March

Archive for March, 2013

Mar

Blessing Basket Sunday!

Happy Easter! We finished our 40 days of sinning stones yesterday, and this morning the kids woke up to a blessing basket full of life! The tomb was empty! Hallelujah! He is risen!

The day before Easter. Our sinning stone basket is full. To see what sinning stones is all about, click here.

Easter Sunday. The stone has been rolled away! He is not there! He has risen! The sinning stone basket has been replaced with a blessing basket full of things of life because he took our sins away by dying on the cross and gave us a new life in Him!

Things I included in the blessing basket: bug catchers/viewers, mini potted plants to grow (found at the Target dollar spot), gardening tools, spray bottles (Jesus is the living water!), and a ladybug land to grow ladybugs soon!

*We made the tomb a few Easters ago using an old, clean can and pressed salted dough around it. We baked it and then painted it.

Mar

new photo shoots!

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: photography

Spring is here (at least the weather, not the bluebonnets…yet!) Family portrait season has begun!
To see more click here!

To see more click here!

Mar

more carnival fun!

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: Family Fun and Spring Break
Tags: rodeo austin

Time for bumper cars! Rilyn seems like she might develop road rage when she becomes a driver! Watch out!

look out!

oops! You bumped me!

Rilyn started going on the rides all by herself because me and James had enough spinning. She loved the enclosed space ship where you spin around so fast that you stick to the wall!

Rilyn exits, very proud of “big-girlness”

Dragon swing time!

me and the kiddos

Ella wanted to barf the whole time, can you see her hand over her mouth?

Check out Ella’s eye…sheer terror…get me off!

Rilyn sat across from us, much higher up, so she could experience more of a thrill!

This was the one ride that Rilyn did not like afterward. Probably because her stomach was DONE being dropped and spun all day!

And to finish off our busy day…COTTON CANDY!!!

As our kids get older, it is so fun to watch them experience the fair! We almost hit up every ride too! Until next March, Austin Rodeo!!

Mar

Carnival fun!

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: Family Fun and Spring Break
Tags: rodeo austin

My kids’ favorite thing at the carnival is the fun houses! I grew up going to the Orange County fair, and I loved the fun houses too, so it brings a big smile to my face to see them enjoying the mirror houses and moving floors so much!
James made a really neat video of our day. You can see it here!

and they’re off running!

mirror maze!

Asher and Rilyn love fast rides! They would go on all of them together and it was really cute to watch. After each fast ride, Asher would get off and say, “I almost threw up!” and then laugh like it was the best feeling in the world! 🙂

I love his “Bluesteel” Zoolander face on this ride!

More rides with daddy! (Why do they have to airbrush seductive women on the rides?!)

More fun houses!

superman ride!

Love Asher’s face in this!

me and Rilyn!

After seeing this picture, I realize just how dangerous ferris wheels can be! Do you see Asher’s head hanging over the cart?!?

Mar

around and down!

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: Spring Break
Tags: rodeo austin

After the pig races, we stopped at the kiddie ferris wheel and super slide!

Do you see Ella?

I love Ella’s face in this one!

Asher looks like he might lose his breakfast!

Next up-“tractor rides”!

All this fun, and we hadn’t even walked over to the carnival side of the rodeo! Carnival, here we come!!

Mar

petting zoo peril

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: Spring Break
Tags: rodeo austin

We went to Rodeo Austin on Tuesday and like always, we start our day off at the Kidstown petting zoo! Ella never has a problem with the animals. Rilyn, because she is 8 1/2, tries to put on a brave face, but inside she is scared to death, and Asher still doesn’t care about showing the world how much he dislikes animals (of any kind.)

our traditional trash can picture (because I need to see the Rodeo logo!)

There was a kangaroo at the petting zoo this year with a baby in it’s pouch!

Cousin Caden and Asher planning out their day!

the map!

The dreaded petting zoo…

to be fair, that sheep is extremely large

Here is Rilyn’s experience…poor girl.

I am brave. Deers are nice.

Attack of the deers!!

help!!

“Mom, they’re eating my clothes!!”

Unable to hide her disdain for the petting zoo.

I’m outta here!

Ella, our animal lover!

Next up, we walked over to the pig races!

They have different races, and one race all the pigs were dressed in college attire.

Of course, the A&M pig was winning, and Rilyn was a little excited! 🙂

Mar

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: Christianity, Easter and traditions

Life has been BUSY this month, with no slowing down til mid June (when we take a road trip to Colorado-yay!) A quick glimpse of what we are up to! We started our gold verses for St. Patrick’s Day on March 1st. The kids love hunting for the gold chocolate coins each day and I love etching Scripture on their hearts. We also have been going through a sinning stone each day since Feb. 13th for Lent. It’s been going well, and each day as we talk about the sin, we confess, and repent as a family. This morning’s stone was “criticism”…gulp. Being critical is something I am very good at. 😦 We talked about just because someone doesn’t do something the way you would do it, doesn’t mean you have the right to be critical of them. We should speak kind words of others and not judge. Zechariah 7:9

And on March 14th, we will start the Easter countdown! Yes, we will have 3 things going on at once, but it’s only for 3 days, then we finish the “gold verses!” 🙂 You can find such fun ways to incorporate Scripture in the holidays!

Rilyn is finishing up her Dazzler season dancing during halftime at the Manor Falcon basketball games. She loves it, and loves performing. You can’t tell by these pictures though, right? 😉