Easter 2012

Easter kind of snuck up on me this year.  We decided to dye eggs at the last minute, and just got a cheap  "Cars" set. 

Easter egg hunt in our new backyard!

Easter morning was kind of crazy, because we had to be at my aunt and uncles house for dinner at noon.  We went to Mass at 7 am, came home and ate breakfast, gave little Alex his Easter basket (Mary took a nap right after breakfast, so she got her basket later) and started preparing the food to bring. 

Alex's basket: An Easter book, a cars book, "The Easter Story" dvd, a "Cars" movie car (Alex actually found a pope one, a car with a mitre on top!  They also have a popemobile one- so funny!), a water gun, a chocolate cross, and candy.

Mary's basket: An Easter board book, Barnyard Dance book, some bibs, a cute bunny water bottle, a chocolate cross and candy. 

Because we were so rushed, these are the only pics I got of the kids in their new clothes.  I plan on getting some better pics when they wear these clothes to Mass sometime soon. 

Have a wonderful Easter season!!

1st snow!

Catching Up

I haven't posted nearly as much as I have wanted to with all the stuff that is going on, but its been a bit more hectic than usual!  We move up to Denver in early March.  My parents flew down, we rented a big Uhaul, packed up, and left around 3:30 that afternoon.  My parents drove the Uhaul (towing our car behind it) and we drove the van with the kiddos.  It went as well as could be expected, although it rained while we were moving stuff into the truck, and probably 90% of the time we were driving.  It took us three days of driving since we got such a late start the first day, and the kids were thrilled when we were finally here.  As soon as we arrived, a lot of my family came over to help unload, and we were done in no time at all.    I am terrible, and didn't get ANY pictures of the big trip.  I think I had the camera in my tavel bag, but I guess I never remembered to take it out.  We are done unpacking now, and are trying to figure out how we want things arranged and such.  I am going to go around and take more pics of the new house, but I posted a few that I had on the camera.

Once we arranged the living room furniture, the wall in the pic below was pretty bare, so I found this big entertainment center on Craigslist, and it looks great in the room.  Now we can even display some of our pretty dishes that have been packed in boxes for years. 

 

  I love the fireplace, and will be great for cold winter nights.

This is the backyard.  There was a hot tub on the patio, but we sold it on Craigslist shortly after we moved in.  Too much maintenance, and we want more room for the kids to play and to put a grill and some other things.  We did use it once, though, and it was very relaxing!

This is the area that is going to be my garden.  It's too small right now, so I am going to arrange all those bricks in a larger, more rectangular shape.  Can't wait to plant lots of yummy veggies.  I also ordered a blueberry plant online.   Not sure how long it will survive here in Colorado, or if it will produce anything, but I am going to give it a shot!

This will be the place where we will eventually put a play set for the kids.

Our first big project for the backyard is the removal of all the ugly bushes and rocks (see pic above) so we can put in more grass. My parents came over last weekend and we cut down and dug up the roots for all the bushes.  It really opens things up with them gone. 

And miss Mary is going to help us move rocks, one by one, with her little bucket.

So excited about our new house, and can't wait to make lots of wonderful memories here with my sweet family!!

The Woodlands Children's Museum

A few pics from our last trip to The Woodlands Children's Museum:

Mary Clare- 1st birthday

I have been so busy organizing our new house, but I found a minute to post pictures from Mary's birthday (a month late).  Here is the butterfly cake I made: 

She was sitting there for awhile while I looked for my camera and was getting very impatient!

The cake pictures:

Present time!  Big brother loved helping.

Valentine's Day

We had a beautiful day filled with love here at the Lynch home.  I woke up to the smell of oven pancakes that Alex made.  Yummy.  Throughout the day, my thoughtful hubby sent me these beautiful poems, and even wrote one of his own!

 Love's Philosophy

The fountains mingle with the river

And the rivers with the ocean,

The winds of Heaven mix forever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single;

All things by a law divine

In one spirit meet and mingle.

Why not I with thine? -

See the mountains kiss high Heaven

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdained its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth

And the moonbeams kiss the sea:

What is all this sweet work worth

If thou kiss not me?

-Shelley

Life in a Love

Escape me?

Never—

Beloved!

While I am I, and you are you,

So long as the world contains us both,

Me the loving and you the loth,

While the one eludes, must the other pursue.

My life is a fault at last, I fear:

It seems too much like a fate, indeed!

Though I do my best I shall scarce succeed.

But what if I fail of my purpose here?

It is but to keep the nerves at strain,

To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,

And baffled, get up to begin again,—

So the chase takes up one's life, that's all.

While, look but once from your farthest bound, At me so deep in the dust and dark, No sooner the old hope drops to ground Than a new one, straight to the selfsame mark, I shape me— Ever Removed!

-Browning

I brought pizza and soda home for dinner, and we exchanged gifts.  I got beautiful red roses, a box of chocolates, a huge balloon (Alex gets me one every year and it usually lasts for months and months!) and a gift card to Lupe Tortilla.  Yay!  We will be able to visit our favorite restaurant one last time before we leave Texas.

After the kids went to bed, we had strawberries and cream fondue (white chocolate with starwberries and raspberry liqueur) with angel food cake, strawberries and bananas for dipping.  Fun day!  Can’t wait til the kids are older and we can make Valentines together!

Grammy and Papa sent some cute Valentine gorillas for the kids and some chocolates for us. 

Happy Valentines Day!