Sno Cones

The girls helped me clean out our car (a much overdue chore!) yesterday morning, so in the afternoon I took them to experience their first sno cones...

Pink bubblegum


Blue bubblegum


Lemon/lime (because she wanted something green)


Stephen and I just waited for the leftovers, and it was well worth the wait. :)

Just sweet

I just love this little princess. :)

Caught!

We finally caught the rabbit by strategically placing the cage along his usual escape route and chasing him into it. Whew...rabbits are NOT easy to out smart. This has been a week-long adventure!!!

Quote of the week

Allia, while handing out little religious cards she received in her RE class:
"Here, Mariana, you can have Adam and Eve."

Mariana: "No thanks."

Allia: "But you know about them."

Mariana: "I do know Adam and Eve, but I don't like them. They made us sinners."

Lost tooth

Another one credited to Stephen's head...I tried to talk her into pulling it on Good Friday, but she wouldn't go for it. Stephen managed to knock it out last night.

Pawpaw's boy and water fun

Our Easter Bunny

or more appropriately, Our Triduum Bunny

This little guy appeared in our yard a few evenings ago, and of course the children were enamored with him as were even the adults, in part. But his fate quickly changed. We saw him eying the garden but found the plants untouched. The next evening, though, Austin went out to look around, and his entire serrano pepper plant was missing...not leaves or branches, the whole thing! (It was small and newly planted, but the only non-heart attack-causing pepper plant he has!...his others are habaneros and piquins). Well, we went from admiring the bunny to banishing him. He has officially been deported. Goodbye Easter Bunny, Hello Resurrection! :)

**Updated: He found his way back in and ate Austin's Piquin plants and some of my Esperanza. Apparently deportation will not be enough, so he will be suffering the death penalty as soon as Austin gets his hands on a pellet gun!

***Updated again...Austin decided to call animal control, who informed us that pellet guns are illegal in city limits. :) So they put a trap out for us. Hope it works!

Happy Easter!

just photos for now...














Lito and Lita, this one is for you...the tag from Stephen's outfit


And fun with Cascarones (confetti eggs)
Willing victims...

Holy Saturday

Decorating the crown of jewels for Jesus


And a little cake decorating for tomorrow

Holy Thursday

"He rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist." Jn 13

Mr. Mischief

This boy keeps me on my toes, I tell ya! He is always exploring and frequently discovering forbidden things. Here he snuck off with my cel phone while I was trying to do something quick on the computer (and is standing on the couch too)! Not a quiet moment...at least not without consequence!

A little addition

to the home...


We found this armchair on craigslist a few weeks ago (with the help of some friends who are avid craigslisters because I am not!). It is the perfect addition to the guest room which has a high bed and needed a place to sit and read for a minute or put on shoes. :)

Flower play

Austin gave the girls permission to play with the flower petals in the living room when we returned from the recital...






Was it a good idea? Well, let's just say they enjoyed it. ;)

Piano Recital

Allia and all the children did such a great job. This was a fun recital, so many students dressed up to go with their music. Allia played Spring by Vivaldi, so Mariana went up with her and threw rose petals out of a basket. It was so cute and hilarious too..she looked so serious! She had the whole audience giggling. I thought I was videoing but my camera switched modes on me, so no video much to my chagrin. But here is a photo of the beginning of that act as well as a video of Allia playing her second piece, The Merry Widow Waltz.

Nine Days

We had the blessing last night of being able to attend a private screening of the documentary film, Nine Days That Changed the World, about Pope John Paul II's visit to Poland and how he inspired the people to claim their faith and take their country back from the atheistic communists that had overtaken it. It was a beautiful experience, and I recommend this film to anyone who has the chance to see it. It was truly moving. Austin was in charge of organizing and preparing a polyphonic choir to sing several acapella chants as a prelude to the event. Here they are...they did a beautiful job!

Car Wash Kids

We spent most of the day outside yesterday doing chores and playing and riding bikes to check out the community garage sale. Towards the end of the day some neighbors were washing their car, and we decided to join in the fun!


Then the girls decided to wash all of their "vehicles" too.

Water play!

We had some hot temperatures yesterday, and I had just gotten out the swim stuff to see what we still need for this year...so the kids played out in the water and had tons of fun. Stephen, however, waited until the action died down and all the big kids left to venture into the water.

Snack anyone?

Usually if I try to grab a few quiet moments to return emails, read blogs or pretty much anything else that involves taking my attention totally off of Stephen, it ends in some sort of disaster or mess. I was doing exactly that and suddenly startled because it was way too quiet. But here is where I found him. Smiley boy helping himself to a snack of Cheerios on the couch. Technically snacks are not allowed in the living room, but I will give him a break this time. ;)

Fun with Friends

I just love Sunday afternoons when our friends make a surprise stop by our house while out on a bike ride...

We came up with Narnia-esque names for everyone as they braved the rope swing...
"Richie the Valiant"


"Andrew the Bold"


"Allia the Adventurous"


"Mariana the Marvelous"