Look Who Just Turned One!!!

My Little Helper

I was in the other room nursing Luke and I heard the water running in the kitchen. I asked Kate what she was doing.

She replied, "Oh, I'm just doing the dishes. That's all,"

The Good Life

Here is a link to a recent blog post at one of my favorite blogs. If you have a few minutes, it's well worth the read. I think Jen hits the nail on the head when she explains that a good life is not about racking up a bunch of unique and exotic things and experiences, but rather, a good life is measured by how one loves. Jen writes:

"The way I used to see it, life was measured by the number and type of experiences you had, how many cool things you did. Like most people, I had a "bucket list," a collection of experiences I wanted to have and things I wanted to do before I died..." "After I became a Christian, my outlook changed. Thanks to Christian teaching, I came to see quality of life as measured not by the number of fun things you do, but by how much you love -- period. I came to believe that even if you lived your whole life in the same small town, if you took every opportunity to open yourself to love -- even to people you didn't like, even when it felt uncomfortable -- that your life would be not only better but even more exciting than someone who spent her life jet-setting around to exotic destinations all over the world in pursuit of experiences."

I relate to the bucket list. I once had one too. And of course there are places I'd still love to see. But I'm so glad that I now realize that checking these things off "the list" is not what makes a good life. There was a time in my life, not so long ago, when I mourned not being able to go back to Rome or Paris. I am grateful for those experiences and they were wonderful and rich, but none of them come even close to spending a lazy Saturday with our little family. Sadly, I think many people miss this. I believe this is one of the reasons we do not value children as a society. Children get in the way of stuff and stuff, we wrongly think, is what it's all about. But a Christian life is meant to be something different. In the end, our life won't be measure by the stuff we've collected or the cool places we've gone, but by how much we have loved. It's as St. Therese of Liseaux puts it: The important thing is to do little things, no matter how small, with great love.

Some Quick Takes

1) Kate has been running around the house singing, "if you like it shoulda woulda puta ring on it." I'm fairly certain she's heard the song once.

2) Two days ago at meal time I said, "Let's pray." Luke crossed himself (well, tried anyway) and said "Amen."

3) We went to a museum called Pretend City this past Wednesday. It's a place that fosters imaginative play with different hands on rooms (i.e. doctor clinic, a stage, water table room, art room, grocery store). All of it is completely hands on and interactive and the kids absolutely LOVED it. We spent 4 hours there and Kate could have easily spent another four.

4) I am probably a bad person for saying this, but I am so SICK of 75 degree (or hotter) weather I could scream! I know most of you would probably love 75 degree weather right about now, but I have a hard time remembering whether it's November or June and I just don't like it.

5) I gave Kate a sour skittle the other day and she said, "Oh this is kind of good but it's kind of...... (long pause)... schmigely."

M: Do you mean sour Kate?

K: (with an "ahh haa" expression) Oh ya, sour.

6) Kate has been saying that she "forleft" things instead of "forgot." Some examples:

"Oh, no! I forleft my shoes at the playground!"

"Mommy, I think you forleft our hats at home."

7) Luke is almost one already! He can walk a few steps and has his two front teeth. He can also say a handful of words including "soccer" and "backpack." He almost never says these on command. He's also less laid back than he was 5 months ago... I know, what a surprise. He can throw a tantrum on a par with his sister. Speaking of his sister, they are already great friends and they love to make each other laugh all the time. Oh and he is a CLIMBER! He is ALWAYS climbing. Here are some pictures of him climbing (and getting caught):

Where Have YOU Been?!

I'm not quite sure. The only thing I can say is that September has been an extremely busy month and promises to be so through it's very last minutes. No real time to blog. What I can tell you is that right now I've found this very helpful. I can honestly say that I have to answer no to almost every one of her questions... will be reconsidering some things over here :)

Five Years Ago (and a couple weeks.... I'm a little behind)

Theology for a Two Year Old

Today at Mass Kate pointed up at the statue of Jesus on the altar and the following conversation ensued:

Kate: Mommy, why is Jesus wearing a skirt.

Mom: That is not a skirt that's called a loin cloth.

Kate: That is a skirt!

When we were home, Kate was holding a crucifix and I overheard this bit of conversation:

Thank you Jesus for your Precious Blood. Thank you for dying on the Cross for me. Thank you for ending [mass] so that we could go get donuts.

I'm so glad we're getting the point across. :)

Thoughts on a Friday

For the JOY of the LORD is your strength.

-Nehemiah 8:10

An Attitude of Gratitude

There is so much to be grateful to God for. I am very grateful for this idea. (I'm also grateful that I just learned how to link (thank you Jen!). In response to my last post, this is a tradition that I am going to start and I encourage you to do something like it as well. God continually blesses each of us and I feel it's time that I start to say thank you to Him. If a thanksgiving box is not your style, then might I suggest joining the Gratitude Community and journaling One Thousand Gifts. I know I plan to, so expect to see some of my list here.

Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song." ~Isa. 51:3

The News from Lake Michigan

We've been busy over here! Ever since we left for the midwest in June it seems as though we've been run, run running. We just had a wonderful visit with Grandma and Grandpa Stan. We were so blessed by them and we are sad to see them go!

Of course, they left and I stopped one minute to look at the calendar and ... ahhhhhh! Summer's halfway over!!! Boy time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?!

So I had this grand idea that I was going to do some lesson planning this Summer for the whole liturgical year. You may think this sounds ambitious, but it's really just because if I don't plan, I won't do anything. I can't tell you the countless times where some high holy day came and went virtually unnoticed this past year. We didn't even dye Easter Eggs!!! I know! The horror! So, you see this is really only out of necessity. Yes, I need to sit down and plan some activities to make the liturgical calendar come alive to a 2 1/2 year old.... And I need your help! Any suggestions? What kinds of things do you do with your kids to make the faith come alive for them? I would LOVE to hear your ideas!

In other GLORIOUS news, guess who else is getting married??!!!!

Congratulations Katie and Parker - we are so happy for you! May God grant you many, many year together!

Always Wear Sunscreen

It is only the beginning of July here and we are all hopelessly tan. Of course Mark is tan. All he has to do is walk outside for two minutes and he immediately turns a nice shade of brown. But, Kate is really, very tan. And yes, even Luke has a farmer's tan. And this, I think, is a problem. I know, I know, all of you midwesterners can't fathom why having a deep tan in early July could ever be a problem.

Well, the move to Sunny Cali has changed my views about the sun. Maybe I've simply come to take the sun for granted since it's sunny 364 days a year here. Or maybe it's the little speck of a mole on my leg that was removed only to become a 2 inch scar because it was ever so close to melanoma.... maybe. At any rate, despite my greatest efforts, we are all tan. I bought new sunscreen (SPF 50). I put it on every day. I reapply it to the children every couple of hours. I try to have them wear hats. So... what could I be doing wrong?! We are out in the sun ... a lot. Ok, so like every day of the year for at least a couple of hours day. Ya, so maybe it's inevitable... but still! I would like to protect my children from those nasty UV rays. I don't know what the point of this post is. Maybe it's to tell you that despite appearances, I really am not an irresponsible parent. Maybe it's a confession to relieve me of my parental guilt. Maybe a cry for ideas. Or maybe just a reminder to, like Baz Luhrmann says, always wear sunscreen.

Have a very happy Fourth of July!

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99: Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.

But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how...

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.

Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

I especially like the ones about beauty magazines and dancing the funky chicken on our 75th wedding anniversary. Mark, that's a dare!

Swimming Lessons

Despite Happy appearances in this picture, Kate wasn't very fond of her first swimming lesson. She wasn't very fond of her second one either. In the past, Kate has loved being in the pool. She'll splash, blow bubbles, jump in from the side and even let us dunk her under the water. Because she's never been afraid and always loved the water, we thought that swimming lessons would be fun for her this Summer. But, there is something about the "lesson" part of it that she just doesn't like; that actually seems to make her afraid. To be fair, at then end of the second lesson today she started to have some fun. She actually moved from the stairs into the pool for two minutes and she learned a new game that she really liked a lot. I just asked her if she was excited to go to swimming tomorrow and she said, "Yes, but I'm not going under!" Two weeks ago at our hotel pool she would go under. It almost seems like the pressure of the "lesson" is too much for her. At the same time, I have absolutely no idea how to teach her to swim and I'd love some help. I'm just putting this all out there, wondering whether or not we should keep taking her? I want her to learn to swim, but I also want her to have fun... If it's not fun, should we persist? Any thoughts?

Happy Father's Day!

Choices, Choices, Choices

Occasionally, my dear husband leaves for work in a hurry. Today was one such day. We have no coffee in the house and we're still recovering from our trip. So, with no lunch in hand and no coffee in his system, he offered a quick kiss and ran out the door. We went about our morning changing diapers, getting dressed and straightening up a bit. And then, about 20 minutes after he left, I heard the door open. "Who the heck?!!" I thought to myself. I instructed the children quietly to wait right there and slowly peaked around the corner only to see Mr. Awesome standing there with my favorite coffee drink in hand, grinning from ear to ear.

Isn't he sweet?

On a different topic, I was trying to redirect Kate the other day through giving her choices. The following conversation ensued:

M: Kate, would you rather stop ___ (I can't remember what) or spend some time alone in your room?

K: No, those aren't my choices. I will give you some choices.

Indeed, she then proceeded to offer us some choices:

K: mmmmm... You could give me M&Ms or let me stay here!

Guess Who's 6 Months?!!

Our Day at the Beach

The Gang
Jenny and Nick
Luke keeping cool
When mom and Kate make a sandcastle.....

.... when dad and Kate make a sand "castle"

I'd say that Mark won

A Typical Day at Our House

Art Time

Meltdown Time

Nap Time

Outside Time

Bed Time

A CONSIDERED CHILDHOOD

This is from one of my favorite blogs.  Elizabeth Foss is a writer and a homeschooling mother of 9 (I believe).  She has truly inspired me through her humble writings to better live my vocation as a wife and mother.

As much as I am able, every day, I will ensure that my child will: 

Live the Liturgy 

Experience loveliness 

Breathe deeply: Fresh air and exercise 

Serve others  

Listen to, contemplate, and exchange ideas. 

Develop expressive skills. 

Practice logical reasoning. Math. 

Receive focused attention and affection

-Elizabeth Foss

So now, I'd love to hear if there are any great ideas out there on how to do these things?

Let's go!

Mom:  Kate, we're leaving in 5 minutes, okay?

Kate:  Mmmmm, how about 6?

Mom:  Ok, 6 ;)

Happy Mother's Day

Today is a wonderful day.  Today, I am grateful to God for the gift motherhood.  I am grateful today for my mother.  My mother the nurse, who is sweet and gentle and kind.  She is absolutely beautiful and she is strong.  She has always been there for me to lend a listening ear or offer much needed advice.   She has a gift for helping  and taking care of people.  She has a gift of understanding others.  I am so thankful that she gave me life.  And I am so grateful that she gave me a holy example of motherhood.  I love you mom!

I am thankful to my Nan, who gave her life.  My Nan, who lived her vocation as a mother and mirrored Our Lady in her "yes" to life.  My Nan, who taught her 8 living children The Faith and who also taught me.  Thank you Nana!  I sure do miss our chats.

I am also grateful to God for my mother-in-law.  People talk about their MILs as if it were some kind of nightmare.  Not me.  I'm fairly certain I got the best one out there!  In fact, my girlfriends are jealous. Thanks Deb for all you are and all you do!

Most especially, I am thankful that God has called me to the vocation of motherhood.  I am so blessed to have little Luke and Kate.  They are beautiful gifts from Our Lord and I thank Him everyday for them.  

Our Lady, Mother of us all, Pray for us!

A Word About Mrs. Awesome

Just a quick word about my screen name.  My friend Kelly just emailed me saying that she thought my name is great.  Before I take all the credit myself or run the risk of seeming a bit full of myself, I must admit that it was not me, but my friend Katherine who came up with this one.  You see, Katherine is two and she likes us a lot.  One day out of the blue she called Mark "Mr. Awesome."  I figure, since I'm married to him, I by default am Mrs. Awesome.  So yes friends, I am "awesome" by marriage.  

Thanks Katherine!  We like you a lot too!

Prayer Request

Most of you know that my brother, Nick, recently underwent major surgery to remove his colon.  He's back in the hospital and having a bit of a rough time with it all.  Please pray that he recovers soon and is able to go home.  It's never fun to be stuck in the hospital.

Oh, and that pretty lady next to him is his fiance, Jenny.  Cute, huh?

Only For Today

These are words I am trying to live by:

ONLY FOR TODAY

• Decalogue for Daily Living
  
  
  1. Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once. 
  
  
  2. Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behavior; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.
  
  
   3. Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one. 
  
  
  4. Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.
  
  
   5. Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.
  
  
   6. Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it. 
  
  
  7. Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and it my feelings are hurt, I will make sure no one notices. 
  
  
  8. Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision. 
  
  
  9. Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world. 
  
  
  10. Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for twelve hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life. 
  
  
  -Blessed Pope John XXIII