The Big Brother

Knowing that he's now a big brother has made me feel like
my little guy is growing up right before my eyes!


Still keeping me on my toes daily, doing things like this!

This was on Ash Wednesday, when one of his sisters must have felt bad
that he slept through the service and didn't get ashes. She added a few for him, in marker!

Little Man was THRILLED to go to the Chick-fil-A family night and find they were having a winter wonderland party, complete with an "Ice Fishing" booth. He must've spent at least half an hour there.

He is all about shirts with numbers. He calls them running shirts.
This one is his "Aggie wunning shirt"!

Singing away at the park for Friday's nature club.


Helping with the gardening this weekend.

Steven Joseph is now 26 months old as of yesterday. His vocabulary is just exploding! We are constantly surprised and amazed at the stuff he comes up with!

The other night he found a little onesie with the girls' doll clothes and put it on his legs. He was showing off, but Mary Clare started to admonish him. She was whining that he was going to stretch it out and the baby might need it! I told her not to worry and everyone calmed down. A few minutes later, Steven Joseph came up to me with the onesie taken off and tried to put it down my shirt "Baby wear shirt." He knows the baby is in my tummy and I thought it was so cute he was wanting to share!

One thing he's not quite ready to share is mama's milk. We're working on that one. This is the longest I've nursed any of the kids (the girls were both 22 months), but I kept going longer with him partially because I thought he'd be having heart surgery soon. I know that nursing will start to get painful as the pregnancy continues and so we're working on cutting down. He does great when we're out and about, but if we're at home he wants to nurse all the time! I'm sure it will work out as the weeks go by, but I admit I'm a little sad at weaning my baby boy!

He loves telling stories, particularly about fishing, the dog getting out of the house and Daddy having to chase him, and about his different balls/sports. He watched a friend play in a roller hockey game a few weeks ago, so now he plays "hockey team" with his golf clubs and balls every day.

Tonight the girls found him a baby boy doll and he was so proud toting it around the house with all the gear they'd set up for him. He named the baby "Aggie". We keep asking him if Mommy has a baby boy or girl in my tummy, but he forever insists it's just a baby. He did claim he saw a boy up high (on the ceiling?) in our room one morning last week. I was curious if he was seeing designs on the curtains, or an angel, or something else?

Well, that's the update on Little Man. Tomorrow morning I'll have my first appointment and hopefully the ultrasound to see his little brother or sister's heartbeat. Please keep us in prayer as I know it will be nerve-wracking for me. Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there was a gorgeous morning on a February in Texas!

We spent the morning reading versions of Little Red Riding Hood in bed, then the kids wandered outside playing their own version of Little "Pink" Riding Hood. The toddler got another haircut (I'm an obsessive hair clipper with him), and big sis was making mud pies and salads of grass and surprises! Quite a lovely homeschooling day.

The birds were chirping, sun was shining. My toddler and I got suited up in our painting gear, and had a jolly old time finishing up the white coats of paint on the wooden crates for our vegetable garden. Then I got us all cleaned up, laid him down for a nap, took my own siesta on the couch, and all was well.

Then 3:00pm came.

First I needed to wake up the toddler and get everyone out the door for a quick trip to the doctor office and some other errands. All I needed was a blood draw, but if I had learned my lesson the past two times I would have brought a bag of activities or books or something besides a few mints and some Life Savers. The kids tend to last for about 10-15 minutes reading magazines and watching medical-info-TV, but then we start to have whiners, dancers, and sprint runners in the waiting room.

30 minutes into our comical experience, a nurse comes out with some forms and explains that the phlebotomist is gone for the afternoon and I'd need to go to a lab for the blood draw. Great. Back to the car. Keep in mind there are constant sisterly arguments. Who will press the elevator buttons, who holds the magazine, who unlocks the car door, who picks up the dropped pencil on the floor of the car? Etc. etc.

I also really need to pick up a package at the post office that will be mailed back to the Rodeo if I don't pick it up ASAP. It's for a field trip with 80 kids registered (that's going to be interesting!), so I can't let them down! I run home to get the postcard about the package and arrive at the post office for a quick wait. But ahh...the worker points to the card...I am at the WRONG post office! So off we go again...

At this point I'm closer to the lab, so I decide to do the blood draw before driving to the far-away post office. But the map to the lab was horrible, and after driving into several places and turning around, I finally call to find out it's right in front of our neighborhood! We make our way inside, go up the elevator, and sign in.

This guy was not happy to be in the stroller again. "Why, Mommy?"

Tick, tock, tick, tock. After 15 minutes no one has even opened the window to see that I've checked in. I knocked on the glass but no answer. Finally, someone yelled out for me to come to the door. I brought the kids back with me and after looking at my forms, seeing what the blood draw was for, she started laughing hysterically...more on that later...

After the blood draw and potty break, including one child who insisted on washing her hands 3 times, we were off to the other post office. I waited in line while the kids ran around, thankfully getting only sweet grins and compliments from those around us.

Only two more stops to go. It was time to break out my literal "Life Savers" again!

And another true "life saver" for me today!

The HEB trip was fairly uneventful, up until the end where Stevie was insisting on getting "in the back" of the cart which was full of food! Here the girls are trying to find pita chips and hummus while I try to console SJ to no avail.

We get to the checkout and the girls run over to redeem their "Buddy Bucks." Whoever invented the play money that allows them to win dozens of prize balls with numbered stickers inside that make it only to our car and the dumpster...well, I'm not sure what to say. At least the girls have 5 minutes of fun!

Meanwhile little man in the back of the cart insists that "Me Helper!" as he offloads all my groceries.

How to better end this day, on the dark and trafficked roads, than a trip to the craft store? Genius.

Only one thing we need. Only flowers for our Lenten craft. But SJ wanted this sword and hat, and screamed when he was pulled away. Ellie wanted miniature plates for her dolls and MC cried that she wanted to get a charm for her grandma. Somehow we made it home with only the flowers. Somehow.

The sacrifices and acts of kindness began immediately so as to earn some flowers for the Lenten cross.

And this pregnant mama certainly gave herself a flower for surviving that kind of afternoon! Wow.

(YES, baby is due in October! I am 6 weeks along and have an ultrasound on Monday. We are all thrilled. Please keep us in prayer for an uneventful pregnancy, and especially that we will see a sweet little babe with beating heart on Monday :-)

Along the Alphabet Path--Letter Q

Suffice it to say that Q is not the easiest letter to come up with activities for. We pulled some of our P activities and just did a few things Q. Here they are!

Q is for...

The Queen of Heaven and Queen of the Meadow Fairy


The Quilt Maker's Gift and the Quilt Story
(Great books that we own!)


Quilt-making (paper-weaving) with scrapbook paper:

Cut strips of paper and equal strips almost to the end of a full sheet of scrapbook paper
Let the kids weave them in and out and tape or glue the edges. Fun!


I realized this week that I should've taken pictures of the quesadillas we always eat for lunch, and we could've made some queso and chips!

Facebook Finds

a Valentine Brunch with my high school gals!


The internet can sure be a time-sucker, and some worry that sites like Facebook can be addicting as well as unsafe. But I'm just thankful to be able to stay in touch with so many of my old friends! A few weeks ago I had lunch with some old friends from elementary school, and this weekend got to visit with my high school buddies.

Saturday was a fun Valentine brunch hosted by one of my good friends from high school who has spent the past 14 years since graduation living all over the country, but is now back in town for a while. The rest of us have settled in the area and boast 11 children, including 2 in-utero.



It was great to get out for a morning away (thanks for babysitting, Mom and Dad!) and to spend time sharing stories these old friends. We went around the table to share what we'd been doing for the past 14 years since graduation. We looked through old photos and reminisced about memories from our high school days.

Thanks, ladies for a fun reunion, hope we can have many more over the years! I'm so blessed to call you all friends.

Painting

rocks


crates (for our vegetable garden!)



and little man with a fishing lure. Pure joy.


Hope that your Valentine weekend was just as fun and messy :-)

Innocence

I love that my 7 year-old will still take her dolls everywhere. Yesterday we met my parents at a restaurant and she was pushing her baby in a stroller. She got so many grins.

She also was unashamed to give her 11 year-old friend a wooden crucifix that she painted by hand at her big birthday party last night. She loves wrapping gifts from around the house to give to Steven and I, or my mom.

Sometimes I feel like she is so old, but then I remember that she's still such a little girl and am thankful for her sweet innocence.

Videos of Dominican Sisters

If you have yet to watch the Oprah show about the Dominican Sisters of Mary from Michigan, take a few minutes to watch these videos. I've visited convents many times, most recently in my July 2008 trip to see the Nashville Dominicans with Stevie (who got to go in the cloister--forbidden part of the convent!) to attend the final profession of one of my dear friends from college, but this show really touched my heart in a new way in reflecting on religious life.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives and the similar lives of our fellow mommy-friends that we don't take the time to think about the lives of others, how others are giving their lives to Christ...serving as priests, nuns, missionaries. They count on our prayers just as we count on their prayers and their service to build up the church.

Aside from thinking about these young, intelligent, beautiful young ladies and their paths to God, it has made me think about my own children. I know many parents start praying for their children's future spouses when they are babies. I have prayed for their future vocations before, but now in a new way I think I can see how important it is to do it daily. And also to recognize daily what we are all needing and longing for...that silence, that peace, that detachment material possessions. We can give each of those to our children in a small way, by making times of silence during the day, by helping them find peace and finding it ourselves in our daily activities, by showing an example of simplicity and putting importance of people before things.

I hope we can give our children that chance to hear Christ in a way that most people are not afforded these days. So many children encounter sin, evil, anger, greed, poverty, hunger, and hopelessness on a daily basis. Some have never been taught to pray, they have no idea who Christ is. They need our prayers so much. Our own children are blessed to be surrounded by loving Christian families and examples of holy living. They are taught at home, to love God and their family most, to enjoy learning, and to try each day to live in charity, to listen to God in prayer. I fail every day at this, but I hope in living this radical Catholic lifestyle we are giving them at least a part of what are hopes are for their futures.

Whatever God calls each of our children to, I pray that they will follow him closely, love him deeply, know him profoundly. I pray that every day Steven and I can grow ourselves so that we can be this example of love. May St. Valentine pray for all of us this weekend, that we may know the Giver of all Love, Love Itself, Love Divine, Love Excelling...the true love of all our hearts, Jesus Christ. Thanks to the Sisters of Mary (and to Oprah and Lisa Ling) for reminding me about Who this Love Is!

First Attempt

At filming our own little "ballet class" for the Flower Fairy Songs. Mr. Steve-O was so sweet, the music just made him all affectionate. We have some other videos that are okay, I think I prefer the ones of the girls dancing without me though...I haven't taught dance since I was 18, so I'm a bit rusty ;-)

Along the Alphabet Path--Letter P

P is for...

Waltzing Pansy Fairy and St. Patrick, Along the Alphabet Path
We learned about St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, (coloring sheet by Charlotte), painted Pp's and pencil-traced them too!

Mary Clare requested books by Tomie de Paola,
including one about the Parables and a couple about Bill and Pete


Peter and the Wolf and Peter Pan


Pasta Bake
(one of our favorite "leftover" meals, using leftover meat sauce from spaghetti, adding it to penne pasta, throwing in handfuls of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and baking till bubbly)


Making Playdough

Pp is for People, Paper, Pencil, Pizza, Purse, and Peas


Papa John's Pizza!


Lots and lots of Popcorn


Pie


Parties (my birthday and the homeschool Valentine party)


And lastly, something completed in Q week (since we're low on Q activities!),
Making our own Personal Pizzas for lunch, in cute heart shapes too!
(but the parent was the only one who liked these, phooey!)




We're getting back into the swing of this...

Published Again!

Buckle Up!
Tips to keep kids safe on the roads

Car seats can be a real blessing and a real burden for today’s moms. The politics of car seat regulations aside, we can all acknowledge that car safety seats for children have saved many lives. Car accidents are the #1 cause of death in children ages 1-14, so car seats truly are a necessary “burden” in today’s society.

I say burden for all those moms with a screaming infant buckled in a car seat who wants only mother’s milk, for those who’ve lugged heavy car seats through a crowded airport with several kids in-tow, and for all those mothers and fathers who have braved the experience of taking apart and scrubbing a car seat....
Read more here

What a day.

Today has been another long one.

Woke up at 12:30am to check the one on the floor mattress beside me. Wet again. Take off wet clothes and put wet blankets in the wash. Read some emails and write a blog post. Wander back to bed and sleep a few more hours. Then husband needs me. Help finding clothes, looking things up online. A few more minutes and he's gone to work and I'm back in bed, struggling to find slumber once again.

It was a calm morning. The children happily awaken and make their own cinnamon toast. I prepare the lessons, Q is for Quilt. They are excited to make their own quilt weaving papers, and color the Queen of Heaven. Music plays, they dance and sing. They prepare for a mass in the living room. Our friend will be the priest, the books and candles are all laid out. After "mass", everyone gobbles up their quesadillas and devours some popcorn for dessert. Ahhh, I sigh in thankfulness that the day is going well.

But I sigh too soon. Before long I have screamers refusing to do schoolwork, castle-wreckers, face-slappers, with bats and golf clubs chasing through the house. Dolls are put up high, cars are hidden, Time outs are completed, chores are given. Time to clean up the tornado which has ensued.

"He's coloring on the furniture!" Ah, to top it off. We are nearly done tidying up and baby doesn't understand. He screams to get the marker back; I just hope it is washable! I run for the wet wipes. One quick swipe and the damage is undone. Oh, where is the wet wipe for my home? The wet wipe for my discipline issues? The wet wipe for my anxiety and fears? Can I wipe away the ugly voices I made earlier today? Can't I wipe away the nightmares which have faced my friends in past months? One quick swoop and the house is clean?

I long to start anew. A fresh day with new attitudes, new joys. To dream new dreams and hope new hopes. I remember that sacrament that first wipes the sin away, and the other that continually washes us, offers us another chance to start again. How we are blessed in those experiences of God's grace both in the sacraments, and in the little daily opportunities to love and learn....

After our tidying duties were complete, furniture marks were wiped away, but cabin-fevered children decided to start karate-kicking each other, using sofas as diving boards, and soon began a parade with tupperware on their heads and pitchers as shoes. After our little friend went home, I gathered up the children, finding missing socks and warm coats. I ushered them out to the van so we could finally run some errands, fill the fridge, get some dinner.

The van was dead. And Daddy was not coming home tonight. I'm sure many of you have felt that helpless feeling that comes with being stuck at home car-less, but for me it was just too much for this day. I locked myself in my room for a pep talk with Daddy, and came out ready to order pizza and give some baths. But when the pizza place claimed 1 1/2 hours as the delivery time, I rolled up my sleeves and spent an hour over the stove making dinner.

It took all that was in me to keep my eyes open long enough for all the children to fall asleep. What a day. But tomorrow is a new one, a fresh slate. New opportunities to love, new chances for grace. It couldn't possibly be worse than today, right? Help me remember, Lord, to start in prayer, to be patient, to be present, to be the best mom I can be...only with your help.