Easter

Easter this year was awesome- no other word for it!  Spring had finally arrived, everyone was healthy, and we were able to be with family.  What more could we ask for?

On Easter morning, the boys quickly found their hidden baskets on the sun porch and could. not. wait. to tear into them.  When you are food allergy family, candy- and especially chocolate- is kind of rare and kind of a big deal.  These faces say it all!

mmmmm.... chwockwhet!

Sweet chocolate-y smiles

After all that sugar, they even put on bunny ears and smiled for me.  I'll take these moments when I can get them!

One of the best moments of the morning was when Daddy gave Liam this hat, which had once belonged to my Grandpa G-willie.  Boy would my Grandpa have loved Liam and Joergen!  I know he was smiling down from heaven on Liam doing his old hat some justice.

On our way out the door to church

I swear they did this on their own with no prodding from me! I almost fainted!

After mass, we got on the road to NJ to visit with Nana, Grandpa, GG, Uncle Tim, and his family.  All this excitement (and sugar) so far was exhausting!

Once we got there, our little Payne Stewart was ready to hit the golf course: 

So dapper in their Easter duds!

Joergen just adores his best buddy Colin and was so happy when Colin got up from his nap and came downstairs!

In addition to all the family there, we even got to "see" our French family thanks to Face Time.

Grandpa and GG wishing Aunt Erin a Happy Easter

And check out the boys' cool Easter presents from Nana and Grandpa (which they have already used several times!)

Who is ready for an Easter Egg Hunt?!

Ready, set, GO!

Little G found one hiding in the play house!

Liam said, "I think this is enough!"

After the egg hunt, we all sat down to a seriously yummy Easter dinner (thank you, Aunt Jackie!!).

Happy and content!

Nana and Liam then offered some after-dinner entertainment:

Thank you to our NJ family for hosting a beautiful day together!

Holy Thursday

In the days leading up to Easter, Liam and Joergen became very interested in the story of Jesus and wanted to know all they could about his life, death, and resurrection (and asked many questions that were tough to answer for little kids!  Not to mention adults!).  On Palm Sunday, the Knights hosted their annual Pancake Breakfast, which Liam and Joergen proudly worked along side their dad while I sang at the 11:30 mass.

Ok, Liam worked...

... Joergen ate :)

For a while, Liam was working at the front door, greeting guests and informing them of the menu (he was so proud to have such an important job!).  When Fr. Cioppi, our pastor, walked in, Liam (having just heard the story of the washing of the feet during our story time the night before) started asking him questions about Jesus washing his disciples' feet and what Father does on Holy Thursday.  Fr. Cioppi stopped Liam and said, "Liam, would you like to have your feet washed on Holy Thursday?"  Liam's eyes got big, and he nodded yes.  A few days later, a letter from Fr. Cioppi arrived, thanking Liam for accepting the invitation to be part of this special tradition and giving him instructions on what to do.  

On Holy Thursday, Liam was all dressed up in his jacket and tie, sitting in the front of the church, patiently waiting for the washing of the feet to begin.  From up in the choir loft, I watched him stand up as the alter servers moved the benches to the front, then confidently leave his pew and take his spot on the bench.  He was by far the youngest "disciple" that day (if not ever!), and after Fr. Cioppi had washed Liam's little foot and Liam was trying to put his shoe back on, I had to chuckle realizing that he could not yet tie his own shoes.  It was so sweet seeing the man next to him swing Liam's foot up onto the man's lap and tie his shoes for him.

After mass, I could not wait to see Liam and hear about his experience.

Me: "Liam, tell me all about having your feet washed!"

Liam: "Mom, the water was freezing.  And my foot is soaked, but that's ok.  It was awesome. I thought my heart was just going to burst right out of the church!" 

(I could relate.)

Later, Liam said to me, "You know what, Mom?  I want to be a priest when I grow up.  Then I can wash people's feet whenever I want."

Genevieve is 1!

This string of birthday posts would not be complete without mentioning the celebration of one very special little lady's first birthday...

Sweet Genevieve Rose is 1!  She was going to be spending her actual birthday back in Charleston (warmer weather- who could blame her?!), so we celebrated a weekend early along with Nana and Grandpa in NJ.

So while the boys had a little story time...

... I snapped a few photos of the birthday girl.  Seriously, could she be any cuter?!

Mwah!

Liam is always ready for a party-- especially when there is a good party hat involved!

Genevieve had fun opening her presents...

... and then it was time for the cake!

Uncle Tim's birthday was just a few days prior and Liam's was just a week before that, so little G had some good helpers to blow out those candles:

Shortly after the candles went out, Nana and Grandpa had to hit the road-- more bad weather was expected to roll in (par for the course this winter for sure), and they wanted to make sure they didn't get caught in it.  One quick "cheese", and then they were off!

We stayed for a little while longer before having to get on the road ourselves-- just enough time for Liam to open (and enjoy) his birthday present from Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie:

Cosmic Ray- one of the coolest book concepts out there!

And of course, enough time to snag a slice of that cake-- and watch Genevieve enjoy her first piece as well!

It feels like yesterday that I was in Charleston waiting for this little one to enter the world... and now here we are just one year later, living much closer to each other and celebrating her first birthday all together!  Happy birthday, Genevieve!  

29... Again!

My birthday this year fell on a Thursday, which meant we had to squeeze a celebration in between work and choir practice... I think perhaps we are getting old!

All three of my guys did an absolutely amazing job making that time together really count, and I loved every minute.

I'm not gonna lie, Daddy seriously outdid himself this year by cooking me dinner-- and you know it's true love forever when your husband makes you your very favorite dinner, knowing it's one of his absolute least favorite dinners.  Behold, the lamb chop!

Along with carrots and potatoes from our CSA, it was one of the best dinners I've ever had.  Who knew Anthony was such a chef?!  And just between you and me, he actually liked the lamb too :)

For dessert, Dad stayed up super-late the night before my birthday making cookie dough, and surprised me by baking it in a cast iron skillet after dinner.  Warm chocolate chip cookie... why yes, please!  And happy birthday to ME!!

It was the perfect way to end an already fantastic day.

Speaking of our CSA... although we've done a spring/summer fruit share for the past few years, this winter was the first time we'd tried a veggie share.  It was really fun- and definitely a bright spot in what was otherwise a pretty terrible winter!  We always looked forward to our "farmer box" on Tuesdays, and we were really proud of the boys for their willingness to try literally everything that we received.  Not saying they loved - or even liked - it all, but they at least tried it!  The winter shares reaffirmed our love for veggies like potatoes, rutabagas, and carrots, started a new love for things like kohlrabi, portobello mushrooms,  and crazy varieties of radishes, and helped us learn that we really do not care for sunchokes, bok choy, or fresh-from-the-farm, bugs-and-all greens. We will stick to the pre-washed bagged salad greens from now on, thankyouverymuch!

One of our favorite CSA items had to be the on-the-cob popcorn.  It was fantastic!

And probably the most surprising moment had to be when I was dicing raw beets for a salad, and could not keep the boys from stealing it!  I couldn't cut it fast enough before they'd scurry through the kitchen, grab a handful, and run away.

It was easy to nab these suspects, though-- those red-stained fingers totally gave them away!