He Is Risen!

Easter morning at our house was pretty low key, at least until the kids woke up and got into their Easter baskets. :)

It was fun watching the kids dig through their baskets and check out the goodies that the Easter Bunny had left. Truett, of course, knew to go straight for the candy....something that Emma seemed to have caught on to pretty quickly!

Emma enjoying an early Easter morning Peep

This pic was probably taken after a few handfuls of Easter candy and this is his 'hopped up on sugar' smile.

I thought I'd throw in a random picture of Nugget from Easter morning just to document his little life. :)

Emma in her Easter dress....the picture is not too clear, but it's the only one I got of her in her full outfit (of course!)

After Mass, we headed over to my mom's house for an Easter Egg hunt, the annual Goulas Family Egg Pocking Contest, and Easter dinner.

Emma & Nannie posing for the camera. This is the smile Emma gives when I say, "Show me your teeth."

Emma & LeeLa'

Truett & LeeLa'....this was during the Easter Egg Hunt at my mom's house. As you can see, Truett likes to snack on his findings along the way. I guess it helps him keep his energy up!

Emma & Uncle John

Awwwwwe....look at Sarah helping Emma - WRONG! Some of the eggs had money in them. Whenever Emma handed an egg to Sarah, she would shake it to to see if it had money in it. I think Sarah made a whopping $2.48. HAHAHAHHA!

Here are our beautiful eggs we decorated for the Egg Pocking Contest. Any thoughts on which of these glorious eggs would be this year's winning egg???

And the winner is........

Yes! Don't be fooled by this sweet face!

The egg hunts and candy are fun, but they will never overshadow the true reason we celebrate Easter. "He is not here. He is RISEN!" - Matthew 28:6

HAPPY EASTER!

March Madness!

As I was going through pictures for this post, I realized that the month of March was pretty random. From gameshow auditions to SNOW days, it was a pretty unique month for us this year. :)

Jay & I went to Wheel of Fortune auditions! hahahaha! We did NOT get chosen to play....BOOOO!!!
Truett & Emma giving Lightning McQueen a good washing!

SNOW day...in MARCH!

Pictures with the Easter Bunny
Easter Egg Hunt with the Praytors

Gramma & Truett counting eggs after the Easter Egg Hunt

"Rodeo Days" at Truett's school

Truett's stick horse

Gramma showed up just in time to ride the train with Truett & Emma

21st on the 26th!

***THIS IS A POST WRITTEN BACK IN MARCH THAT I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT***

My cousin, Benjamin, turned 21 this year on March 26th so I thought I'd give him a 'shout out' via my blog! :)

I was 12 when Benjamin was born and can actually remember going to the hospital when my aunt went into labor. I was thrilled at the idea of having a baby in the family and even more excited about the fact that Aunt Mollie and Uncle Ben had dubbed me "#1 Babysitter". I thought I was so big! :)

Benjamin was my first "babysitting job" and I can remember my aunt giving me $20 for playing with him (as well as watching TV and eating yummy snacks!) while she cleaned her house and did her laundry. Now that I'm a mom myself and realize the significance of having someone around to entertain your children so that you can get things done around the house, I'm thinking I was DEFINITELY under paid, but then again, the reality of it was that I was probably there because Aunt Mollie was babysitting ME plus, I loved playing with Benjamin anyway...win/win situation!

Here's Benjamin on his 1st birthday....Apparently, my mom loved playing with him, too - she's the one in the clown outfit! hahahhah!

Emily & Benjamin - I think Emily felt 'grown up', too, because until Benjamin was born, Emily was one of the 'babies' of the family.

Aunt Mollie, Benjamin & Uncle Ben

Benjamin was truly a great kid growing up. He was so sweet, worked hard in school, had tons of friends and LOVED being with his family.

Me, Benjamin & Emily at MawMaw's house the night before Emily & me moved to Dallas

MawMaw & Benjamin

I'm not sure who the baby is in the picture. It could either be Sarah or John (or possibly some other baby in the family...hahah!) but I LOVE the sweater that Benjamin is wearing! hahahaha!

Benjamin and Sarah

When Emma was born, Jay and I couldn't think of anyone better to be her Godfather. We know he'll be an amazing example and role model for her!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENJAMIN! We hope your birthday was as AMAZING as you are! WE LOVE YOU!