How Does This Keep Happening?

I still haven't figured out how this keeps happening.

Somehow, year after year, the kids just keep getting older. And they like it that way!

Gi-Gi is latest of the kiddos to grow in age and beauty.

I keep trying to put the books on her head, but she keeps knocking them off, proudly declaring that she's up to my shoulder.

Hmph!



Honestly, though, I'm enjoying having a nine-year-old. I love that I get to watch her grow and learn every day. I love that I get to teach her period. What an honor, what a privilege, what a responsibility.



And yet, there is still some little girl in there.

I'm loving that, too.

Happy birthday, sweet girl.

The Many Faces of Ju-Ju

In our family, we four children who we have discovered are all hams.

To the core.

We are genuinely amused by this. We laugh and then give each other the look that says, "That's your child."

The amazing thing is that they come out this way. There's no training here, no teaching about how to behave when you have a captive audience.

I swear it's in their DNA. The paternal side.

Here's one of the hams in action.



Scene One: Ju-Ju is eating like a horse, as usual. We're celebrating Gi-Gi's ninth birthday and so everyone is there. Yet no one is paying attention to him. Cue the tears.




Scene Two: He's got our attention, but he's still mad. Notice the evil eye being used on his Nonnie (my mom).




Scene Three: Immediate cessation of the tears because everyone is laughing at him. He's looking pretty pleased.




Scene Four: What you don't see is that in between shots, he's screaming. As soon as he here's my camera focus (it chimes when it focuses), he immediately stops and smiles. In fact, I was trying to get more of the mad faces, but he kept smiling when he heard it.



Scene Five: Repeat of scene four. Screams until the chime and then smile for the camera. How did he learn this?




Scene Six: Repeat yet again. By now we are all laughing hysterically.

Yup, we've got a comedian in the family.

This is going to be interesting.

Easter Happenings

Better late than never, right?

I really, really, really love celebrating Resurrection Sunday! Last year, we weren't able to celebrate it as usual due to Hubby's nephew getting married, three kids in the wedding (they really were so darling, but three kids in one wedding?!) and a one month old.

This year was so much more meaningful simply for the reason that we had time to meditate on what it all means to us every day.



Funny how tricky it can be getting four kids looking and semi-smiling nicely at the same time. Can we do it?




Yes!! Got it! Everyone smiling semi-nicely, looking at the camera and not tackling each other to the ground. Miracles do happen!



We spent the evening before making Resurrection Cookies with our kids. Our recipe didn't really turn out well, so I won't share the recipe we used, but you can google them and hopefully have your turn out better than ours. It was a really powerful object lesson for little ones. It was worth it even if the cookies didn't turn out. Maybe next year, we could find a way to add chocolate in there. Hmmmm....

On Sunday, we spent time with Paco's familia after church and had such a wonderful time being outside in our gorgeous Arizona spring-time weather. Apparently, orange was the color this year. Nobody told me. Could it be because I look absolutely hideous in orange? Nah!




And then, of course, the egg coloring tradition. I love how my children have no patience for this (as in waiting for the color to set) and yet we HAVE to do this. Then, they won't touch them with a ten foot pole when they're done! I'm still eating them a week later. How long are hard-boiled eggs good for, anyways?

I'm just praying away the salmonella, folks. {shudder}



How did you celebrate this Easter?