Beach Bums

watching the sunset with Grandma Joan

At the beach!!!

We arrived safely (albeit tired) to Florida today.

Headed right for the beach. Needed that!!

Out a Here

Deep Breath*******
We are packed and ready to head out to Florida in the am.
We'll be back in 2 weeks.
We have a taxi picking us up at 5:30 AM!!!
So wish me luck traveling alone with the 2 boys, and I'll need lots of prayers!
By noon tomorrow we will be on the Beach, with no more worries!

Easter 2009

Happy Easter.
From The Flower Mound Four.
He is Risen!

Skating with LaLa

we had so much fun rollerskating when Jen was here, the boys wanted to take LaLa today.
They are getting really good!! And Lauren texted the entire time she was skating... teenagers!

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Lincoln's Piano Debut! He continue's to take weekly piano lessons, and we have been better at getting him to practice between lessons.
When I was little, I could play Mary Had a Little Lamb, but I just had it memorized. Here is Lincoln playing it, but he is actually reading the music, and playing with both hands!

E.B.

OK, So Santa lives in the North Pole. Where does the Easter Bunny live? I need to learn these things! Lincoln is too "practical" and already seems like he doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny. He just thinks it is "too funny" to imagine a gigantic bunny delivering easter baskets. Maybe it's because we have a bunny. He keeps telling me that he doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny, and he is 5!!!
And I am a horrible "liar" so this doesn't help. But, hey tell me where he lives!

Resurrection Cookies

Resurrection Cookies
(helping explain the story of Easter to your children)

1 c whole pecans
1 t vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 c sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. (this in important - don't wait until you are halfway done with the recipe!)
Place pecans in a zipper bag and let children beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested
he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isa.1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered ookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.

Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matt. 28:1-9.

HE HAS RISEN!

Lawson's Artwork

Lawson's artwork. He has really been into drawing, and practicing his letters. He can pretty much write his name now, pretty good for a 3 yr old I think. I found this in his room. He said it was a picture of his Daddy, and that Daddy was sad. I asked him why Daddy was sad, and he said it was because he was being naughty.

Is this in my job description?

Am I the only Mom who has to draw artwork with frosting on their kids toaster strudel's???

One Week

Just one week from today!! The boys and I will be heading to Florida. For TWO weeks. We will be staying with Nanny and Grandpa Dave, and Reaah lives in the neighborhood, and Grandma Joan will also be there visiting from NY... We are SOOOO excited, can you tell. We love to be beach bums... And will head on over to Universal Studios and do some other touristing. But mainly, we just try to get as much beach time, and quality time with Nanny and Dave...

Did I mention I have TONS to do to prepare??? Gotta Go... I'm taking Lawson with me swim suit shopping, this should be quite the adventure.

The Groceries

Loving Life Right Now... The boys now unload my groceries 100% by themselves. This a BIG help, I shop once a week and usually have tons of groceries... and have always hated unloading them. Of course when Ron is home he unloads... But I have always struggled with juggling the boys and unloading the bags. This is great!!!

Also, Lincoln has now been trained to take over my pooper scoooper job. This is also very good news, as this was another one of my least liked chores. And of course, he loves it. For now.

So, as the kids get older and older, life just keeps getting better! Of course I am one of those moms that make their kids do too many chores. But hey, it is teaching them responsibility, they love it, it helps me out, and they get 25 cents for every chore they do!!!

The Alien Eggs

Tonight was Easter Egg Decoration over here... I laughed when I heard Bristol had only 4 decorated eggs out of 12 (the rest cracked), but we only had 7 out of 12 so that's not much better.
The boys wanted to make "Alien" Easter Eggs... So well, here are our "Alien" eggs...
See how that blue one in the middle has only one eye??? That's a version of Bob, but he is called "weirdo bob".

I'm wondering how long our hands will be dyed multi colors...

Smile of the Day

Rapping Flight Attendant???

A Flower Mound Egg Hunt

We went to an Easter Egg Hunt here in FM yesterday, put on by a local church at Parker Square. Here a Lincoln and Lawson with their friends Jake and Sydney, digging into the goods.
And yes, their faces are red b/c they got sunburned! It was in the 80's, a perfect day for an outdoor activity!

Last Minute Visitor

My nephew, Matthew, is here for a visit again (from Houston area).

He and Ron will be going to Nascar tomorrow at the Texas Motor Speedway!

He is coming back again at the end of the week for a Texas Tech event, and Sue will be with him.

I guess he has to get used to all this traveling when he starts college 11 hrs away from his family!

Me, Reading to Lincoln's class

You can't tell it by this picture, but these kids were practically in my lap. I was laughing, they were getting closer and closer and closer... (that's lawson on the very right and lincoln on the very left..) This was a day when Aunt Jen was here and we went in to "observe" Lincoln for a bit during class.
By the way, Mrs Kathy and Mrs Carolyn: do you have any suggestions to getting the R-E-D red song out of a mommy's head????

A few pictures from Aunt Jen

Yeah, I'm going to Sea World, and I have Surfer Hair!

Babysitting the boys was a piece of cake for Jen and Mark:

Jen and Lincoln hanging out at Sea World

Lincoln and Lawson really wanted to sit in the Splash Zone at the Shamu show.

Here they are leaving the show totally drenched!!

(Aunt Jen, where is the picture of Lawson's 1st roller coaster ride?)

Under Water Easter Egg Hung

Last night, the boys went to an underwater Easter Egg Hunt at the Flower Mound Community Pool. Here is a picture of Lincoln and Lawson swimming to "find" the eggs... and interesting twist to the egg hunt.