Never a dull moment

Bad storms bring us down to our neighbor's storm shelter (again). Naomi spent an hour and a half exploring the place, discovering old trucks, eating crackers, and destroying her clothes (the scarf snuggle was forced into its first wash cycle this afternoon). Thankfully, our area was spared of anything worse than hard rain.

Pregnancy does funny things.  Thursday night, leading into a cozy long weekend, we went out for Asian food.  As good as it tasted then, the leftovers did nothing for me.  

Easter time brings...cards from Grandma with stickers!!  Naomi made immediate use of a whole sheet.

Then, Easter Sunday brought showers that threatened to spoil an Easter egg hunt.  Naomi joined the other children out in the rain, hesitating at first, only to become fully enthralled in puddle-jumping.

Since all the children were fully drenched anyway, the egg hunt prevailed!  

Phil helping Noami find her first egg.

One small glitch in Naomi's strategy: stopping to sample the wares.  

She ended up with plenty in the end, however, thanks to some older children who dropped surplus eggs in her basket.  

We are thankful to celebrate the true meaning of Easter with our immediate family, and church family, and believers around the world.  

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Louisiana-bound!

A wedding brings Mom, Dad, Naomi and me back to our old stamping grounds: Mandeville. (Phil had to stay back and represent at an Athletic Banquet. Check out some of what he missed!)

The Lakefront, one of our favorite local destinations. Naomi sees Spanish moss for the first time. She does not want to touch it.

Although against Lakefront law, we did enjoy a Coffee Rani lunch under the trees. Naomi is telling Grandma she is done with her salad, and it's time to go exploring.

Opa actually finishes first, however, and brings the little miss to the water's edge. 

Walking like she owns the place.

This is getting to be a bad habit - not getting a picture of the bride and groom.  At least we have a few lovely shots of some attendees. 

Exploring the plantation home. Who can resist a staircase?

And here we have the unbelievable: 1 - Naomi goes to Mrs. Levee (while an old friend of ours, a stranger to her), and 2 - goes to sleep in her arms! Fun to have Palm Sunday at Three Rivers and see some familiar faces!!

Grandparents come to Colleyville

Phil was on a French cooking kick (yippee!). Here, he is cooking a delicious beef dish.  His sous chef is taking a break in the background.

She joined him for the photo op, however.

Papaw and Nana came for a visit, and introduced...

...bubbles!  What a magical discovery!!

Quick break to our park for swings and slides.

More French cooking: chicken diablo. Only, Naomi wasn't interested in eating; she was interested in bubbles.

So, one more round bubble popping.  

Thanks, Nana and Papaw!

 February brings a visit from the Houston grandparents.

 February also means basketball play-offs...

 ...and soccer play-offs. Congrats to Daddy's team being 2nd in the state!

 We also saw the San Antonio grandparents last month.

(Strictly speaking, it is The Woodlands and Boerne respectively, but why be super-specific?)

 Naomi received a special gift on this visit: her own rocking chair since Mommy was getting heart palpitations from Naomi climbing up and down the grown-ups' rocking chair. 

If stirring and tasting assistance is ever needed, Naomi is your go-to person.  Especially with the tasting. 

 Surprising Grandma in Randall's food store, so we could go on walks.

 And Opa could introduce chocolate milk to Naomi.  

 Back at home, warmer weather means we bring out the grill. Naomi is pretty psyched!

 Blurry, I know, but the duck potty is almost too exciting to stand.  She's shaking with excitement at the prospect. So is Mommy. (And after a spring break at home changing diapers, so is Daddy).

 Again with the stirring and watching at the counter. Pancakes this time.

 Naomi thrilled with all her presents!

 Except that they are actually for Daddy's birthday. Happy 30th to you!

What could be better over spring break than being buried in books while catching some basketball on the sly? No really, this is pretty much what we did all week, and it was wonderful.

 Naomi's first time at the counter, in awe of my astute knife handling.

Having taken the time to observe, she is ready to help me stir the soup mixture for chicken divan.

Break from the kitchen for a breath of fresh January air.

 Back in the kitchen, my sous chef graduated herself from observing and stirring to tasting.  Brownie batter is an excellent choice of where to begin, I think.  The apron is courtesy of Naomi's great great aunt, Tante Roos.

 Sunday afternoon walks are the best!

 Out to wait for Daddy's much-anticipated return from work.  

Sous chef now taking the liberty of trying the onion soup mix.  Six tastes later, I ascertained that she approved.

Naomi giving her full repertoire of words.  

Warning - you need pretty good speakers to hear any of it.