There went the bride

Last weekend we had the joy of witnessing Darren's little sister, Katie, marry our fantastic new brother-in-law, Brad. We were all in the wedding, so it was a few whirlwind days again, but very exciting. They are so obviously a perfect match. : )

The rehearsal dinner was in their parents' backyard. It was fun & beautiful. Andrew was giddy to receive his ringbearer gift: his own digital camera!

Katie surprised us all with a song she wrote for Brad...then sang for everyone without bawling. I was very impressed. =]

The kids did a pretty good job playing their parts, too. At rehearsal we practiced that they would walk down with their cousins...all four in a row holding hands. They were all grinning as they happily walked down the aisle straight to us. The day of the wedding they somehow ended up walking in two separate pairs, this time carrying pillows & baskets of petals. Well, not one petal was thrown intentionally on the floor by Rebecca, since we'd never even talked about it. Oops! When she & Andrew made it down the aisle, they were too distracted by the congregation to remember to come to us. Rebecca proceeded to lift up & offer her basket of petals to Father!

The whole day was quite the adventure. I have to offer a huge word of thanks to my parents who helped out with the kids all day...& especially Rebecca during the homily/vows/Eucharistic prayer as she continued to loudly exclaim, "Becca hungry!" Mom took her out for a break. Thank you! There are many more stories, but these few pics off of our camera will have to suffice for now. It's hard to take many when you're in on all the action & juggling kiddos. Hopefully there will be some good shots from others forthcoming!

Addicted...

My friend said just to try it. I was going to resist, but I gave in to the peer pressure. Just once couldn't hurt, I thought. Now I can't stop using it. I think I'm addicted. Hi, my name is Robyn & I'm a WordTwistaholic.

http://www.wordtwist.org/

According to their rating system, I stink. But that doesn't make it any less fun! I've learned a bunch of new words including: qis...a 10 pointer. My best score so far is 119. I won't say how many tries it took me to get a score that high. ; ) Can you beat me?

Yummy in the tummy

Thank you to Andrea for introducing me to this awesome granola bar recipe. They're much better than the boxed ones! Considering how fast a box gets devoured at our house, this will be more convenient & cheaper. Here's the recipe with my modifications.

4 1/2 C rolled oats
1 C white flour
1/4 C wheat germ
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
3/4 C softened butter
3/4 C honey
1/3 C brown sugar
2 C mix-ins (I used chocolate chips, craisins, sunflower seeds, & almonds)

Bake in greased 9x13 pan at 325* for 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes & cut. Enjoy!
Andrea said they freeze well, so I might make a few more batches while I'm at it.

How to be the Queen...

of being two.

When you don't want to go to sleep, scream.
When they don't come to get you, climb out of your crib.
When they put you back in, do it again...about 25 times.
When they decide to shut the door all the way so you can't escape your room, learn to open it.
When they close it again, repeat.
When they close it again & put up a gate in the doorway, throw your pillow, doll, & blankie over it.
When they throw them back in, repeat.
When they try again, repeat AND climb over the gate.
When they return you to your bed with all of your stuff & hold the door shut, learn to turn on the light to wake up your brother.
When they turn it off, repeat.
When you still can't get out, wake up your brother & tell him to open the door for you.
When he resists, DON'T GIVE UP! YOU'VE ALMOST BROKEN THEM!
When all else fails, scream & flail until sleep deprivation overwhelms everyone.
Repeat every three hours or so until sunrise.
You are now the Queen!

*******************************
This has been our darling daughter ever since Monday. For her these "terrible twos" aren't simply just learning lots of new things at once, they are doing it with panache. To happily punctuate all of this "evil" newness, she has also:
-completely moved out of her high chair to a booster seat
-gave her first clear compliment..."Look nice, Mommy. Pretty shirt. Pretty pants!"
-been extremely loving to her unborn baby sibling
-broken into song in ultimate sweetness
-eaten like a horse! (Lunch yesterday was a whole quesadilla, 1/2 sandwich, whole banana, bunch of grapes, 10 carrots, 2 pretzel rods, & any scraps she could sneak off of her brother's plate!)
-joined us for more prayer than usual...even though having her hands clasped usually ends in, "Open doors....people!!!"
-woken up in the morning smiling & squeezing us like crazy, saying, "Love you! Squeeze!"
-had her first success EVER going potty on the toilet

I'm having a challenging time balancing the excitement with utter frustration for these new acheivements. I've never more appreciated my own Mom & Dad!!! Thank you for your perseverance & love through it all!!!

P.S. Any bedtime tricks or suggestions are more than welcome. We've decided to say adios to the crib...but haven't gotten any further than that. We're debating between a twin bed for Andrew or a double to share or bunks. Any experience to share? Save me, o wise ones! ; )

Ordination Photos

Here are a few more photos of the Ordination & celebration of Fr. Jon's 1st Mass. There are so many cool parts of both to experience . . . here's a few. (Photo credit to my sister Denise!)

Promising obedience to the Bishop...

AND his successors this time ; )

or

anointing of his hands with Sacred Chrism

(The 2 shots look the same.)Litany of the Saints

(The kids think it's hilarious that they lay on the floor.)
Laying on of hands by all priests present...that's a bunch
Giving Communion to our parents

Giving a first blessing to his Godparents

Celebrating his 1st Mass at St. Francis of Assisi...

our home parish

The nieces & nephews bringing up flowers for Fr. Jon to present to Mary.

Concelebrants...gotta love all those priests!

Fr. Jonathan

Well, my brother is now a Father. =]

It's hard to explain & comprehend the immense gift that he is giving to Our Church & our family. I can't help but feel amazed that God has blest our family in such a profound way. What a courageous gift he has chosen to accept! Thank you Fr. Jon. :)


We've had quite the weekend of celebration. Ordinandi Holy Hour on Thursday night, fun at the hotel & birthday party for my sister here on Friday, Ordination & 2 receptions & party at my parents' farm on Saturday, 1st Mass & 2 receptions on Sunday. Whew! What a fun time & great reason to celebrate. It's always a party when my immediate family gets together anyway...31 of us now! I was so swept up in the festivities & crazy kiddos that I only got a few good pics, though. Here's a couple to enjoy! I'll add more of the excitement as family sends them my way.

Ear Thumping

Our little Rebecca has allergies. BAD allergies, apparently. Though her brother wakes up coughing around for awhile in the morning; she doesn't. He sleeps with a hankie; she doesn't. He's been fine the rest of the time; she got a fever, double ear infection, & burst ear drum seemingly out of nowhere!!! Guess she doesn't drain right. Poor girl. First we thought it was just teething with molars, then maybe chicken pox, then all of the sudden her ear was leaking so very lovely...bingo. At least it's nice to know what you're dealing with. She's been amazingly joyful & chipper except when it's time to sleep or just after waking up. During this adventure we've found that a few things will comfort her: baby Oragel (apparently it's close enough to the ear canal to help!), ibuprofen, smoothies, having Mommy sleep on the floor in your room for a few minutes, & here's her addition...

sleeping with a book over your head.

Happy Happy Birthday!

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It's a . . .

baby! (Gottcha) ; ]
Look at that, fingers already clasped together in prayer! Crazy little one was doing flips in my stomach all morning, then stopped as soon as we got there. This is the clearest face shot from right at the beginning since the rest of the time was a big peek-a-boo game. : )

Just in time...

for formal pictures at my brother's Ordination & Darren's little sister's wedding...
Rebecca fell off the teeter totter bruising the entire left side of her face, poor thing,
& Andrew decided to give himself an oh-so-lovely do-it-yourself haircut.

How do they always know? It seems almost inevitable that someone will have a major cut, bruise, or something when we're bound to remember it forever in photos. I guess Andrew will get that big boy haircut sooner than I anticipated...& maybe Rebecca will get to wear "real" makeup to the wedding. Oh, joy.

Is that just our family or has that happened to yours?

A Mother's Day surprise...

My favorite gift of the day...
feeling the first flutters of our little Sprinkle!

Now that kid is on the ball! I can't wait to see him/her at the ultrasound on Tuesday. Pictures soon to follow!

If I had a million dollars...

This Mother's Day I'm thinking about all of the amazing moms that surround me . . . Mom being the shining star of you all, of course. I am so blest by your loving & generous example.

My greatest wish for you all is perfectly angelic behavior & sincere acts of appreciation from your children today & always. My prayer for you is a love of your vocation as a mother even when my above wish is not fulfilled.

Sometimes, just a break like a silent retreat or a day out with the girls can make going back to the chaos so much easier. Right?

If I had a million dollars, I'd spend a day with you

enjoying a bottle of JAV's Edelweiss wine,

eating an Old Chicago's ultimate hawaiian pizza,

& watching Anne of Avonlea,

before our relaxing afternoon at Center Stage Salon & Spa

followed by tea at Ruby & Cordelia's Fine Tea Room.

We'd finish off our day by enjoying your new gifts:
-book "Bless me, Father, for I have kids" by Susie Lloyd
-CD "Momsense" by Anita Renfroe
-image of Our Blessed Mother hanging laundry with toddler Jesus by her side
-beautiful pre-planted pots full of your favorite flowers to adorn your yard

If I had a million dollars, I would. But, I don't. (If I ever win the lottery...)
So, my gift to you is a prayer that Mary Our Mother will guide & protect you in your motherhood always. Thank you for your love & sacrifice.

Happy Mother's Day!

Birthday recap

We had a fun celebration for Rebecca's birthday. "Green" Grandma & Grandpa came over for supper adding much glee & belated Easter candy to the mix...can you say sugar high?

Rebecca loved her chocolate cake. She surprised us all by singing "Happy Birthday" to herself...complete with the "cha, cha, cha" at the end!

She finished off the night the way all good parties should end...with dancing. We often find her swaying with her babies, but only recently she's starting extending one of their arms to hold like this. As soon as she hears a semi-slow or slow song she runs to get her baby to dance. That's not a problem when we're home, but when it's the Communion meditation hymn at Mass & she's calling for "Baby! Dance! Baby!" it's a little more tricky. ; P

What a wonderful two years & nine months it has been. It's crazy to believe how fast you have grown & how much you've filled our lives with joy. We love you, Rebecca!

Was that a dream?

One aspect of pregnancy that I've always found fascinating is the way that it affects my dreams. (I'm not sure if it's specifically being pregnant or the fact that I'm usually eating something right before bed. Pizza=bad. Cinnamon rolls=bad. Leftover birthday cupcakes=strange but acceptable. Bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats=good.)

I am a pretty vivid dreamer anyway, well at least compared to Darren, so it's quite amusing to share what I remember with him when I wake up. He probably thinks I'm making it up half of the time but I really don't have that good of an imagination!

Lately in my dreams, Darren & I have gotten married about 5 or 6 times . . . including a reception AT Hy-Vee serving chicken patties & grapes with college friends dancing the tango, random seminarians scrambling to find another vase for the mancala marbles we want up by the altar, high school classmates dancing in the aisles of the Church to Love Shack DURING the ceremony, & Rebecca wearing her new hot pink crocs & sunglasses without lenses to complement her flower girl dress. Other friends have been getting married . . . complete with Transformers attacking at the end . . . announcing pregnancy, taking crazy canoe rides to see very large sea creatures, & just overall surprising me.

One morning I woke up furious at Darren because he had spent $400 on a pair of custom-made leather boots that had a painting of a deer with his name written beneath it. He neglected to consult me, too. The nerve. I had to keep reminding myself all morning that it was only the dream that I was upset in & not really at him. (Just envisioning him wearing those boots snapped me out of it & into bouts of laughter multiple times. Not really his style.)

How about you? Are you a vivid dreamer? Have any fun ones to share? Anything affect your dreaming "habits"? Am I just a crazy pregnant lady? Okay, don't answer that last one.

Becca is 2!

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Hungry???

It's been a few weeks now swapping kids & Holy Hours with my friend Stephanie. What a blessing! We've done pretty well making it happen every week, though sometimes we juggle what time or day it happens.

Last week was one of those juggling weeks. I had planned to go at 3:30 so of course Rebecca took a LOOOOOONG nap. I finally woke her up a little before 4:00 & pretty much threw her straight in the car. She was excited to go over to "Joses' hause" & never complained once.

When I returned an hour later, she greeted me at the door with "Hi, Mommy! Let's eat!" She then proceeded to run into Stephanie's kitchen & pull out a chair to sit down at the table. In my hurry to leave the house, I forgot to give her a snack. Oops. She ate two whole PB&J sandwiches as soon as we got home! How's that for a growing girl?

26...woah

Care Bear - Who is that cutie?

Ballerina extraordinaire - Do you still have that lovely ensemble?

Soulmate Beautiful mama
Happy Birthday, Cara!

You have such a beautiful heart & beautiful family...

I'm so blest to have you as my sister.

Careful...

I don't often wear makeup,

even more rarely lipstick. So, the kids are always intrigued whenever I put some on. On the way to Church a couple of weeks ago, I flipped down the mirror & opened up a tube. From the backseat I heard Andrew exclaim, "Be careful, Mom! Make sure not to eat that! It will make you really sick!"

Amazingly, I survived.
*****
Rebecca's sentence structure keeps on growing. It's so fun to hear what comes out of her mouth & it's a lot cuter heard than read, so you'll mostly have to take my word for it. I was rather impressed this morning though, when she said to Darren, "Open blinds, please, Daddy?" Impressive.

*****

Yesterday was so beautiful that we had all the windows open. She spent a good 15 minutes looking out their bedroom window & yelling at the neighbor girls on the trampoline to "Sit down! Sit down!" I have a feeling that her demands...I mean requests will continue to be her most lengthy expressions for a while..."our little diva" we sometimes call her. ; )

*****

The kids have spent most of the morning building an ark because the flood was coming. Rebecca's done a little more destruction than construction, however. I just overheard Andrew singing quite the little song he made up. Lyrics went on & on, but the one that made me laugh out loud went something like this: "We love you, Jesus, especially now that it's Easter. With our whole hearts we love you. We hug you & God the Father & God the Holy Spirit. It's more gooder now that your risen from the dead! We praise you with all our stuff...

First Signs of Spring

1. kite stuck in a neighbor's tree
2. swarm of ants on the sidewalk
3. flock of blackbirds at our birdfeeder
4. hand-picked "for my best mommy" dandelion
5. plastic Easter eggs strewn about our home

Resurrection Rolls

We made Resurrection rolls...well three times already...to celebrate Easter. Here's the recipe in case you still want to fit it into your week!

First flatten out a Grands biscuit into about a 5 inch circle. This will be the tomb. Then paint it with melted butter as they would have anointed Jesus' body with oil. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon & sugar as they would have used spices on His Body. Finally put a large white marshmallow in the middle to represent Jesus in His purity. Fold up the sides & flip over onto a cookie sheet with crease side down. Bake 350* for 13 minutes. Let cool a few minutes. Cut open the "tomb" & see that Jesus is no longer there! The marshmallow has melted & He is risen!

We made these for friends' preschool at our house last week. The kids followed it excellently. When we got to the marshmallow, however, Lucia exclaimed, "They didn't put marshmallows on Jesus!!!" : )

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

Hope that you had & are having a fantastic Easter celebration. Here's the wrap-up of some of our good times.

Saturday we kicked off the morning with an Easter egg hunt at St. John's.

Uncle Deacon Jon joined in the fun...even met the Easter bunny!

The last 3 years we've made a trip out to Orschelyn's to see all of the baby animals. Andrew even got to hold a chickie!

These Resurrection rolls were a wonderfully yummy addition to our celebration.

We colored Easter eggs with Grandma & Grandpa H. on Saturday afternoon. Dad made some pretty interesting looking eggs...so did Andrew. We hunted for them & many others the next morning.

Mass at St. John's was beautiful. Andrew even commented, "I was such a nice boy in Church. I said all the words, even when I didn't know them!" We came back home for my first...possibly last...turkey carving experience, & then had a nice dinner over at Cara & Taylor's home. What a joyful celebration!
Alleluia! He is risen!

Where in the world?

So, yesterday I broke out some of my less-listened-to CDs to try & break us out of the tired-of-being-sick mode. One of them was an early Third Day album...still one of my favorite Christian bands. They sounded a little more like heavy metal when they first started...much to Andrew's joy. This kid can flip through the radio dial & pick a classic rock station every time without ever looking at the numbers. He must get it from his Daddy. ; )

Anyway this morning Rebecca was calling for the "Rado, rado" so I turned that CD on again, remarking how I'll start it quieter this time since the opening song kind of explodes into a loud guitar riff. Andrew proceeded to walk over to the radio saying, "Or instead...(cranking it up a few notches) we can ROCK THIS HOME!"

Did you teach him that?

Blest, broken, given

I just had the joy of attending the Mass of the Lord's Supper. It was so beautiful! Thank you, God, for the gifts of the Eucharist & holy priests. Fr. Bernardo gave a wonderful homily & I will try to share his insights for reflection this Triduum.

**********************

Jesus was blest, broken, & given to us in his earthly life. Then He stayed with us as He blest, broke, & gave us the Eucharist. He called his apostles, now our priests, to be blest with Holy Orders, broken in their personal wills, & given as servants to the people of God. They give Him to us in a special way every time they celebrate Mass.

We, too, have been blest in countless ways especially through the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Baptism & Confirmation. We are called to be broken in our everyday lives as we unite our struggles with Christ. We acheive true peace, joy, & salvation when we give ourselves fully to Him.

************************

AMEN! Have a Blessed Triduum!

33...

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Happy Birthday, hubby! ; )

California dreamin...

Hey, Mom! Let's go to the beach!

Miss you, Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

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Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you so much! Thank you for your incredible generosity, love, & kindness. I am ever inspired by your prayerful example. God bless you today!

Little Miss Crankypants

So Rebecca has been an occasional Little Miss Crankypants lately & my patience may not be what it should be with her. That was evident as I heard Andrew addressing her whinyness this morning with
"Snap it off, Rebecca! I mean...snap it out!"
While I don't approve of him saying either to his sister, it did make me laugh. I must say "Snap out of it" & "Knock it off" more than I realized...probably more to him than her though. They really do hear everything!

Old People ; )

Happy 10th Birthday today to my niece Clara, 13th last week to my nephew Michael, & the week before to my brother-in-law Kyle! So glad to have you all in our family! Eat an extra piece of cake for me...& another one for the baby. ; )

Mail Call!

One of the best outings of the day is to the mailbox. We all enjoy it. Rebecca looks for puppies, I look for cars, and Andrew looks for #16. He loves to get the mail...mainly because I let him hold REAL KEYS for more than ten seconds. Rebecca can almost open it by herself now, too. My favorite surprise is getting REAL MAIL...not just bills and advertisements. Few things make my day more than an unexpected letter! Maybe it'll kick me back in gear to be a good letter writer again. What an easy way to brighten a day...God is good.

P.S. Thanks. You know who you are. ; )

Chatterbox

Our little Rebecca seems to have grown up quite a bit in the last two weeks. She's started showing she really has her own sense of humor & she's been stringing words together. It all started with "Come here, Leo!". Then it moved on to "Thank you, Daddy," instead of her usual "Tinks". Now who she is speaking to ends most phrases.

For example, the other day she put her dolly in the stroller, gave her a blanket & bottle, got her own purse & phone, then exclaimed, "Shoppin'. Let's go, baby!" This morning as she stood awake in her crib she called from the other room, "Get up, Mommy." How could I resist?

She also looks for any way she can to laugh. Andrew often makes her laugh without even trying...then he starts trying & she just loses it! I love to hear their giggles fill our home. : ) Now she's trying to be funny, too. She walks around holding her nose or dancing on her tip-toes or just making the same goofy noises over & over. Crazy kids...I don't know where they get it. ; )

Psalm 137

"Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you."

The responsorial psalm from Sunday's Mass really struck me. I kept thinking how many times during the day I forget to keep Christ as my focus. If He was there at the forefront of my mind, how many times would I change how I say something or even better just keep quiet? These crazy pregnancy hormones find me flying off the handle or breaking down in tears way too often anyway...I don't need my own lack of prayerfulness to contribute. I think I'll give it a try for today and see.
How do you keep your focus?

Sprinkle

We are happy to announce the arrival of Sprinkle to our family! Today marks 11 weeks. When we first realized he was there we found a website that said the baby should be about the size of a chocolate sprinkle. I think it's cute so the nickname has stuck...at least with me.

What a blessing. What a gift from God. What an adventure! This has definitely been my most challenging early pregnancy...I finally decided that for Lent I'm just being pregnant...& attempting to do it joyfully. ; )

We heard his/her heartbeat today for the first time & it was so exciting! Andrew just found out today, too, when he was able to hold the Doppler for our doctor...very giddy. He said it sounded like a really fast train. Then he added, "Maybe it's a boy. Then he could be my neighbor!" When I informed him that wasn't the case he asked, "Can he be my twin?" Well, they won't be twins, but their birthdays may be very close. We are due on October 9th! We're not sure if Rebecca gets it yet, because she talks about babies nonstop anyway, but there have been a lot more references to tummies today. ; )

Please keep us in your prayers! Joy, joy, joy!!!

Mmm...

Andrew: "I can smell the cookies in my heart!"

Interesting...especially since they are those cheap, still sealed-in-plastic vanilla sandwich cookies that have little to no aroma. ; ) But if you want it bad enough...

Encore?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I hope that you had a fun & festive celebration. St. Patrick's Day always makes me think of my grandma...she loved being Irish. It makes me smile just to remember her. Yesterday, we celebrated with some friends & have plenty of our own corned beef left over. If you do, too, & are looking for a yummy "encore" try this easy sandwich mix for Reubens.

Mix together:
3/4 C mayonnaise
1 T chili sauce
1 1/2 t prepared mustard
1/4 t horseradish (but I usually skip it)

Stir in:
3 C shredded corned beef
1 can well drained saurkraut
2 C shredded swiss cheese

Fill between two buttered slices of your favorite rye or pumpernickel bread & fry in a pan or on a handy-dandy George Foreman grill. It's also really tasty as a dip with crackers.

Sooo good. Enjoy!

I give up!

Well, I finally did it. After years of cleaning our bathrooms & having them smell like chemicals for hours, I've decided to give it up. Using chemicals that is. (Wish I could just give up cleaning the bathrooms! ; ] ) I tossed the Fantastic, Windex, Clorox Bowl Cleaner, & Pledge. I've always been nervous about having the kids come in while I'm cleaning, so I usually close the door, then I'm overwhelmed by fumes. (We don't have any bathroom windows.) That's definitely not good for me &, really, is it good for them? Rebecca is mostly over her licking everything phase...but still.

I have so many friends that "green clean" so I received all the best advice. The book Clean House, Clean Planet was a good guide. I haven't gone gangbusters yet, just my weekly cleaners, but who knows? It's cheaper, smells fresher, cleans just as well or better, & safer. AND I can assign more of it as jobs for Andrew. =] The new line-up: club soda, antibacterial soap, vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, & olive oil. I haven't gotten any tea tree oil yet, but it's on the list. Now, I don't really desire that my kids get into an abundance of any of those things, but if they do, it won't hurt them! I feel like a better mom & my house smells clean not like cleaners.

Have you tried "green cleaning"? Do you think I'm crazy?

Angst

I remember hearing that word for the first time in college...I think it was popular over at Holdrege. Well, I'm feelin' it and could use your help.

Anyone have suggestions for how to get a 4 year old boy to stop:
1. picking his fingernails, toenails, and any resulting hangnails constantly?
2. missing the toilet way too often?
3. putting up a fight to wear anything but sweatpants?

I know these aren't end-of-the-world worries, but the presence or lack of these little daily frustrations can sure make a difference! I welcome any practical or even silly suggestions...I've definitely learned the necessity of humor in mothering. Feel free to share yours, too; maybe we could help each other out. Thanks!

A Duel to the Death

Instead of our regular Bible Study meeting Monday night, a bunch of us went to hear Dale Ahlquist speak. He's an expert on G.K. Chesterton...and I mean expert. I couldn't believe the abundant amount of material he had to draw from. I learned a lot and laughed a lot. Two writers I really enjoy are C.S. Lewis and Fulton Sheen; turns out that they both got much of their inspiration from Chesterton! Why haven't I ever read this guy?

There were so many timeless quotes especially ones reaffirming the amazing value of motherhood, but here's one that a friend suggested we send to Upper Case Living to write over our bed:

"If Americans can be divorced for "incompatibility of temper" I cannot conceive why they are not all divorced. I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one...Marriage is a duel to the death which no man of honour should decline."
-G.K. Chesterton-What is Wrong with the World, 1910

It's not supposed to be easy. ; ) So, I'm thinking it's time to finally read some of his work. There is such a variety of material and type...I don't know where to start. The Father Brown series sounds like fun, though. Any personal suggestions? Any ones you'd care to lend me???

My Not-So-Small Successes

1. At my wise hubby's encouragement I went to bed at the new time-changed hour last night to awaken this morning along with the kiddos and without so much groggy. It worked! As a result I actually had us all fed, dressed, AND rode the bike AND showered before he left for work. That sure starts the day off better! Now we'll see if I can do it two days in a row...

2. I finally, FINALLY finished hemming two stubborn pair of jeans. They were my first attempt at sewing denim and neither I nor my machine were quite prepared for our 3 week adventure...but half a spool of thread, six drops of oil, and lots of restitched stiches later, we made it! I feel like I just climbed a mountain...a mountain I'd be okay with not climbing again. ; )

3. We've established a new routine to make it to my Holy Hour! I've been swapping kiddos with a friend for almost 4 years to make it easier, but schedules have changed. So, my newest neighbor and I are going to give it a whirl. I always do so much better when it's part of "the plan" and someone else is relying on me. It's such an incredibly important hour in my week...here's hoping for success!

Breaking the Stereotypes...

I returned from about 5 minutes working alone in the kitchen to the sight of my Little Miss Independence trying yet one more thing out on her own.Who says little mommies can't wear Spiderman undies?

And who said

you couldn't

wear 'em

backwards?

Bears, bears, everywhere!

Andrew: Remember when I was a polar bear in Aunt Katie's wedding?

Mom: A polar bear?

Andrew: You know, when I walked up with Adam & Alaina in my handsome clothes.

Mom: Do you mean ring bearer?

Andrew: Oh, yeah. ; )

You're a what?

Andrew: I'm a Super Sonic Jet Ninja Turtle.

Mom: I think you mean Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Andrew: No, I'm super sonic...my shell makes me fly really fast!

-Thanks, Steph, for letting us borrow the costume!

Where have I been?

I gave up Internet...for three days...unwillingly. We switched providers & had some technical difficulties. I returned to an overflowing inbox, which has never happened before, & oh-so-many blogs to catch up on. I don't consider myself an Internet junkie, but I do check it 3 or 4 times a day though usually not for more than 10 minutes a shot. I guess it adds up! Anyway, it's been an eventful week but I'll just give you my favorite three quotes.

Leo, come! Leo! Come! (Rebecca calling to the neighbor's dog who invaded our back yard. It is one of her first two word sentences! Of course she would use it for one of her favorite things: puppies.)

Just a second, I'm choking on a dandelion. (Guess Darren's not a big fan of "field greens".)

What's 4 + 8? 21 + 21 ? A dinosaur + a banana? (Anyone know that answer for Andrew? He's big into adding lately, but after a while his goofiness takes over...I like to think he gets that from me but that might be debatable...)

Benny

Happy Birthday, Benedict!


You've always been such a joyful little guy...now you're a fun big boy!

We love you & we're praying for you.