WIWS: Answers & Easter!

Christ is Risen!

He is Risen, Indeed!!!

Joining two link-ups today. One is new and the other I am trying to be better about consistently joining! The new link-up is Answer Me This over at Catholic All Year with Kendra. I've been wanting to join, so glad I'm here now! Also, will be linking up with What I Wore Sunday over at Fine Linen and Purple because I ended up wearing something other than the same dress I was considering making happen two Sundays in a row.

1. What did you and your family wear to Mass on Easter Sunday?
Here we are! This was the best out of many photos we took after Easter Mass. The wind wasn't friendly with my oldest's hair, but I love how we are all smiling!

 The boys were super cute this Easter! My mother-in-law did another great job of picking out their attire. She is so great about getting the boys some cute outfits and we love her for it!

 The hats were especially cute! We put them on for pictures and were surprised that they both took to them fairly well.

 Pictures with Bigfoot wouldn't be complete without sticks. Love these two together though.

Onto Fine Linen and Purple link-up goodness. Here I am - full length version!

I picked out a random outfit since my more Easter-ish dress was worn the week prior at Palm Sunday Mass. 

For some reason this photo keeps flipping. Oh well.

Skirt: Banana Republic Outlet (Probably a good 7 years ago. Thank goodness high-waisted things are somewhat in style because this skirt would not have worked around my mama mid-drift otherwise!)

Shirt: Victoria Secret Online (A good 4 years ago.)

Cardigan: (Victoria Secret Online (Also, a good 4 years ago. Seeing a trend here, ladies?)

Shoes: Forgot the brand, and they were purchased in sometime in '05.

Okay, back to the cuteness. The photo above is pretty much how Bigfoot feels after any family photo session that happens. Over. It. Although, he was fairly happy with sticks in hand.

 

Meanwhile, my little ham was eating it all up. He loved walking around with his little hat. Mind you, it came off a couple of times, only for him to start trying to put it back on himself. After a while, he just left it which made for some sweet photo moments.

2. Easter Bunny: thumbs up or thumbs down?
Don't have much of an opinion on the bunny but am a fan of the eggs as those make the most sense to me in celebration of the Risen Christ. I need to read up on my Easter bunny history to figure out what I think about the little hare but till then, I'm all about the eggs, confetti, decorating, and candy treats to serve as teaching tools and celebration for our Lord and His Gift to us.

3. Do you prefer to celebrate holidays at your own house or at someone else's house?
Prior to this Spring we were living in an apartment. As much as I love hosting, our little place would always get cramped real quick-like! Now that we're in our new home-sweet-home, and after having some family visit, I would love to host every and all holidays at our home. I know that won't happen only because I also think it's important for us to travel to the grandparents for holidays, especially so the kids can spend time with any great aunts, uncles, cousins that we don't get to see often as well as spend time in the homes their parents grew up in and were loved for a lifetime in. With all that said, I have a feeling my little homemaking heart is going to absolutely love having family over for holidays now that we are in this home.

4. What is your favorite kind of candy?
Candy in my mouth. Does that count? Any and all work for me. In terms of chocolate or sweet, I think it depends on my mood and what language my sweet tooth is talking.

5. Do you like video games?
My brother and I had a super nintendo growing up. I played a little but never really cared for it. I would rather be reading or spending time with my friends. My husband on the other hand could easily get whisked away in a game, and being the geeky-tech man that he is, is pretty good at them. And, him being the perfectionist he is, could easily want to play the game (each one with a perfect score) till the ultimate conquer. This is my husband and a quality I love about him when applied in other realms of our life, but not the video game one. Therefore, we currently don't have one, and we'll see what we decide once the boys get interested.

6. Do you speak another language?
I do. I'm fluent in American Sign Language. In fact, I went to graduate school at Gallaudet University which is an all-Deaf university in Washington, DC. I went there to get my Master's in Mental Health Counseling and had an absolutely amazing experience. My classes we're all taught in sign and I could not be more grateful for the education I received there. Upon graduation I worked in mental health as a therapist for a number of years for the Deaf community and went on to work as an ASL interpreter in my last few years leading up to motherhood.

I also speak Spanglish. I'm very fluent in my receptive ability, but spoken is a bit broken. My conjugations are lacking but I can manage pretty well. I do better when I'm speaking it on a daily basis as I did when I was working in the mental health field.

That was fun, Kendra! Thanks for the link-up and looking forward to joining again next week! And, head over FLAP for more fun and beautiful Easter outfits!

Also, stay tuned for birthday posts and some fun news this week!

Holy Week Encouragment, Recipes, and a Song

I had full intention of carrying on with my last post. Sharing Linus' birthday party so that I could continue and share my sweet birthday weekend is something I still fully intend on doing, but after some thought, I'm going to hold off.

If I were to continue on the blog-track I set up for myself, then I'd be posting about birthdays for the next three or four posts. Understanding that that in itself isn't terrible, I feel better putting it off so I can focus on my family, myself, and my Lord the rest of Holy Week.

So, with that, I hope you stick with me! I fully intend on sharing my exciting news in the following week. It will be my little Easter celebratory session as I'm sure by then I'll not only have our birthdays to share but also some wonderful and beautiful moments that I hope to capture these next few days with family in town.

Till then, I'm going to share some sweet photos I took earlier this week, posts that I found beautiful and encouraging, and a song.

Fun chalk times.

I'm Not Afraid of the Crucifix Anymore. This post from Micaela over at California to Korea is beautiful. It's what my mama heart needed to read today as we enter into the Holy Tridduum. She wrote about the beauty of the hard truths and reality of the Love of our Savior and she shared her beautiful mama heart and love for her baby. Thank you for this post, Micaela!

So serious and so precious!

Restore Workshop: Lessons Learned (Vol. 3): Self Care & Prayer and a Day in the Life. Bobbi over at Revolutions of Love Blog has shared a Day in the Life that was so encouraging and beautiful. Her efforts are real and practical. Little things done with great love. They definitely have encouraged me to further explore the Liturgy of the Hours in my life and to try to schedule my prayer a little by using my trusty sidekick (*ahem* my phone). Bobbi, I love what you're doing and look forward to all else you share about your Restore Workshop! 

Smile! Love this sweet face!

Lent: Did you Bring it or Blow it? This post by Kathryn over at Team Whitaker is timely. A fellow Aggie posted this on her Facebook page recently, and I am grateful (since I've been terrible about keeping up with my blog feed since the move). Either way, this post is present to me. I feel like this Lent has been different than previous ones. Somehow, even though we entered Lent right when we were moving into our new home (In other words, entering into a whirlwind of crazy!) this Lent has had a sweet pace. Slow. It's been gentle and lovely. He has been present at every turn and it's been good. I guess when there's a whirlwind of crazy there's a whirlwind of lots of little things. And, like Kathryn said, it's the little things that make way for the bigger. The Little Way is such a good way. Bless, sweet St. Therese!

(Prayers for the rest of your pregnancy, Kathryn!)

Quack! Quack!

Martha, Martha. It's been you all along. This post by Lauren at The Loveliest Hour put into words what my heart has been trying to wrap itself around while reading the gospel this Lent. Beautiful, lovely, and filled with goodness, love, honesty, and humor. Loved it!

Brothers.

Suffering Love. This Lenten reflection by Father Robert Baron was beautiful. It touched my heart. Put some of my little day-to-day life in perspective. And, I'm grateful for it. 

Love these little feet!

Prayers for Beginners (the Book). This post by Britt over at The Fisk Files was a gift! Prayer is something that I am always needing a good swift kick in the rear about. I pray. I talk to Christ throughout the day, but typically on a need basis. I love how Britt shared some of her favorite quotes from such a seemingly wonderful read. The quotes are powerful, encouraging, and challenging. Thank you, Britt, for sharing this book! And, prayers for you and baby Sophie, too!

Sweetness.

Marshmallow Lamb Cookies. I love Catholic Cuisine! Food is always great for storytelling, crafts, and family tradition. I've enjoyed celebrating the saints by making little feasts and this Easter should be no different. I've been looking through their archives for Easter goodness and I will definitely be making these with the boys and I'm excited!
 
Resurection Rolls Recipe and Story. Speaking of lovely food fun blogs, I also heart Catholic Icing! These fun rolls are also on the to-do list for us. As well as pretzels. If you haven't read the story of the pretzel, please read this. It's kind of wonderful. I'll be trying to make these Super Soft Beer-Infused Garlic Butter Pretzels my husband found.

My pensive baby, growing and learning every day. 

Last, I'll leave with a song that has been on repeat in our home. In the mornings, before Mass, and any other time there is need for a beautiful prayer.

It's Matt Mahar and Audrey Assad singing Lord, I Need You. It's amazing. It's beautiful. And a prayer that I pray my heart sings all. day. long. Forever.

That's all, friends and family.We are onward to this beautiful time in our Church - the Holy Triduum. A time when our Lord meets us. He calls us to Him. To know Him more in suffering and love.

Pray these posts bless you as much as they have blessed me! And, prayers for a beautiful and blessed Holy Triduum!

“…Standing by the cross’ (Jn. 19:25), Mary shares in the gift which the Son makes of himself: she offers Jesus, gives him over, and begets him to the end for our sake. The ‘yes’ spoken on the day of the Annunciation reaches full maturity on the day of the cross, when the time comes for Mary to receive the beget as her children all those who become disciples, pouring out upon them the saving love of her Son: ‘When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple who he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold you son!’ (Jn 19:26). – Blessed John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 103

Mary, Mother of our Lord, pray for us.

Also, please share any encouraging Holy Week posts you've found!

WIWS: Birthday Weekend

Back for another round of What I Wore Sunday. This past weekend was my birthday weekend! I have nothing but good things to say about the whole weekend, too. I mean, it truly was kind of amazing! And, I love when  my birthday falls so close to Holy Week and Easter! So, not only is it what I wore for my Birthday weekend Mass but also for Palm Sunday!

My birthday fell on Saturday, but with some friend love, family love, and lots of husband love I was able to celebrate from Friday through till Sunday. It was definitely the best birthday yet!

For Mass on Sunday, I wore this spring dress. After taking the pictures I regretted wearing this dress because everything about it says Easter. So, don't be surprised if I'm not posting my Easter outfit only because I will be wearing the same dress again!

Dress: Macy's 2013 (birthday gift from my Mom)

Shoes: Nine West (Christmas gift 2012 from my Mother-in-law)

Glasses: Nicole Miller (few years ago)

Jewelry: James Avery (a good 4 years ago)

As for the birthday goodness, I have full intention of sharing how absolutely wonderful it was, but I will have to do it in installments. Given that we had a three day celebration I want to be able to fully grasp and share the amazing love I felt.

For now, though, here is a little glimpse of fun from Saturday. This was right before we headed out for dinner. Got a few selfies with my oldest and a fun picture of Linus and GeekMan.

I'm excited to share in these next posts, all the fun that was had over the weekend. But, because I feel sort of guilty about not having yet posted about Linus' birthday party (that happened two months ago) I will be posting on his birthday celebration first and then follow through with sharing my birthday weekend and some EXCITING news (And, just in case anyone thinks EXCITING news always equals new baby in my belly, I'm telling you that there is not a little one within me at this time. Not yet, anyhow. :))!

Stay tuned, friends and family! And, head over to Fine Linen and Purple for more lovely outfits!

7QT: Reasons we heart Nana

--- 1 ---

Play.

Nana plays with us. She reads to us.

And, loves to spend time with us!

--- 2 ---

Excitement!

Her excitement is encouraging.

Makes us feel good about ourselves.

In turn, building our confidence. We can achieve anything!

--- 3 ---

Joy.

We see the joy in her face when she's with us.

It's not something you can fake.

The authentic joy is good for her soul and for ours too.

--- 4 ---

Presence.

She's there for us.

No matter what. And, we're grateful!

--- 5 ---

Hugs.

We love Nana hugs!

They're the best and feel oh-so-sweet!

--- 6 ---

Love.

Nana, through her actions, teaches us what love looks like. We're grateful to have her in our lives and to be on the receiving end of what her heart has to share!

--- 7 ---

Nana you are so many things to us! The week you spent here was amazing! Our new home went from a house just bought to a home within the week because of all you did.

Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

(And, thank you Papa Ram for sharing her with us for a whole week!!!)

~~

We love you!

You were missed the moment we dropped you off.

&

We can't wait to have you back again (with Papa this time!)!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

A Day in the Life: Home Sweet Home

We've been in our home for a little over two weeks now and I feel like we are still honeymoonin'/transitioning/adjusting/discovering/moving-in/unpacking/and all else that falls under the move-in-to-your-first-home category.. This home has been sweet to us and we are so excited for the years and memories that are to come here! But, as sweet as it has been to us, there has been a bit of sourness that has been mixed in. Not from the home itself, but from the challenges of uprooting two little ones from the home they knew to a whole new and larger space with a 7-acre playground as a backyard.

I've been silent on the blog because I've been so busy with helping the boys with this transition that has proved to be challenging for them and therefore, me. But, I can say this, I have missed blogging so very much! I've missed having the time to share my thoughts and heart. I've missed writing, sharing, capturing, and I've missed reading and commenting on all the other blogs I follow. The ones that I find so encouraging.

At the end of the day, after all the fussiness, teething, and poor sleep, my heart is happy. Happy in our new home. Happy that our little family has this beautiful and simply sweet space to make memories and grow in love together. Happy.

Here's a little preview of what our daily happy looks like:

Endless places to play!

Playground right oustide.

This little window is a daily hot spot for the kiddos.

As is this sliding door that leads to the great outdoors that promises all the adventures these little boys desire.

Love these little toddling feet!

Reading space.

Love them together!

My heart smiles with this one when he shares his sweetness.

And, I love his bed head. Everyday.

Then there's this door that leads to 7-acres of joy.

Bed head hair. Love it. Always. and, Again. 

Brothers.

Fun.

Patio goodness with a cutie and a beautiful tree.

My toddler-dinosaur man.

Wishes and wants. Play and fun.

And then there's this face that has managed to infiltrate our time. Teething, allergies, and transitions are not our friend, but we're still soaking up all the goodness that this place has to offer. 

So, here I am, sneaking away while the littles sleep (Miracles do happen.) with the hope to share more as we find ourselves more and more settled in our new home-sweet-home.

Linking up with A Day in the Life over at Making the Trek for the first time. Head over for more fun!