the paquettes

Ella’s date night music video

julespaq — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:59:42 +0000

Falcons!

julespaq — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:20:11 +0000

Rilyn had her first cheer ‘scrimmage’ on Saturday. Because it was only a football scrimmage, the girls wore only their practice outfits and not their real game-day cheer clothes. Rilyn was bummed about that, but everything was A-OK when they let them use their poms-poms!

sheer joy

You can see that the cheerleaders even have their own cheer chairs to rest in!

Football game behind them and the cheerleaders trying to pump up the crowd!

Rilyn giving us a high kick!

flashback friday-boys in the ‘hood

julespaq — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:05:51 +0000

Authentic.
Like a brother.
Bear each other’s burdens.
Ties that cannot be broken.

As many of you know, one of the main reasons we moved to Austin was to live in community with our friends whom we met in college. Here we are 12ish years later, MANY kids later, and minutes away from each other. What a blessing to raise our children together, and an added bonus was James, Halim, and Jeff all having little boys that are within 9 months apart. We all visited each other in the hospital room the day they were born and have watched them grow into preschoolers now! (In a couple of weeks they start! Praise the Lord!) I can’t wait to watch their friendship grow as they become young men! (Malachi still prefers to play with Ella over Asher!) I had the three boys at my house yesterday and miraculously, (it helped that fruit snacks were involved!), I got a decent shot of them sitting together!

Caden Richardson, Malachi Suh, and Asher

Asher’s BIRTH day and 6 month old Malachi with proud daddies, James and Halim

newborn Caden, and 3 month old Asher

November 2008- Asher and unhappy Malachi

The three boys swinging this past spring

And you know how I love to show old-school pics! Here is Jeff, our college friend Carson, (who was apparently very tired), James, and Halim on New Years morning 2001.

January 2001

the wheels on the bus

julespaq — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:17:45 +0000

This is Rilyn’s third year on the bus! Selfishly I L.O.V.E the bus. It drops her off right in front of my house everyday! I sit on my front porch rocking bench and just chill and wait for her. This year she doesn’t want me coming up to the bus door to get her. Now that she is a big first grader, she wants me to stay on the porch and she will walk to me by herself! She is so grown-up these days!

Here she is going to preschool in fall of 2008:

fall 2008

field trip in 2009 (I actually did not take a picture of her first day on the bus in kinder!)

end of her first day in first grade!

First day of 1st!

julespaq — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:28:53 +0000

Big day today for Miss Rilyn! Today she started first grade at Manor Elementary!

Last night, we did our family night ‘back to school style’ to get prepared for her big day. I got the idea and printable from here, a Back to School Survival ‘kit’ with scriptures. So fun and so easy! (Example: Rilyn pulls out an eraser from the bag and we talk about that the eraser reminds us that everyone makes mistakes at school and it’s okay. We then read Genesis 50:15-21 about how Joseph forgave his brothers.)

This morning was great! Rilyn was a little nervous because she keeps thinking about getting ‘graded’ this year (versus ‘S’ for satisfactory or ‘E’ for excellent like last year). We prayed and once she saw her old friends she was great!

new backpack from grandma!

Manor Mustangs!

Her teacher, Mrs. Stein!

I got the idea for making this speech bubble in the top two pictures right here. (Thanks Kristy for finding this!)

dancing

julespaq — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:31:40 +0000

We got a new Flip video cam and James was playing with it the other day. He made this ‘music video’ to show a day in the life at our house! A certain little boy who loves jumping off our furniture, a messy-prone girl with marker stains on her dress, toys all over the floor, a certain 6 year old picking her wedgie in front of the camera, and one boy who loves spinning until he falls down dizzy!

photo shoot

julespaq — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:51:37 +0000

I dream of mine one day, off in the distant future, would be to have a little photography business. I’m starting to learn about lenses and love creative photography. I did a little photo shoot at Mayfield Park yesterday with my brother and sister in law and their adorable son, Caden. I thought I would post a few of my favorites!

lily ponds are always gorgeous scenery!

secret doors

peek a boo

Back to School date night music video

julespaq — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:47:18 +0000

cheer practice

julespaq — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:26:11 +0000

Rilyn started cheerleading a couple of weeks ago! She is with Pop Warner and they are serious about cheerleading! Rilyn will be cheering for Manor Falcons flag football. She had to complete 20 hours of ‘conditioning’ (stretching, running), before she even could start actual cheer practice. Of course, I had to take a couple of pictures of her first ‘real’ cheer practice!

This is called the “clean position”

This sweet older cheerleader helped out Rilyn so much.

oops-Rilyn is supposed to have her legs closed!

Maybe one day she can get her legs as high as the ‘big’

girls!

eternal conversations

James Paquette — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:29:05 +0000

Yesterday was Rilyn and I’s annual back to school daddy-daughter date and like last year we headed over to Austin Park n Pizza for some miniature golf, go-karts (Rilyn gets to drive her own car), video games, and tea-cups; I almost let loose on that ride, Rilyn ended up riding again by herself just so she could spin as much as she wanted. We ended the trip at Sonic sharing a blended root beer float.
Chilling at Sonic was our first time in a long time to really get to talk about the upcoming school year and for me to get to listen and share my heart with her. We talked about what to expect in 1st grade from tests to social woes and from what I can tell, she seems ready and excited to get going. She takes after her mom in that arena. Her affinity for organized days filled with achievable tasks fits right in with her Julie-like personality.
While we were there, I wanted to take the chance and talk about more eternal things also. You see, for a while Julie and I have been wrestling with our role and responsibility as it relates to her faith in Jesus Christ. From an early age, God has graced Rilyn with special affinity for God and His Good news. She is fascinated by and attracted to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; to the point that if you ask her if she believes in Jesus, she says yes. We ask her if she loves Jesus and she says yes. To hear Rilyn say this gives Julie and I great joy.
This joy is in response to our deeply rooted longing for all our kids to love Jesus, to trust Him, to put their faith in Him, and be reconciled with their Heavenly Father, the Creator of the universe. God’s word reveals to us that this reconciliation with our Heavenly Father comes only to those who by grace have faith in Jesus. Romans 10:9-11:
“9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
I discussed this very truth with Rilyn last night and she clearly communicated her love for Jesus, and that she believes He is the Lord of heaven and earth. Does this mean that she is saved? That is the question Julie and I are wrestling with. It is clear that the word of God teaches that salvation comes to those who confess with their mouth AND believe in their heart that Jesus is who the Bible says He is. How can you know what is really going on in her heart?
I tried to assess that on our way back home. My first question was, “Rilyn, who is the giver of all good gifts?”
“Jesus” she replied
Right answer, but I wanted to get to the heart, so I asked, “What if Jesus took all your toys away, would you still love Him?”
“Yes,” she replied
“Why,” I asked.
“Because He was crucified for me,” she responded.
Wow, that was a big word, not one we use very often. I probed a little deeper, “What if Jesus took daddy away, would you still love Him?”
To which she wilted a bit and weakly said, “Yes”
Torn between giving her a hug and pressing on, I asked her, “Why?”
Sniffling a little bit she responded, “Because He loves me.”
Looking at Rilyn I am encouraged and overwhelmed by the grace bestowed on her by our Heavenly Father that at such a young age her words would echo the truth revealed through Paul’s letter to the Philippians chapter 3 verse 8,
“8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
Is Rilyn His? I believe so. Only time and a life full of faith in Christ bearing fruit of His spirit will tell. The Bible teaches that those who are born-again will continue trusting in Christ forever. God, by His own power through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, keeps or preserves the believer forever. Praise be to God whose does not sleep or slumber, who will never forsake his children no matter what.
My part to play in all this is not to doubt her words or question her heart but to teach Him & His word and trust His work through the Spirit so that she will put her confidence in Him leading to a life of obedience. There is a great sermon on Our Calling as Parents founded on Psalm 78:1-8.
Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should teach them to their children, 6 that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, 7 that they should put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, 8 and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
In His truth I will put my trust and in His promises I will put my hope.