cross at church.

Saturday was spent prepping our food for our Easter dinner, and of course, dyeing eggs. My husband also cooked steaks and sausage on the grill, and Whitney and our grandkids came over for dinner and to dye eggs with us. (It's so much fun dyeing eggs with little kids!)

My girls still enjoy dyeing eggs :) Even the 26yo.

Austen explaining how to dye eggs.

Easter Eggs!

The weather could not have been any more perfect Easter Sunday. We woke up to sunshine, clear skies, and cool air, and my girls and I were able to wear our new Easter dresses without freezing! We were all decked out in peaches and pinks this year.

Emma made Easter Bunny cupcakes. (Recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen)

After mass, Whitney, John & the kiddos came over for Easter dinner. We took pictures in the backyard and then had Easter dinner.

Our family on Easter morning: Emma Rose, Andy, me, Andrew, and Sky.

My beautiful daughter Whitney and her beautiful family. I'm so glad she lives only 2 miles away! :) L-R: John, River (4), Austen (2), and Whitney.

In between shots...

The girls! Me, Emma Rose, Austen Rose, Whitney, and Sky

Waiting patiently with Grandpa in between shots....

River is a little snuggle bug. He always has lots of hugs!

My 4 wonderful kiddos. Andrew (18), Emma Rose (12), Whitney (26), and Sky (16).

Austen saw River snuggling with me and had to get some snuggles too. What can I say, my grandkids were fighting over me.

It took forever just to get a couple of cooperative shots of the little ones.  

My "behind the scenes" shots were pretty funny, though. "River, no super hero poses! Austen, don't lift your dress up!"

Come on, guys, SMILE! Please!!!

Notice the badly behaved son-in-law?

Our Easter menu included: Ham with roasted pineapples and cherries (a yummy recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen), scalloped potatoes, southern green beans with bacon, strawberry-spinach salad with lemon dressing, and buttery yeast rolls. I plan on sharing some of my recipes soon!

And of course, Easter Bunny Cupcakes for dessert.

She had been eyeing those cupcakes all day....and was very happy to finally get to eat one after finishing her dinner!

What did you do for Easter? 

River's Day Out

Last week, Mama, Nene (that's my grandma), and I had a Kids' Day Out! First, we went to one of my favorite places. Can you guess what that is?

Barnes & Noble! Mama & Nene didn't mind. They like to drink coffee there, and look at books and magazines.

This is my robot pose!

There were so many things to choose from! I asked Mama to buy me a Godiva chocolate bar, but she said no. So then I asked for a chocolate granola bar, and she still said no. Finally, she bought me a banana. That's OK, because I like bananas. They're just as good as chocolate, Mama says.

I shared my banana with Austen. I'm nice like that.

After we had a snack, we went to play at the train table. Austen loves the trains!

And so do I!

 Mama likes to read while Austen and I play with the trains. This is a really good deal, because we all get to do something we like.

I got a piano cat off the shelf, and Austen played on it a lot. It made a "meow" sound every time she pushed a key. It was so funny and loud! I don't understand why Nene and Mama said they will never buy this awesome toy. If I had a nickel, I would buy it for Austen! And then I would borrow it!

After a while, I said we need to go to the Lego table.

I worked very hard building some really cool houses.

 

After I built a few houses, I told Mama and Nene I was hungry. They said we will go eat at Chipotle. I was worried because sometimes Chipotle food is too spicy. But Mama said it wouldn't be spicy today. Nene says that Chipotle is good because they have lots of vegetables. But I think Nene really likes the chips and guacamole the best. Is guacamole a vegetable?

 

The food was very yummy, and Mama didn't let the Chipotle people put anything too spicy on my plate! Mama, Nene, and Austen sat at a little table, but I'm a really big boy so I just sat on a stool by the window all by myself. I liked watching the people outside while I was eating!

Soon it was time for Austen to go home so she could take a nap. She's still a baby and gets tired easy. She really doesn't like sitting in the carseat, but I think hugging that baby doll helped her feel better. 

 

 I had a fun day out with Mama and Nene! I hope we can do it again soon! Maybe I will take them to IKEA next time....