Scrapping in Circles: February 2010

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday Crown of Thorns

Lent has begun. We all received our ashes today (though you can't see them on their foreheads anymore now) and we also made our Crowns of Thorns. Every year we start Lent with our Crowns of Thorns. These "thorns" remind us of the pain that Jesus suffered for our sins. Throughout Lent, as we do good deeds for others, we take out thorns from the crowns as our good deeds make Jesus happy. By Easter all our thorns will be removed and we will paint these crowns with gold paint and decorate with jewels as they will become Easter Crowns. This reminds us that after Jesus suffered for our sins, he opened the gates of Heaven and was crowned king of heaven and earth.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mardi Gras

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, when we as Catholics begin 40 days of Lenten sacrifice to remember Christ's sacrifices for us and the gift he gave us with his life. Today, though, is Mardi Gras (also known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday). It's the day we celebrate, eat the last of our meat and desserts as we clear our pantries out for the Lenten fast.

Here are the kids all dressed up for Mardi Gras.

Hurray! The kids really loved popping the poppers.

Baby Bear needed some special attention. Fortunately, the child backpack and a new microphone made him happy while we created our king cakes.

The big kids sprinkled the king cakes (cinnamon rolls) with gold, green, and purple sprinkles.

We sang some songs with Alleluia in them.

Then, we put our Alleluia away for the Lenten season. Sister made a special box to remind us of the importance of Lent.

Have a blessed Lenten season!!!

Happy St. Valentine's Day

All three kids enjoyed St. Valentine's Day parties on Friday.

Baby Bear found it difficult to smile with his mouth full of candy hearts.

Brother loved playing all sorts of games during preschool. His favorite was musical chairs.

Sadly, his fabulous dancing distracted him from winning. He made it down to second to last, though.

Sister loved decorating her "mailbox" for her class party and enjoyed receiving a special "candy gram" from Mom and Dad. I really enjoyed being able to help out at her class party.

My dh and I loved having a special night out just the two of us on Saturday night. My parents took all three kids for a sleepover Saturday evening. It was the first time in a very long time we were able to remember what it was like to be newlyweds again. While fun, it was also great to see the kids the next morning. They, on the other hand, voted to move in with Memere and Papa. Oh well. You can't win them all.

I hope all of you were able to share St. Valentine's Day with someone (or a bunch of someones) you love!!!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Skateland

During Catholic Schools' Week we had a fun family night at a local roller rink. Sister has been rollerblading for a while now and is very natural at it. It actually surprised us a bit since she and I have similar issues with gracefulness. When she's on skates, she's a graceful angel.

Sister loved skating and singing. They played tons of High School Musical songs.

Yes, I had to grab her and hold her down to even get a photo with Sister.

This was Brother's first time on skates.

He really loved holding on and letting people pull him along.

He also showed off a bit for the camera.

In the end, he did best skating on the carpet (which has probably been there since I was little).

Sadly, Baby Bear didn't get to try skating. I didn't really want to have to go to Urgent Care that night. Maybe soon though.

Brother and Baby Bear really enjoyed playing in the video game section.

Once Brother found the guns, he was done with skating.

What a wonderful family night with the other families at Sister's school. We'll have to go back again soon!

A Week of Crazy Dress Days

Catholic Schools' Week is a week full of crazy dress days. For kids that are required to wear uniforms most days, this week is their chance to break out in individuality. Sadly, Sister was sick for the first half of the week. Fortunately, she didn't have to miss out on the best days including Beach Day. Since it is February, I required a bit of warmer items under her "beach wear". Shockingly, I was one of the few parents who did.