Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there. — Clarence W. Hall, author

Easter weekend

We kicked off Good Friday with a Moms Club Easter egg hunt. Saturday consisted of geocaching and playing at the park with Daddy, doing a resurrection egg hunt I set up for the boys, Maddie and Dixie, and then watching Puss In Boots.

Houston gets coached on proper shooting techniques during his first time handling a BB gun.

Sidebar: Zeke is now quite passionate about pretending he’s Puss. He discovered some hand-me-down cowboy boots hidden in the closet and wears them proudly, while also donning my Tilley hat snapped up on one side with a feather poking out of a grommet, and a piece of Hot Wheels track (what the 3 Amigos have been using as swords as of late) stuck in the waist of pants.

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. — Martin Luther

On Easter Sunday, the boys received chocolate crosses and Bible-story puzzles as sweet and simple gifts celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and its significance to us as Christians. Then we attended a glorious church service and spent the afternoon outside, appreciating the exquisitely sunny and temperate weather. It was a lovely weekend for which I am thankful.

The 3 Amigos relish the freshly fallen snow.

From the Lone Star State to the Shenandoah Valley

Stephen and I were in Texas from 3/30-4/2 to go the wedding of one of his dearest pals, Ryan, who was also the best man in our wedding. The nuptials and festivities that followed were held at a private campground in beautiful Dripping Springs. The Hill Country was the perfect backdrop to see Ryan commit to his lovely bride, Amanda; catch up with old friends and make new acquaintances; and rock out late night to an excellent Phish cover band.

We also feasted at the legendary BBQ restaurant, The Salt Lick in Driftwood, and did a lot of chilling in Austin. We devoured authentic pescado y carne de res tacos at a dirty, but delectable roadside joint; munched on ceviche y cordero empanadas at Curra’s Grill; visited H.E.B., the best supermarket in the world, at least four times; and relaxed and slept a bunch at the hotel.

Then the boys and I made an impromptu visit to Roanoke to visit Stephen, who was there for work last week. It was his birthday on 4/5, so we drove up the day before to do dinner. Interestingly, Auntie Lisa also happened to be there on business and was staying in the hotel right beside Stephen’s, so we met up with her for a bit so she could get her 3-Amigo fix.

Of course, the dudes were super excited to sleep in Daddy’s hotel room and then do a continental breakfast with him on his birthday. After that, we trekked up to the Roanoke Star. Although it was drizzly and foggy, we were able to see some good views of the valley, snap some nice photos and take a brief hike before hitting the road for Carolina.

The dudes, Alyssa & snowman, made of not-so-fresh snow.

Critter fever

On 3/26, Houston found an injured winged ant. So, he adopted the flightless bug and named him Jeremy, since J was our letter for the day. Although we were never 100% sure Jeremy wasn’t a termite — yep, these destructive insects look quite similar to winged ants — Houston took great care of him.

Unfortunately, just two days later, the Jeremy died. We had a short funeral for Houston’s beloved ant, buried him on the mountain and marked the spot with a cross made out of found branches.

That evening, the 3 Amigos and I dug in wet soil in search of easier-to-maintain pets for Houston. As of today, earth worms named Hermie, Wormie and Billy have been living quite contentedly in their coffee-can ecosystem.

I had also told the boys about caterpillars — low-maintenance pets that I had every spring as a kid. Houston spotted one on a family walk last Friday, so he brought him home and named him Friendly. A few days later, Friendly got a new pal, who Zeke named Dinky. The two butterfly larva seem to be thriving in their makeshift ecosystem: a Spidey shoe box covered with a thin cloth.

Gabriel as a snowman, made of toilet paper (unused, of course).

Yesterday, the boys stumbled across a baby caterpillar, named Zinky. Regrettably, he wasn’t as lucky as Friendly and Dinky: he was got critically injured by accident this morning, so I had to euthanize him. It was actually quite sad. The 3 Amigos and Jessie buried the tiny, green caterpillar beside Jeremy and marked the spot with another homemade cross.

And then there’s Norman the Nightingale, another critter who has become part of our family this spring. No, we don’t have him in a box, a jar or a cage. Norman simply visits a tree alongside our driveway, which runs up right beside our living room. So, on nice evenings when the windows are open (which are most nights these days), Norman sings us to sleep with his lilting melodies.

Kicking & bouncing

Miss Jessie surprised the boys by showing up to their second soccer practice with her boyfriend, Joseph, and sister, Kaylee. Daddy says the dudes loved having all the “fans” there to watch them play.

The game on 3/24 got rained out, so Granny ended up taking the kids to their first game on 3/31, since Stephen and I were in Texas. Not only did she lug them to the Y, but she also took them to their pal Matthew’s birthday party prior to the game. It was at a bounce place, so the twins were pooped for soccer. But Granny says, “Houston played his little heart out.” Thanks, Granny!

“There’s no snow south of the border, so I’ll wear this sombrero instead,” Zeke says.

From butts to eyeballs to boo-boos

On 4/4, I got official pediatrician approval to take a brief hiatus from potty training. I was going nuts with all the accidents and the cycles of progression to regression. It has been nearly a week of total liberation from the messes, headaches and wasted time that constant accidents produce. But we’ll be back at it as of 4/18 (sigh). Please pray for us … seriously.

On 4/9, Houston went back to the doc for his pink eye, which never fully healed. Turns out, the redness is due to seasonal allergies, so he has to take a daily regimen of oral, nasal and eye meds for the remainder of spring. Poor little dude … well, he now weighs exactly 50 pounds, so I guess he’s big dude … but at least his allergy symptoms aren’t as nasty and severe as when he was a toddler.

Picture this: While sprinting across the grass, Gabriel dramatically trips and falls. Cries of pain echo throughout the backyard. “Are you okay, Gabe? Did anything get hurt?” Miss Jessie asks. “The ground,” he replies.

To check out February photos, click the top pic to see Part 1 and the group snowman shot to see Part 2. You can also view February fun had a Chuck E. Cheese — the boys’ reward for painstakingly earning 30 marks on their good-manners-while-eating chart.