Easter Weekend 2011

We had a fabulous Easter weekend. My sister Kara came into town on Thursday and stayed through Sunday. Her husband, Paul, came on Friday afternoon after he got out of work in Corpus Christi. Kara and I enjoyed a Thursday "Sister's Lunch" at the Bistro in Nordstrom's and a little bit of shopping afterward at La Cantera.

Obviously, the big event for the kids (besides playing with Uncle Paul and Aunt Kara!), was Easter day with church and 2 egg hunts! We started the night before and let Ben dye some hard-boiled eggs. He had never done this before, and thought it was great. :-)

After church on Sunday, the Easter bunny had visited Mimi and Gran's house. The boys got to hunt the eggs at their house and then we enjoyed an incredibly delicious Easter lunch that Mimi had prepared. She went all out---china, silver, and fine linens. It was marvelous. We ate so much we could hardly move! My mouth still waters at the thought of the ham she made...yum!

Here are some pictures of the boys hunting eggs at Mimi and Gran's house.

After lunch, we walked home to find that the Easter bunny had come to our house while we were at church!! He left goodies on the porch and lots of eggs in the yard. Each of the boys got a scooter---and they haven't stopped riding them since! They were a hit!

Parkhills Preschool FIESTA Parade!

Also in April, the boys' preschool holds their Annual Fiesta Parade! This was the first year that I haven't gotten to attend, but my mom and our great neighbor "Colonel" went in my absence. Ben was so happy to see his "buddy" at his school and parade. He was beaming the entire time. Logan didn't actually participate in the parade, but sat on the sidelines, shaking his "maraca" that he made in class.

This year, Ben got to ride his bike during the parade. We decorated it the night before. And despite my efforts to make it an authentic fiesta bike, Ben said "absolutely no paper flowers mom". Broke my heart...but he's a boy....and there's no way there will be flowers on a boy's bike!

Ben and with his "buddy", Colonel.

No posts in April???

Where did April go??? I can't believe I didn't have one post in the month of April!! Well, maybe I can, because the Hood family was VERY busy! This is the first of my "month of April" posts...sorry they are a bit late!

We spent a weekend in Port O'Connor. Just the Hoods. It was extremely windy, but we enjoyed our time together. Randy and I relaxed on the porch, the boys played in the pool, we grilled fresh gulf shrimp, and took the boys to the beach to hunt for seashells and hermit crabs. We had a really good, relaxing time.

Wordless Wednesday

Spring Break

This Spring Break, the kids and I had some crazy fun...at home! We thoroughly enjoyed our time together. We stayed at home and made the most of our days. We spent nearly every waking hour outside---the weather was gorgeous! Here are some of the things we did over Spring Break...

We played dinos... Made some new friends...

Played outside (a lot!)...

Drove the gator...

And jeep...

Played frisbee...and got too close where big brother was throwing....and got a boo-boo on our "fore-noggin"...

Swung on the tree swing...

Played in our playhouse...

Dug for fossils in our backyard....

And found some!....

I took advantage of the warm, spring weather and started potting some flowers...

And admired the ones that were already blooming....

And took particular awareness of our beautiful Japanese maple tree in full color...

All the while, I read books! I completed 2 books over the break. Both are great books, and I highly recommend them.

So that was our Spring Break in a nut-shell. It was relaxing, fun, and enjoyable. The boys and I enjoyed our time together and made the most of it. Happy Spring!

Spring Bridal Shower

My sister-in-law, Sarah Ann and I hosted a bridal shower for Randy and Andy's half-sister, Maggie. She is having a spring wedding around Easter. We hosted an intimate gathering of friends and family for her special day. Here are some photos of the nice afternoon.

The party was from 2-4pm, so we had a light food selection. Chicken salad on white rolls, a beautiful fruit tray, mixed nut and mints. For dessert, we had a chocolate cake, filled with chocolate ganache. Everything was very good! A close up of the cake. Maggie's wedding theme is centered around cherry blossoms. So, her cake was decorated with cherry blossoms. It was a beautiful cake. (And delicious too!)

A beautiful display of wonderful fruits!

Fresh white rolls, chicken salad and swiss cheese. Yum!

The sparkling fruit punch was a big hit! It was easy and delightfully light and crisp. The fresh torn mint and strawberries really added flavor! You can find this wonderful recipe for the punch here .

There were beautiful spring bouquets for accent.

Who can have a party at tea time without serving tea? A selection of teas complimented the cake.

The guests, enjoying conversation...

Here is a picture of me, Maggie, and Sarah Ann. Sarah and I had a wonderful time hosting the party for Maggie. We look forward to her wedding day, and hope that her wedding is as beautiful and special as she has planned.