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!

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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.
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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.

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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.

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AMEN! Have a Blessed Triduum!