Easter Portraits

They're here! Here are a couple that we picked out that were decent enough to purchase! I scanned them in, so excuse the poor digital quality. Obviously in person the kids don't look so sick!







Family, if you want any of these, tell me the which ones and what size. We have 90 days to get more. Just let me know. Enjoy!

She's BAAAAAACK!

That's right, "Super Reese" has resurfaced! Reese is one happy girl again! Toting Super Reese around everywhere she goes.

She's even got herself a seat at the table once again...

Now I just brace myself and hope that we don't have any other repeat episodes of naughty behavior and "Super Reese made me do it!" Wish us luck!

Week in Review

This week has been crazy busy! There is too much to blog about, so I'll give a few highlights. And of course, with a plethora of pictures!

We like to go to the Dallas Arboretum every March to see the Texas Spring bloom in Tulips and Daffodils. We usually manage to remember and get out there around the first part of April and see the flowers just before they die! This year, we remembered during Spring Break and made note to make a trip the following week...sans mobs of Spring Breakers. It turned out to be a wise choice, we had the place virtually to ourselves.

Sadly, this picture represents the last place Reese was seen with her Princess doll. Not a happy camper once she realized she was missing.

"Texas Town" is always a big hit with the kids. We spend the majority of our time letting them play around and make discoveries in the little old western Texas village.

This little town would make a great backdrop for a photo session. If only I had cooperative children!!

And what's the Dallas Arboretum without a little Texas in it!! We love the cowboy boot and the "Texas Chia Pets" were a big hit as well!

Our pre-Easter week was just as crazy mad as this week, so we had to carry over a few of the Easter festivities that got neglected.

"I can't believe Mom just gave me my very own egg to dye!"

"This is how it's done c-bear style! Now watch and learn!"

"Once the egg is submerged, you let that bad boy sit for a minute...ya falla?"

"Slowly bring 'er up, careful not to make too big of a mess for mom to clean up and VOILA!"

Gavin was very serious about his Star Wars egg dying!

Gavin was pretty happy with his accomplishments! They turned out alright! Good job doing it yourself this year!

We can't forget to mention Reese's Hello Kitty egg contribution!

One night we broke some rules and had a really 'sweet' dinner. Easter Bunny pancakes!

Gavin's was more of a pancake cookie! This was definitely a dinner that I didn't have to ask to finish off their plate! They all wanted seconds and thirds...no doubt!

Can anyone guess who this favorite PBS character is supposed to be? Arthur!

And this one? That's right, it's the Millennium Falcon, baby!

Lastly, we were unable to race in this years Azalea Run in Tyler due to our mad schedules, however, we still like to watch last years post and video for fun memories! We plan on doing the race next year FOR SURE! So much fun for the WHOLE family!!

We did get some 'who'riffic family time fun in this morning watching "Horton Hear a Who"!!

LOVED IT!!

Show -n- Tell

My friend Marni and I got our hair cut the other day at a new Salon in Heath. (I have yet to see your hair in person...what's up with that!...so this post is for you!) We were so excited to finally find someone willing to liberally use a razor cut on our hair and thinned out our thick beast! Marni even got a dynamite color added! What do you think?

The catch was that I paid about 35-40 bucks MORE than I normally do with this salon. I haven't been this happy with my hair however since I lived in Utah and had fabulous stylists! So, now I have a dilemma, do I fork out the big bucks every 6 weeks for a haircut that rocks my personal world? Or do I stick to the cheaper route and just be satisfied? Please participate in my polls on the right hand side bar!

*ETA...Budget wise we can stretch either way. I'm just trying to get past paying serious dough for a cut and curious if I'm just a tight wad (Christopher laughs) with my hair budget.

Easter Morning Fun

Reese in fierce competition with Gavin for eggs.

Caden with a Dinosaur (from his bucket) in one hand and a chocolate in the other while on the hunt!

After a while, Caden thought it better to forgo the bucket and just start eating as much candy as his little hand and mouth could hold. No tellin' when mom was going to take it all for good!

Reese scored some serious eggs! Her bucket was just about to overflow!

I think Gavin had the most fun with one of his bucket prizes...his bubble gun. From the picture below, looks like we can add window washing to his chore repertoire.

Caden was just too cute playing with his baby dinosaurs from his Easter bucket. He would line them all up and then take one and "Rrrrrraaarrrr" them all down!

I would post some video of the actual egg hunt with the kids however, I myself, could not get through it all without being bored to tears. Therefore, there is NO WAY anyone else would appreciate it! HA! There is Caden playing with his bubble gun though. He was in love with it and sure did make quite a bit of bubbles!

This was my favorite treat of the day. When Reese showed me her picture of Jesus! So cute!

Lastly, you don't want to miss out on THIS VIDEO: The Bread of Life. Today has been a great day of reflection on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I feel so immensely blessed. This video just reinforces my testimony and love for my Savior! I love Him!

HAPPY EASTER!

Riverdance

The odds were against us. It started with our babysitter deciding last minute that they were going to a camp instead of sitting for us. It's Spring Break and Easter weekend. After calling every young woman I knew (and a few I didn't really know) getting no where, in desperation I started calling on those for favors. Nothing turned up. Then you know things got really desperate (hours from when our show was to start) when we decided to take the kids down to Tyler (1.5 hr drive one way) and leave them with Granna and Pa for the night!

We managed to get the kids care taken care of and then made our way back home, changed and went out to my favorite eatery as of late Panera Bread!!

I had the Bacon Turkey Bravo and Christopher the Asiago Roast Beef with a delicious salad. Being that we had about 1 hour before our show started, we took ours to go. We had a 45 minute drive ahead of us.

On our way up to Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie we took a wrong turn that cost us some valuable time in a venerable area....

Fortunately, we made it! It really was a miracle! It was time for the live performance of RIVERDANCE! The show was fabulous! It was a surreal evening to actually see the show in person.

These people dance like they are suspended in air with rapid feet movement made into a blur at times! And check out these shoes they wear!!

Christopher and I agree that our favorite 3 dances were: "Thunderstorm"



"Dance Battle" (American Tap VS Irish Dance)



"Russian Dervish"

I added this "Finale" video b.c the lead dancers Alan Scariff and Alana Mallon are phenomenal and were the two that performed in our show. The video was obviously done illegally at a recent show as no cameras were allowed, but it's still really neat to see.

Once the show was over, we still weren't without obstacles getting home! A burning car was sitting on a lane in the middle of the highway! The excitement didn't end after Riverdance!

Christopher and I ended up at the grocery store getting supplies for a night without kids! We made our own version of this:

Trying to stay within a healthy diet, we used Weight Watcher brownies, cherries, Black forest ice cream, and hot fudge! About as healthy as we could make it! Ha! DELISH!!

I have to give a shout out to Mom and Dad Haslam for the incredible tickets and seats! We would have never known Riverdance was in Dallas and I'm glad we were able to be a part of it! Thank you! We definitely want to do this again and bring Reese with us next time. Since being home and watching the videos, she's upset she couldn't go! She loves all types of dance...and this is similar to her favorite, tap!

Another shout out to Mom and Dad Lloyd for watching the kids for the night. Again, we wouldn't have been able to have our night out without their help! Hooray for family!! We love you all!