Egg Hunts & Birthdays

Before life gets completely crazy around here pending the upcoming move, I thought I'd try to get at least one more update in.  I still haven't covered last Thanksgiving or Easter, but maybe I can get ahead with our most recent events and catch up later.

Happy Birthday, Bop!

We had a busy weekend!

Possibly the best birthday gift ever!

I got to share birthday weekend with Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Stephanie (same day!) and Bop this year. I share the month with a couple sweet friends who won't be so far away in just a little while, another sis-in-law (Aunt CeCe), and my niece, Haley. A few days after the calendar turns, Aunt Cyndi will have her birthday. My great-grandaddy was a March baby as are my sweet Aunts Lou and Cheryl.

Happy birthday everyone!

A couple of the things I cherish about having a birthday at the end of March... it falls on Easter once in a while, and in Texas at least, it's when spring really springs. This has been a glorious weekend.

 It's a mystery to me. Occasionally the bottom drops out. I suppose it happens more than once in every life. Maybe it's a requirement for the privilege of being human. And even though it doesn't feel that way in the beginning, what falls away is exactly what needed to go. But what begins slowly, almost imperceptibly, to fill the empty space is so lovely. Never in my life have I experienced such valuable friendship on so many levels. It humbles me as much as it challenges me to look deeper into the desires of the hearts around me; to try to help fulfill those desires in some small way by listening and accepting and loving better. 

But it also encourages me to love and accept how I was made.  Introversion & quiet always felt equal, in my own mind, to selfishness. I've fought so hard against those innate qualities in me all my life, only to find that, maybe I was wrong. 

This birthday was characterized by quiet, intimate gatherings (my favorite kind) with some of the people most dear to us. Birthday eve, neighbors/friends shared our favorite meal with us. Birthday morning brought a lovely breakfast with friends from Bible/book study group. Birthday lunch was Allen celebration time. And birthday dinner brought more time with close friends and a chance meeting with folks from church.

 Getting older is really nicer in a lot of ways. Life seems to make more sense. People start to make more sense. Priorities come into sharper focus and everything else just doesn't really matter anymore.

Each year is a gift of growth.

Birthday cake for Jason & the kids. Kale chips for Mommy.

The candle fairies. When all your wishes are true, you don't really need to blow out the
candles anymore, right!?!?

Ice cream mustache

 We attended an egg hunt at our church on Saturday morning. We were all a little wrung out, but it was such a lovely morning that we lingered on the grounds long after most of the other hunters had returned home. The kids did a fine job after all the time spent practicing in our yard this week. Jonathan's favorite find was a piece of prickly pear that wasn't so prickly.

Prickly Pear

 Saturday afternoon, I was able to round out the weekend with another, very close/ like-minded friend. We talked for almost three hours in a small space at the library... a very apt place for the pair of us I think. Those hours seemed like just a few minutes. I am going to miss her... a lot. I was reminded recently that, among believers, the phrase "good-bye" is not needed. We have the privilege to leave it at "See you later".

This is Beautiful

http://www.mundanefaithfulness.com/

Check This Out

I just read a great article on Ann Voskamp's site 

What to Do When Women are Scary

The author is Melanie Dale. 

Here's her blog...

Strapping on Your Mom Balls

So I know the title is a bit unorthodox. OK... a lot unorthodox.  However, I think Melanie and I were separated at birth. And I love that she and my girl share the same name.

If you feel like a socially-awkward git most of the time (This is me describing me.), even with people you feel you ought to understand (...and you kinda feel like they should understand you a little too), then you might just get her... and you might feel got... or gotten... or something.

Alrighty. Time to go dust something.

 Guinea Pigs!

I mentioned in a previous post that we had the opportunity to care for our neighbors' guinea pigs while they were traveling for spring break.  I'm not sure who had more fun... me or the kids.  Here are some photos...

Time for hay

Kisses!

Found!

Apparently we did document our Christmas with something other than the video camera.  However, that something other happened to be the cameras on our mobile phones.  Boo.  Despite our poor planning in the camera department, lots of family time, preschool celebrations, two new cousins and time at our own hearth made for a wonderful celebration.

Helicopter from Uncle Aaron & Aunt CeCe

The New Crop

Grammy, Gray, Cyndi & Eli

Jonathan "helping"

Papa Jack

Very cool microscope from Grammy & Papa Jack

Some Silliness

More Silliness

Even More Silliness

THE Remote-Controlled Motorcycle

Preschool Christmas Parties

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Eli the Elf

The Original Crop

Papa Jack & Gray

Sweet Cousins

Presents!

Gift From Mrs. Belden

Diamond Goats

It's spring break, y'all.  Now that it's Thursday, we finally have clear air, blue sky and spring green. I have so enjoyed just being "off" with the kids.  The only planned event on our calendar this week was a visit with our new friend, Jordan, who works with a wonderful organization called Project Red.

http://www.projectredelsalvador.org/

With great trepidation, Jason and I recently agreed that we would home school our kids.  I've been a bit concerned about just "being" with the kids day in and day out. With no swim lessons, no play dates, no preschool and no Bible school, we've all completely let down and it feels so good. It's amazing what taking the hurry out of the day can do for family relations.

The kids have enjoyed taking care of our friends' three very cute Guinea pigs, doing "school", playing outside in the cold in cowboy boots and filling Mom's bag to overflow at the library.

Miss Melanie is a big talker. The later it gets in the day, the louder and more animated she gets. Lately she's been singing, "Hush little baby...". This afternoon in the truck, Daddy was going to buy her a "diamond goat".  So there you have it. If there were a diamond goat for sale, Daddy would probably buy it for her.

Here are some pictures of the little explorers.

A Gift to Myself

In an attempt to clean up our family blog and still give myself an outlet to write, I've created a new blog.  Read or ignore as you wish.  The link up will show up to the right of the text in this blog under the title JDee Musings. 

https://jdeemusings.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/hello-world/

Bath Paint, Boogers & A Visit to the Dentist...

Since I have not updated the blog in quite some time, I'm working backwards until I get caught up.  I just discovered much of Christmas was not photographed, but captured on video, so Madame Tech Stupid here may never get that updated.  

This really isn't my day. 

Melanie is currently eating a chicken nugget while sitting in a chair wearing only a royal blue sweater and a pair of purple polka dot socks.  

Don't ask.  

 Apparently Jonathan has learned the manly art of booger extraction (as evidenced by the yellowish-green stuff I keep finding on his car seat and his pillow).  And then there's the other fun fact that there's snot dripping from every nose in this house.

After two failed attempts at homemade play dough in preparation for the days we will be seriously house poor, the kids are just about to go into a steam bath that involves those fun, fun bath paints that make me cringe every time I find them at the bottom of a gift sack.  However, I will put on my big-girl panties, rip open that package, become super-thankful for the person who gave us bath paint (Don't read facetiousness into that phrase.  Whoever you are - THANK YOU!  I seriously needed bath paint today!), toss those paints into the water and maybe buy myself a few extra minutes to do some more catch up on this blog... just as soon as I go disinfect Melanie's chair.  

Enjoy!

Bath paint and markers.  Happy kids.

A moment captured from one of the three and a half seconds that Melanie wasn't wailing during her dental exam.

Big Jon in his Spidey sunglasses.  This was the first visit that the hygienist used the scaler on his teeth.  He did great!  

Currently Jonathan is yelling "Melanie!  Spit it out!  Spit it out!" ... and there's some sort of unidentifiable guttural noise coming from the bathtub.  

Signing off...

Rodeo

The kiddos had Rodeo Day at preschool Wednesday of last week.  The day before, we ran out to the Western Wear store in Boerne to outfit them in boots and "cowboy cut" shirts.  The whole week was devoted to Rodeo, so Friday there was a trick roper presentation and a petting farm out front including goats, chickens, bunnies, lambs and ponies.  Although the kids enjoyed all the festivities, boot shopping was the highlight.  You can spot their picks in the pictures.  

 Mommy/ Daughter Date at Freddy's while Jon was finishing up at preschool.