Posing at Passover 2012

I grew up celebrating Passover on Saturday night and Easter on Sunday.  As the years have gone by, I appreciate the richness of Passover more and more.  I love that Passover celebrates God saving His people.  I love that the blood of the lambs over the doorposts of homes meant God's wrath passed over that Israelite household - and that is my claim too for eternal salvation - the Lamb of God Jesus' blood saves me from God's wrath.  From the meaning of the 4 cups of wine to the hiding of the matzah, there is symbolism all over the Passover Seder that points to the redemptive plan of the Father through His Son.  It is one of my favorite nights of the year!

We gathered with family and friends to celebrate Passover Seder at Aunt Debbie's.  The Seder always begins at 6pm, but this year the lighting was perfect at about 6:30, which meant 30+ minutes of posing for pictures before we even started the ceremony. 

I'm always a fan of family pictures, but Collin was not pleased we took  him away from the wagon racing on the driveway.  Here are all the grandkids with our family matriarch, minus Alex who was in Indy.  





Uncle Larry was so thoughtful to bring Collin a car, which got us through the photos plus the hour long Seder ceremony.   

Cas' family joined us, with Uncle Libero and Aunt Elida making their first Passover appearance.  I wish we had a picture of Aunt Elida's rock star heels - at 6 months pregnant she is still gracefully maneuvering in 4-inch heels -

The hostess with the mostess, Aunt Debbie, who manages to coordinate a dinner for 40+ people.  These three beautiful generations all share a home - Debbie, Jasper & Jewell Rae -

 Jake & Leah (who was our "celebrity" cousin after flying in from NYC to celebrate with us)

  Aunt Carla, Daniel, Mary (friend of family), Jackson & Uncle Bob - 

 My parents -

I love this shot of my Grandma Betty with her kids, my mom & Uncle Dick -  

  Daniel & Cas in twinkie shirts - 

I think my two biggest hang-ups with Collin are what he eats (we try to avoid processed food) and his sleep schedule.  I plan my life around his nap and he always is in his bed by 8:30pm at the latest.  (There are other things I'm probably to lax about, drop a goldfish on the ground at the zoo and eat it, great, building immunities.)  Anyway, Passover marks Collin's latest night yet - I think by the time he settled down in bed it was almost 10pm!  Here he is with a sad face because at 90 minutes past his bedtime, the cake was just out of reach.  But grinning with Uncle Larry -

And here's how my night ended - Cas took Collin home and I got to sit on the couch with a glass of wine and chat with my wonderful cousin Leah, my Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Carla and my mom - bliss!

Jam Session with Birthday Boy Bryce

Before celebrating Bryce's quarter of a century birthday, we wore Collin out at the park with Grammy and Brownie.  A rare shot on the other side of the camera!

Showered and prepped to stay past his bedtime, we headed to Aunt Debbie's.  As soon as Collin arrived, he begged Bryce for some time on the drums. 

Collin was having a GREAT time.  He's quite excellent at being loud, and his teachers say he drums all day long with whatever is in his hands at school. 

Happy in the arms of the smart, beautiful Radscha, especially when she fills his face with birthday cake!

 The birthday boy, his love, and his mom (aka Bryce, Radscha & Aunt Debbie)

Aunt Debbie is our family organizer, and we are so fortunate to see our family for get-togethers at least monthly.  From Bryce's birthday in March to Debbie's birthday in mid-May, there is pretty much a birthday a week, and as a result, Collin has decided his favorite food is cake. 

Twinkies

While I was hosting a baby shower, my guys visited Uncle Libero & Aunt Elida.  When they walked in, they decided the visit was a perfect photo opportunity, because coincidentally Collin, Uncle Libero and Chloe the dog were all sporting hot pink - 

And Cas and Elida were matching in teal shirts - 

Collin had a great time playing at his uncle and aunt's house, especially because their gym room is complete with hanging rings!

Rainy Afternoon

We spent all day Sunday at home to let Collin recover from a cold. Instead of taking it easy as Cas or I would have done, he asked for my step aerobics bench and music. Here's our guy, too sick to go to church, marching and stretching to a BodyStep video:

After a quick downpour, we geared up and headed outside. Galoshes, raincoat, puddles and tricycle put a smile on his face!

We used up the bubble gun solution in about 15 minutes, and then Collin used it to fan his face. The scowl is the result of a "bubbles don't taste good" discovery.

While this expression seems to say "enough photos Mommy," I think it's really just my sweet boy's fever eyes. Growing up my parents said they didn't have to feel my forehead, my eyes would tell whether or not I had a fever. At this point, Collin's temp was only 99 degrees, and he wasn't acting the least bit sick, but his poor little eyes tell a different story.
Of course we can't be outside without our canine companions. Bruno with a guilty, muddy nose.Fergie, our chill, happy one, right by our side unless she's rolling in mud or poop - luckily neither of which occurred this afternoon!Bubble gun pointed to his face, on the lookout with Bruno for neighbors.Silly, happy guySnotty nose with a smile -
Thankful this cold is on its tail end, and that in the midst of it, Collin is still a delight, cracking us up with his observations and keeping us busy with his incredible energy level.

Giggles and Goldfish

On Good Friday, we met up with my dad and uncles following a golf tournament with some of their University of Houston dorm buddies. Collin had a great time with Jackson and Aunt Carla at the bbq, giggling with a mouth full of goldfish as Carla put bunny ears on photographer Jackson -

We subjected Collin to hundreds of photos between Passover and Easter, but these were the best shots we got over the long weekend, in Grammy's arms, outside having fun with his cousin and aunt.
Brownie played the role of proud grandpa to a T, making sure each one of his college friends met and complimented his grandson.

Children's Festival

We had a wonderful day as a family of three at the Houston Children's Festival. When we arrived, Collin made a bee-line for the pots and pans music area.Cas tried to pose with him climbing a tree, but Collin's focus was on the next area of play -

We took Collin on his first carnival ride - kind of like the spinning tea cups. At first, he wasn't a fan of the fast turns, but later was giggling each time we'd spin around a corner -

But the biggest delight was the constant stream of bubbles thanks to bubble guns all over the place. In route to burst some bubbles -

Next we made Collin a sheriff vest, and he took his new responsibility seriously -

Back and forth he ran, big smile on his face, sporting his grocery bag vest, balloon trailing behind him like a kite, off to pop bubblesWe were in the perfect position to watch a motorcycle man do a tight rope act across the pond - And we found our way to the always popular petting area. This was a bit wilder than the zoo and rodeo, with the animals stampeding around the pen and goats that would butt with their horns if you annoyed them. Collin stayed glued to my leg, but was happy to be around the animals.Petting the turtle -

We ended the afternoon with a few pictures in downtown Houston -

He may look like he's being sweet and cuddly, but he's really reaching across me for the free sample of yogurt we picked up -

Playing on the fountains -

And taking the final photo of the day with my poor son squinting into the sunlight -

Dressing Like Brownie

Collin and I spent a Friday afternoon on the driveway. We colored with chalk, blew bubbles, pushed trucks, waved to neighbors, rode on tricycles, and threw hundreds of tennis ball and frisbee fetches to Bruno and Fergie. At one point, he remarked, "I look like Brownie. I'm dressed like Brownie today." And considering Cas doesn't wear cotton polos often, Grandpa Brownie was his association with the casual but preppy shirt.

After two hours in the front yard in March, his sweaty hair had curls in the back and some messy spikes in the front - My happy Brownie look-alike . . . well, he got the eyes and polo sense of style from my family, everything else resembles his Daddy!One more on the ground in the garage. Even though we had been outside for two hours and it was past dinner time, he would rather lay on the concrete than come in our house!What absolute joy it is to be his parents. We tell him all the time he's our favorite little boy. I'm counting down until May when I should be working three day weeks and getting a lot more time during the day with my fun guy!