Easter

I love Easter! Cookies, dying eggs, ham, Easter egg hunts AND most importantly teaching the boys about the true meaning of Easter. What do bunnies and chicks have to do with Jesus rising from the dead anyways? I will have to google it at some point!

We did not see Daddy Saturday and then he finally made it home on Sunday about 5. We boiled him some more eggs for him to do. He seems awfully serious about it all! Patrick was kind of disappointed about the whole Holiday thing. Sometime it is hard that we have to modify our Holiday plans to include Chuck. We could have gone to my parents, brothers, MIL's or neighbors, but the drive is hard and as I told Patrick, let's just be thankful for the time we do have as a family. It is not fun for Daddy to work all the hours he does and feed 660 people on Easter when he would rather be home with us. Let's be thankful he is such a great provider, accomplished Chef and most of all, loving husband and father. THAT is what matters...not what time we have our egg hunt and eat ham (although we actually had steaks this year).

Here are the cookies we made on Saturday.

OK, I am just a little bit proud...

It is funny how you can very easily tell which ones are from Nicholas.

The red bunny with the red eyes was a little freaky and thank goodness for the Halloween and xmas sprinkles. Every holiday they make their way out of the cabinet for at least one cookie!

After the egg hunt and before church..... 

We just cannot stop being silly for a moment!

Egg hunt at home. It is almost dark!

Chuck trying to keep Patrick from getting all of the eggs!

Looking for the money eggs. There were two and Nicholas ended up with both of them! It was ok. Patrick got Legos from us beforehand. In their Easter baskets, Patrick got a pooping gumball chicken and Nicholas got a chirping chick, but they quickly traded!

Pinewood Derby

Here are the boys working on the car. We chose a pattern out of the Pinewood Derby book, Winner's Secrets, again this year. Last year we had just joined Scouts and when we were buying Patrick's unifororm the man at the Scout Shop recommended the book. Patrick picked the easiest design (since we were new to the whole deal) and won over the entire pack. You can read about it here.

Before the race....so many cool cars. The one that looks like a jeep won 3 trophies (most realistic, Pack favorite and something else). The Wii remote was a great idea as were so many more (Patrick's car is the third row up and fifth over). Patrick won 2nd place for his den of 11 boys. We are so very proud of him!

Here are Patrick and Andy (who won 1st place). We were excited to hear that Patrick's time from last year still holds the pack record of the fastest car at 2.773 seconds. Woo-hoo!

Boy Scout Catch Up

FINALLY, I have this new blogger thing figured out. The posting of these pictures was so difficult at first. In old blogger, I had to upload photos backwards if I wanted them in chronological order. If I accidentally deleted one, I had to start all over to get the order right. It was a BIG PAIN! Anyways, new blogger is great because you can move pictures around and make them smaller or bigger, left, right center, etc. Anyways, this is a Boy Scout post. First we have the Cake Off Silent Auction back from November. It was supposed to be space, alien or planet themed. I had NO IDEA how competetive these people are! We did the moon and it was quite beautiful with its craters and mountains. It was a cinnamon swirl cake that everyone always loves and my buttercream frosting (I never cut corners with baking-I started baking in Jr. High. I don't like to cook, but I do love to bake.) The cakes were amazing! Last minute Margaret waited until the last minute to try and find a toothpick flag and an astronaut. WHO knew it was impossible! I will say that this was back when we were driving the cadillac (after Chuck's wreck) and traveling around without a heater or the driver side window rolled up was quite difficult (so I will give myself a break on this one). We were really late, too, and barely made it on time. Nicholas did not understand the whole process and insited we bring our cake home, so I kept having Patrick write down higher bids, but someone beat us in the end. Luckily, they bought another cake as well and needed to unload our cake. I was happy to buy it back for $15 (I think...it has been awhile...it may have been $7) Here are some of the cakes...

This is the winner, Matthew, from our den!

TOOL BOX

Chuck volunteered to show the boys how to build their own tool boxes. I got all of the wood the day before at Home Depot and he cut it the next morning. The boys did a great job. I love my husband for all of the wonderful facets that makes him so fabulous. Chef, builder, mechanic, boat repairman, decorator, camper, encourager, Christian, motivator, counselor, friend, amazing father and husband, the love of my life, artist, gardener, housekeeper, son, son-in-law, brother-in-law, nephew, cousin, grandson, neighbor, philanthropist...I could go on and on. He is amazing that he can play golf twice a year and blow everyone away. He never plays tennis yet still beats me. He skateboards down to the mailbox doing tricks while holding Nicholas. Is it hard to be married to someone so great? Am I jealous sometimes? Maybe a little. But I prefer to call myself extremely blessed that the boy I had a crush on in September of 1988 chose ME and has stayed with me through all of the mess and frustration I can be sometimes.

BLUE & GOLD BANQUET!

Chuck actually called in sick to work that day. The third time in 18 years! He woke up and couldn't walk. He had already been for an MRI and they immediately sent him to a surgeon. I chose a different spinal surgeon that partners with my Pain Doctor because I have heard a lot of good things about him. We went to the ER to get Chuck some major drugs that day. It was awful. I have never seen him in so much pain. He had the surgery 2 weeks later and has been great ever since. His foot was numb and his leg was on fire. He was limping. It was so sad! Thank you Lord, the surgery was a success and he bounced back so quickly! Mel came down the day before and we went to the rodeo carnival and exhibits. It was fun, but 5 hours of walking. I couldn't believe Chuck kept putting Nicholas on his shoulders! We had fun but it was so crowded. The boys had fun riding rides. Nicholas is quite the daredevil. Patrick loved the funhouses.

So, my parents were already in town visiting and took Patrick to the Blue and Gold Banquet. I hated to miss it. The boys get a lot of recognition and awards as well as the Bear patch they have been working toward all year long. My parents did a great job filling in. We are blessed to have such great grandparents on both sides.

CAMPING

We have loved our Boy Scout Camp Outs and our Boy Scout families. It is a lot of fun, relaxing and there are always come and go activities planned as well as a pack dinner and campfire at night where each den does skits. I am amazed at how comfortable Patrick is with Scouts and how well he can stand up in front of 100 people and tell jokes using the right inflection and not being nervous. Scouts is an awesome program that I would recommend to anyone. They are faith based (no matter what your religion) and it teaches the boys so much. Patrick has really found a place to shine with Scouts. He plans to stay in until he makes Eagle Scout (esp. once he heard that he will have an automatic admission into TX A&M (his dream school). Cool , huh?

This was a Park Ranger hike at Lake Livingston. I sent Chuck. I was napping. I know I'm terrible about that!

Chuck won't smile for me...

Nicholas (lover of all things Super Mario)

"OK, here is a smile for you, but let me have the Nintendo DS (or was it a rum and Coke?)" Patrick actually busted us one night (after Nicholas had fallen asleep) arguing over whose turn it was to play Super Mario on the DS and said "I can't believe you two..it is my DS...get your own!"

Isn't Chuck the cutest? I could not have married a better man. I love this picture!

Benji and Patrick playing..

Yes, look at me Mommy, I am sooo cute, too!

Reluctant

I have been reluctant to post for awhile I have been very busy making an A+ in my Comp/Rhetoric class and a very sad 'D' in BIO. I had very high hopes when going back to school this past Jan. of doing really well in both courses. I was derailed soon into it all. I will not blame anyone but myself. I will say that I have not taken BIO since the 8th grade an I am thirty-five now so you can figure out the math. I did realize that I have a HUGE responsibility to my family and I LOVE that I do. School has been great and I will continue one step at a time, but my responsibility as a mommy and wife will always be my most important job...scratch that...I want to be a Christian first (and the rest will fall into place). Anyways, my point is, my derailment came when Jenny got sick. I have posted that we were not close friends, but Jenny was the type of Christian woman I wanted to be. When she got sick and then went to be with Jesus, I have to say that I came to understand what my purpose is on this earth and that I need to try harder to fulfill it. If there was ever an example of how to live as a Christian woman in these modern day times, well, Jenny was it. I am so sorry her world has lost her. I do not go more than a day without thinking of her, her husband, David, her daughter, Malaya, and her parents and brothers. Jenny, I look forward to meeting you again at Heaven's gates one day...