Easter 2012

I would like us to all observe a moment of recognition that I am, in fact, actually blogging a holiday in a timely manner! Oh YEAH baby!!!   uhem.  OK.

First, Palm Sunday.

Our palms broke on the way home in the car (awww… or not so awww, depending on if you are a kid or a parent)

Easter Sunday we like to go to sunrise service. There’s just something great about worship, breakfast, egg hunt and then we change back into jammies and crawl back into bed at like 10:30 AM. Hah!

After the service we drove over to where some bluebonnets grow. It was early and the light was nice and the kids were dressed up. I know we sort of missed prime bluebonnet time but I wanted to get what we could.

Oh.My.goodness.

After that we went to Denny’s and had breakfast.

Then we had our egg hunt at home in the back yard.

oh the drama of being four.

(Oh can I just say I am really glad to be wearing make up again!!!)

After the hunt we settled the kids in with a movie and Will and I went back to bed.

This is probably my favorite Easter tradition. hah.

Later we had a scaled down Easter dinner – honey ham and green bean casserole followed by Cadberry eggs for dessert. It was just us, the kids had leftover spaghetti. Our day was very casual. I actually truly napped TWICE today!

In the evening we dyed eggs and then we played in the back yard.

We have a lot of lizards. I love this one, he lives by the water hose, his name is Hermit.  Hermit is in the midst of shedding his skin. Doesn’t he just seem itchy and miserable? Look at the bright lovely skin underneath! Don’t you want to to just reach out and help him out? Don’t you want him to just hurry and be free of that old skin? I can’t wait to see him when he is all fresh and new. He just seemed like a good reminder of what Easter should be about.

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?

Azaleas

Near the beginning of the month the azaleas were blooming. Azaleas are one of many “Houston Things” that I have learned about and enjoy, I guess we must have them in Austin, but I can’t remember them ever being a big deal there.

Sadly our own azaleas in our yard didn’t bloom this year (freeze? drought? I don’t know. The bushes are green and seem fine, but no blooms) but the ones at a park near our house were breathtaking.

I am struck by how amazing it is to be surrounded by such beauty, just a few paces from my house. What a remarkable thing that is, and yet we mostly drive past it never stopping, never noticing.

Bella received some correction before these were taken and had been drinking red Gatorade, so she looks a little “off”, it was kind of a stretch for her to even take any pictures, poor girl. But oh, those eyes, that messy auburn hair – how I love this little girl!

Jacob looks so much like my brother in this one:

Composition wise, this next one has issues, all the light is on the right side, , there’s too much tree on the left, too many vertical elements distracting from the subject. But, oh, as a Mommy, I love it!

Ah, there’s a smile….

My two favorites of the series:

Mathew 6:28 Consider the lilies. While the lilies do not toil or spin, they do their work, draw up sustenance from the earth, and drink in the dew, rain and sunbeams. So we are to do our appointed work. It we do this, trusting in God, he will supply all our needs.

Cub Scouts Spring Camp Out

Jacob and I attended the Spring Cub Scout camp out last weekend at Camp Strake near Conroe, TX.  We arrived around 7 PM Friday night. It was a bit of a rush to get camp set up before it got dark.  I didn’t take any pictures that night.

Our October campout was during a burn ban, camping with a fire is definitely preferable. In the morning we had breakfast casserole . I learned a lot about cooking over coals and how to feed a large group cooking in ovens.

Jacob was a big fan.  This camp out we included a mess kit in the price of the camp out.  We had a wash station and everyone used real dishes, we did provide spoons and forks but other than that no plastic or paper goods. Yay, for being green.

After flag ceremony and breakfast the Tigers went for a hike.  There had been a number of copperheads around camp, so it was a great time to review safe hiking.  Given the large amounts of loud singing that take place on a hike, I think it was safe to say we scared most creepy crawlies away.

Notice there’s adults, Tiger scouts have to have an adult leader with them at all times, the joke is that BSA doesn’t stand for Babysitting of America. Adult leaders are called Akela (which means good leader).

It was so pretty at Camp Strake, the ponds were so still and filled with lily pads.

Jacob and his BFF Hunter.

Camp Strake has a big pirate ship that extends out over the water, it’s a great place to fish. The ponds were all bone dry just three months ago, so the fish were small and no one caught anything. Seven year olds don’t mind!

After the hike, and fishing off the pirate ship and hide and seek in the stockade, the guys did the obstacle course. Love the way they huddle! So cute.

After that we had a game of soccer over on the soccer fields. We went over all the rules so the guys could earn their soccer belt loops.

I would like to point out that all of the above took place before 11 in the morning!

Next we all went out on the water…Huck Finn Rafting!

See the gray log looking thing half in the water in the center of the picture  – that would be our first alligator of the day! It was a big one and we stayed well away.

I was grateful to be sitting down and not having to pole the raft. Thanks Terry (our Cubmaster and my mentor!)

After lunch and some rest back at camp, we headed over to the pavilion to do art and we built boats for a Reduce Reuse Recycle Regatta.

The art makes the THIRD belt loop earned that day! The kids really learned a lot and had a great time doing it.

Our ill fated boat.

Before the regatta Jacob and I took a long walk on our own, we went back to the pirate ship and saw another alligator, this one much closer, it was a baby one.

 

Regatta Time

The better boat turned out to be a small jet dry bottle.

We had WEBELOS who are graduating to Boy Scouts this year. The tradition is that the parents decorate the arrows, the colors you see are done by wrapping them with colored thread. These represent all the different accomplishments each boy has achieved during his time in Cub Scouts. 

One of my favorite shots of the weekend.

That evening there was a powerful ceremony to celebrate the boys bridging over to Scouts.

This picture came out crazy, but in a cool way so I’m posting it. This is the ceremonial fire where the Great Chief Akela tested each arrow for worthiness.

This is what Sunday morning church looks like on a camp out.

WEBELOS II packing up their own gear. They are fifth graders that completely set up and strike their own camp. Pretty cool. We also walked the entire camp site to pick up every last bit of trash and Leave No Trace.

“Mom, I want to live in the woods and eat chili forever…”

Dutch Oven Cobbler Recipe

Start coals and let them heat for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile dump 3 cans of pie filling, one box of cake mix and one can of sprite into a dutch oven.

Cover lid with coals and cook on top of coals for 30 minutes.