Miracles do happen.

Sunday (Easter) was a great day of family, fun, and plastic eggs. The kiddos got to do two different egg hunts, and sing a special song at church, as well as hang out with aunties and cousins all afternoon.

Even their daddy had a little bit of fun hunting eggs, and found one that was just his style.

The only down side to the entire day was my own two, dear, sweet, angelic children refused to cooperate for the "cousin" shot I tried to get. Of course, the photog's kids would be the ones. At least we have a shot where they are all in the same frame. I'm thankful for big and small miracles this Easter season. ;)

Check out more shots at Wild Wonderful Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesday.

Glow in the Tub

I've recently seen lots of people posting on Pinterest and twitter or Facebook about putting glow sticks in the tub for the kiddos to play with. At first I was afraid this would do brain damage or something, but I realize now glow sticks are non-toxic. Whew.

So once I realized I wasn't going to kill anyone I thought the hooligans would like to try it. Had Billy grab a few glow sticks at Walmarts (kidding...I totally don't call it that) and got out my raincoat, which is usually necessary when they are in the tub.

They had a great time playing in the tub, and are continuing to drag the no-longer-glowing glow sticks around with us. They have apparently inherited my trait of getting your money's worth out of things.

Check out more shots at Monday Rewind, and And Then She Snapped

The last shot is for Tones on Tuesday, Communal Global, Sweet Shot, and Happiness Project

The Hour

It is the hour to rend thy chains,
The blossom time of souls. ~Katherine Lee Bates

This Easter holiday holds more meaning than can be expressed with any picture or any fancy words I put here. Thankful, simply, that I am loved and given a chance by Someone who deserves so much more than I can give.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:6)

This shot is for Simple as That, and Sunday Snapshot.

and Scripture and a Snapshot

From our blog:
http://bunchofbarrons.blogspot.com/

Matchy Matchy

One of my cousins who I spent a lot of time with growing up has recently moved back into the area. It's been fun to hang out again now that we both have kids. We grew up being in the same grade and doing a lot of things at the same time. This matchy-matchy has carried over into getting married and having kiddos. We literally got married one week apart (Billy and I on June 11th, she and her husband on June 18th).

We each have 3 kids, and the farthest apart our simultaneous pregnancies have been was about 4 months. This last round of kiddos were born 9 days apart, both just missing a holiday. (Hers was Christmas Eve, mine was the day after New Years) We've never been pregnant alone, which is kind of nice since we could always complain to each other. The only non-matching part of all this is that our kids are exact opposites in the gender department. She has a girl when I have a boy. This last pregnancy I joked when she found out what she was having (a girl) that I should just start picking boy names out. Jericho Hawk it was.

All this to say that it's fun to watch our little brood of kids be able to do some growing up together. As a kid my cousins were some of my best friends, and I loved being so close to them. This past weekend we went to my cousins church (Her husband is a student minister, an occupation my husband has also had...more crazy matchy-ness.) for their Easter egg hunt, and the kids all seemed to have a blast. I'm glad that our kiddos get to have fun together, and hope that the memories they make are as precious to them as they were to me.

Check out more shots at Oh Snap, Photo Friday, Fabulous Friday.

The last shot is for Give Me Your Best Shot, This or That, and Show Off.

In the Instant

Ever since I got an iPhone last summer, I've had so much fun taking pictures of our everyday moments. Stuff I wouldn't have caught lugging my DLSR around. I love that thing, don't get me wrong. But it's not going to the grocery store and on walks with me.

Some of these moments may seen uninteresting to the outsider, but to me they are priceless little square reminders (well, most of them are square anyway) of the days I spend makeup-less, in sweats with my hair in a ponytail and up to my elbows in kiddos and crazy times.

It's not always fun and cuteness squared...there are lots of iMessages sent to my hubby saying I'm currently pulling my own hair out, or reporting someone's latest tantrum or absurd stunt, and begging him to leave work before someone (probably me) runs away from home. But it's all worth it, and even the cray-cray with them is something I'd prefer over working 9-5. (Ok, that's true most of the time.)

The last shot is for Tones on Tuesday, Communal Global, Sweet Shot, and Happiness Project, 

Check out more shots at Wild Wonderful Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday,