Category: The Kids

Seven Quick Takes: St. Louis, Louis Edition

1. It is Spring in St. Louis, where we are visiting my family. Everyday has gotten above 40, and the daffodils are beginning to bloom. There is absolutely no snow on the ground, and it is just lovely. We even had a thunder storm last night! I know that it is wishful thinking for me to hope for Spring in St. Paul when we get back, but next week there does not look sooo bad:

At least it is not single digits with a negative windchill. I could go for a little more sunshine, but then it is almost Spring there so precipitation is to be expected.

2. Dad Update: Our main reason for coming to St. Louis for Spring Break was because my parents could not make their annual March visit to us. Dad is still recovering from his emergency surgery which repaired an aortic dissection. He has some nerve damage, which they think was caused by the dissection itself, which is affecting his ability to use his hands, specifically his left hand. He is still experiencing a lot of pain, which really affects his ability to function. The thing about his surgery is that there is not a lot of precedence of people who have had the exact surgery and recovered from it, so it is all very open-ended as to when he is going to feel all the way healed, or if it will ever be complete. We can only pray, wait, and be thankful that my dad is still with us. He is having good days and worse days. Sometimes, all he is able to do is sleep for a whole day, and other days he goes for long walks. I am convinced more and more that being around happy little kids is the best medicine for him. 🙂 Please continue to keep him and our family in your prayers.

3. We had dinner guests yesterday, and after dessert we started talking about music. Then my parents started singing songs from their charismatic community days, and then Dad got up went to the piano and played a whole concert for us of all the songs he had written, many of them based on scripture. I suggested to him that he make a video that could go viral, and then he could become a famous musician. Who knows? But it was a lot of fun to hear all the songs he played when I was a child growing up.

Photo by yours truly.

4. We have been going all over St. Louis this visit, and it has been fun to see all the sites. We went to Mass near my elementary school, and showed the kids my school on the way home. We went down to the Arch, parked along the river front, and climbed the stairs. The kids were a little afraid that the Arch would fall over on them because the moving clouds in the sky made it look as if the Arch were moving. We did not go up in the Arch, because F is at that age where she does not last anywhere for very long. Instead we went into the Museum of Westward Expansion. The older two loved it, especially when they got to see the covered wagon “like Laura and Mary” rode in from the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  M took the kids to the free St. Louis Zoo alone, while my dad and I went to get haircuts. I think they had a lot of fun together, and everyone survived.

5. Today we went to the Art Museum and saw the Impressionist France exhibit. It was good, except I really wanted it to be all huge colorful paintings, and those were about a third of the exhibit. It is free on Fridays, so we only paid to reserve our tickets in advance. That turned out to be a good idea, since we would have had to wait an hour to get in if we had not done so. Our older kids really liked the paintings, but F fussed the whole time because she wanted to be let loose out of the sling. Though one man told M that he enjoyed looking at him and the girls more than he enjoyed the art! They also had some early French photography taken on negatives of glass, paper, and waxed paper. It is pretty cool how they were able to take the earliest images. Tonight we are going to get our last Ted Drewes frozen custard until our next visit. I am pretty sure they do not open early enough for us to get some on our way out of town.

6. It is fortunate that the Cardinals are opening the season Monday in Cincinnati and not at home. If they were, it would be a huge sacrifice for me to leave so close to opening day. As it is, I will be able to tear myself away, and M will not have to cancel class next week for my love of baseball. Dad and I once went to a home opener when I was in high school. It was on Easter Monday that year, and we had a lot of fun. St. Louis has such a rich baseball tradition, that I am glad I was raised in. It is almost as cool as being raised Catholic. 😉 I got a chance to see the new “Ballpark Village” when we were leaving downtown after visiting the Arch. It looks pretty nice, I wonder how it will help downtown in the off season.

7. And last of all, we had another basement water issue a couple of weeks ago when the snow started to melt. Then we realized that there is a drainage system in place on our back patio to prevent such a problem which was covered in snow still. We spent a whole day fixing the problem, and knew exactly what to do to get the basement dry quickly. A friend mentioned something that their realtor told them: “There are two kinds of basements: those that leak and those that will.” Oh, home ownership…

Head on over to Jen’s Conversion Diary to read more Quick Takes!

My Ridiculous Fears About Having More Children

So, I have been thinking a lot lately about when our next baby might come into existence, and what it will be like to have four children. I am not taking it for granted that we will have another child, but given our ages and health, it makes sense that a fourth child will be on the way at some point. And the idea of four children makes me a little nervous. It makes me quite a bit nervous. Because first of all we have a good routine. The baby (now 16 months, but still “the baby”) sleeps well in her own room, takes a good long nap in the afternoon, and I am used to having three now. The older two play well most of the day, succeed in their preschool tasks, and give me a nice quiet time in the afternoon. It is comfortable; it feels easy. I am not a big fan of changing a good thing, but there is the call to be more open and the hope of more children.

Honestly, I really am not a fan of the newborn phase. Sleep is always at a minimum. The older kids are cranky about change. I do like sitting around all day, eating whatever I want, and not having to exercise for six weeks. Plus, there is the cute baby to hold and smell. But when I think about having another newborn, it just makes me a little tired. I always deal with engorgement and mastitis when my babies are young, and I long for the age of predictable naptimes and bedtimes. Alright, I made that confession. Moving on…

I have been blessed with a husband who is very helpful when he has the time. So, I have maybe had to go shopping with three kids by myself about ten times since F was born 16 months ago. I used to shop with the older two during the week when M had a day he did not teach. I would leave the baby during her nap. Then L and G started the phase where they don’t want to ride in the cart, never listen to my instructions when we are walking up and down the aisles, get in people’s way all the time, and climb anything that looks climbable. So, I gave up on shopping during the week. Now I shop on Saturday mornings alone or sometimes with one kid. When I have one kid, I am always listened to.

A few weeks ago I took G (5) with me to Aldi, and then we went to Target. At Target, she decided that her legs were tired of walking, so I indulged her and let her ride in the monster cart with two forward facing seats attached to the cart. As she rode along on her perch, I noticed that people kept on smiling at her. They saw a cute girl out shopping with her cute mom. I never get smiles like that if I have two or three kids with me.

Our family’s normal destinations are church, play groups, and more church. That is where we go with all three kids together; we are seeing people who know us or are used to seeing us. Last Friday we went to a delicious Lebanese food fish fry at the local Maronite Church. We walked in, and the lady selling tickets told us that it was $10 per adult and kids under five were free. We got lucky, because G was not turning five until the next day. As M and I were going through the food line, he herded the older two, and I held the baby. When the ladies dishing out the food realized that we were all together, they started saying sympathizing things about how busy I am and how it must be to have three little kids. It felt like they felt bad for me, and that bothered me a little bit. I feel like I should be able to go out with my kids without people thinking I am a crazy busy person in need of sympathy. Actually, M and I chose to have kids. We made conscious decisions which led to having three beautiful sweet children, and we are happy. I know that if I took all three kids shopping with me more often, I would get more looks and comments than I expose myself to now.  I actually am savoring a little bit the time when I appear to have only one or two. I am a little bit cowardly about moving outside my Catholic circle of friends with all my kids.

I went to a Mom’s group at my parish today. We decided afterwards, when we were in the car, that we were going to stop by Trader Joe’s and find something “fun” for lunch in honor of the Solemnity of St. Joseph. My kids love Trader Joe’s. I got there with the three kids, parked in the “under parking” underneath the store, unloaded all three, and made a chain across the garage to the elevator doors. The kids love the under parking and the elevators. When we arrived to the level of the store, I put F in a cart and asked the other girls to stay close. So, of course, they walked kind of close, but not close enough to not take over the whole aisle of the small store. We walked over to the free samples, and it is crackers and cheese. The older two split a sample and I shared mine with F. Then G did something to make L upset, so L started to scream (because that is how she has always cried). I helped her calm down in a hushed tone, and started feeling a little flustered. We left the samples and headed toward the frozen foods to find our fun lunch.

A man stopped me, said something about me being a mother, and handed me a white envelope. He had about ten more in his other hand. I wondered what he had given me, and felt a little bit weird about it. I hurried to get the rest of the items we needed, feeling anxious that my kids were getting in the way of other carts or inching along in front of mine so that I can’t move at all. Finally, we got to the checkout, and I stood in a long line. The girls were then on their best behavior in anticipation of greeting the cashier. The employees always hide two stuffed rabbits in the store, and if children can find them and then tell the cashier where the bunnies are, they get a treat or stickers. G was very polite to the cashier and explained that she had found the bunnies and where they were. He was then so kind to them, giving them each a sucker and a cereal bar to F. As we were about to walk away he stuck a bunch of stickers into our bag. But I was still feeling flustered, as I reminded my children to keep walking.

I got them in the car, thinking about that envelope and the strange encounter with the man. What was it that he handed me? I opened it up and discovered that it was an adaption of this poem, but I give it to you as he gave it to me:

“When you thought I wasn’t looking”

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I wanted to paint another one.

I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

I saw you make my favorite cake for me,
and I knew that little things are special things.

When you thought I wasn’t listening,
I heard you say a prayer,
and knew that there is a God I could always talk to,
and I learned to trust in Him.

I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

I saw you take care of the house and everyone in it,
and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities,
even when you didn’t feel good,
and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

I saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned that sometimes things hurt,
but it’s alright to cry.

I saw that you cared,
and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I looked at you and wanted to say….
thanks for all the things
I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.

I was not expecting this from an elderly man in Trader Joe’s, but there it was. He had a stack of envelopes, and he must have been handing them out to parents since 2010. For some reason, I expect people to be negative about me having more than two kids, but I have forgotten that most people like kids and want to see them around. Kids are a sign of hope, and everyone knows that raising them is not easy. I am called to be more than just open to having more children, but to not be afraid to share them with the world. Every child that M and I have is not for us, but for the perfection of the universe, for the completion of God’s plan for His creation. I need to learn to just enjoy my children, and when we are out and about, it will be a joy for others as well. Further, if I show my children that I am flustered by them, they will see…

The Slow Rhythm of Now

I am up and writing because lately at night I have been laying in bed for at least a half an hour with my mind wandering and not able to fall asleep. It probably has something to do with the baby not waking around 11pm anymore. I really liked that nursing session that gave me just enough of a hormone boost to get sleepy and drop off. It meant that I woke up a few more times at night than I do now, but there was not that struggle to fall asleep at the beginning of the night. Alas, I have resigned myself to less sleep than I think I might need since I don’t seem to be getting it no matter what schedule I try.

I am finding myself wanting to hold onto this time of life forever, or at least a bit longer. I don’t really mind the bitter cold days, as long as we have nowhere to go. I think about Ma Ingalls in her house by Plum Creek and her three little girls cooped up all Winter with blizzard after blizzard outside. They did not go crazy; they just did their lessons and chores and were together.

I feel like life is not going to be the same after this school year. We are doing about 40 minutes of school a day, and it is preschool work. There is no set curriculum, and things do not have to be that serious. I have an easy one year old, and a three and five year old that will happily spend the whole day playing with each other. I have so much time to do housework that I am continually checking Facebook. I know my time can be put to better use, but the leisure is nice.

I think my favorite time of babyhood is when the baby stops the morning nap. Since M started his new semester I have been doing grocery shopping on Saturdays, which totally frees up my weekdays. We have a nice rhythm at home with the girls, and the hardest part of a normal day is keeping the baby from climbing into chairs to chew on her sisters’ preschool work. I get her to sleep for a long afternoon nap before her sisters take their nap/quiet time, and have two quiet hours to myself. If M is home I run on my treadmill, if he is not, I try to read or write. Then dinner, and then bedtime for the kids. And after bedtime is more leisure time until I can’t fall asleep. But I probably should turn in now and try to sleep.

Life is good.

If on a Winter’s Afternoon Three Girls…

It is a late afternoon in the Spencer house. M is still at work and expected home for a late dinner, the girls request a CD of traditional folk music. They are finishing a snack and L (3) decides to get down and begins to dance. “I am the dancing girl,” she tells me as she twirls around, her arms outstretched. G (4.5) finishes her snack and they move to the living room to continue their dancing. F (15 months) crawl-scoots her way after them to join in the fun.

When I peak into the living room I see F standing and squealing next to the couch and the older two wearing paper moose antlers that they made at a library story hour holding hands and spinning themselves around the room. Since they all seem content, I grab an article I want to read and sit down in one of the wingback chairs. G, excited by my presence, says, “You are the one watching our dancing! See the way my shirt swirls out so cutely when I twirl!” L and F are interacting next to the couch. F had been wearing a large wooden Rosary around her neck, and now L is holding it in her hands. She lunges towards F in attempt to put it around her neck, but F moves quickly to her hands and knees and crawls away to the bedrooms squealing with her big sister in pursuit. L comes back in without the rosary, but the baby has found something else to do in her sisters’ room.

“When the Saints Go Marching In” starts to play, and L sticks her legs out in a wild fashion, asking, “Is this marching?” I get up from my reading to demonstrate marching, and soon both older girls are laughing and doing something slightly resembling marching around the room. G then sticks her head on the floor and does a somersault. “Did I just do a cartwheel?” she asks excitedly. And I tell her she did not, but that she had done a somesault. L is curious and asks how to do it, but then decides to show me her version of skipping instead. It resembles a gallop. F crawls back into the room and sees me. She climbs onto my lap and thwarts any attempts I make at reading. My phone rings and it is my mom. I get up with the baby on my hip and answer the phone, leaving the older two to their world of imaginative play.

Seven Quick Takes: Friday, January 31

1. My dad is home from the hospital! And by home I mean at his home in St. Louis. I wish I could be there again to help out and just see him, but I am pretty sure that three kids running around the small ranch house my parents own would not be helpful for a tired man recovering from a major surgery. So, I will have to settle for the occasional Skype conversation where all three girls chatter away at him for five minutes and tire him out. It was great to see him looking so well yesterday!

2. I have discovered how I am going to survive the rest of the Winter. I have a plan. I did not realize when we bought this house how wonderful it would be to have South facing windows all Winter. You see, even though we have at least 24″ of snow currently on the ground, and it is crazy cold out all the time, it is sunny most days. Yesterday we woke up to a snow storm that brought us 6 new inches of snow, but as soon as the snow stopped the sun came out. I have sunshine in my kitchen nook from sunrise until 2pm everyday, and then it passes into the dining room, and finally into the living room. I am going to get to sit in the sun everyday for most of the Winter! And the cheery Winter sunshine if much more pleasant than the harsh, hot Summer sunshine.

3. Heavy cream is my children’s new favorite ingredient in food. I made cream of mushroom soup the other night for dinner, and all through the meal my kids were saying: “Mmmmm, Mom, this is sooooo good! This is the best thing I have every had!” And I thought, yes it is a pretty good soup (thank you Julia Child). Then a few days later I made a quiche for dinner, and realized that it also called for heavy cream. Normally I use the highest fat milk we have around, and everyone likes it, but Wednesday I used cream. Oh my goodness, it was the creamiest quiche that I have ever had! G declared to me, “This is my favorite food ever! It is soooooo creamy!” And L said that she liked it even better than macaroni and cheese, which is the biggest compliment on food that one could ever receive from her.

4. I had a girls’ craft night at my house last night. One of my friends from church organized it, and since M was going to be out late at a work dinner, I decided to host it this month (after I got the kids in bed). We had a really nice time, so nice that it was 10:45 PM before anyone realized it, and that is late for a bunch of moms who have husbands who work and children who need help sleeping. I took it as a good thing, that we were having such good conversation that we lost track of the time. Thanks for a nice evening ladies!

5. The difference between a Buffalo and a Minnesota winter is that in Buffalo you get lots of snow but you usually get a thaw about once a month or so, but in Minnesota the snow just piles and piles and stays frozen. Here is a comparison of our yard from the summer and what it looks like after yesterday’s snow:

We are waiting to have a sledding hill that is taller than the fence…
The garden with a 20″ fence around it.
Where is the garden now?

The parting of the Red Sea, the Grand Canyon, or our front walk, whichever you prefer…

6. A favorite active indoor activity of my kids is sliding down the (carpeted) stairs belly-down, feet first. They were demonstrating this to my brother and sister on Skype yesterday when my brother reminded me that we had done that in sleeping bags all the time growing up. I can’t believe that I had forgotten about it! I mean now that I remember, I have memories of countless hours flying down stairs into piles of cushions. I am not sure we are willing to sacrifice our nice camping sleeping bag to the sliding on the stairs, but maybe when the kids get their first sleeping bags I will throw that idea our there…

7. I have run out of things about this week. It is hard to think of much when the whole week spent inside soaking in the sunshine in the comfort of my heated home. I’ll just say that F (almost 15 months) refuses to walk, but loves to climb on tables and up and down stairs. However, she has really good balance on high surfaces so I am not too concerned…

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary. Head on over for more Quick Takes.

Seven Quick Takes, Friday, Dec. 13

1. Happy Feast of St. Lucy! Today we had our traditional bread machine cinnamon rolls, and no child wore a white dress with candles on her head. It is a bit difficult to do it first thing in the morning when you are trying to get to 7:30am mass, so we saved them for after mass. I really wish I had better traditions for other saint’s days. I think we do St. Nicholas and St. Lucy the best, but maybe that is because Advent is so full of rich liturgical traditions. I wonder if we could go all out like we do for Advent for every season.

2. I discovered that F (13 months) can climb down stairs yesterday. I was finishing up something in the basement, and spotted her almost to the top of the stairs. It was silly of me to have left her unwatched with the gate not blocking the stairs. I asked her to wait for me and not climb anymore, and instead of heeding my request she started carefully sliding down one stair at a time on her belly and feet first. She has the technique. Who needs walking when you can do stairs?

3. After over two weeks of various illnesses, we are healthy! Hooray! And I am feeling pretty relaxed about Advent and Christmas coming, so much so that I have not done any of the house cleaning I am supposed to be doing this afternoon. It will get done, just let me sit a few more minutes.

4. And it turns out that some of my husband’s students have been reading my blog. I really have to be careful what I say now! I don’t want to reveal anything that I wouldn’t want students to know… So, here is my “shout out” to you, you students of Dr. Spencer. I hope you find him as entertaining as I do, and discuss a lot in class. That makes him happy.

5. We have not written any of our Christmas cards yet, but we will do them soon. The thing about coming from large extended families and having friends from college and two cities that we have lived in, means that we have lots of people we want to keep in touch with. Further, we enroll the intentions of all of our loved ones in the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest’s Novena of Masses which begins on Christmas. I figure the best gift we can give at Christmas, is the gift of prayer. They have a beautiful shrine in Chicago to the Infant King, I would love to visit it someday, but for now check out: Why a Devotion to the Infant King?

6. G has been in a full onslaught of question asking these days. Everything has to have an explanation, and the explanation has to be further inquired upon. So, either she is cut out to be a philosopher or she is four. At lunch today, “Mom, how does the yoke get in the egg?” I wish I could remember more of her more memorable sayings, but, alas, for some reason, I always forget them when I come to write them down. Maybe I will plan on posting a list of her best questions in a post just for her.

7. I really should get to my housecleaning. I really, really need to mop before the baby wakes up. So, that is all folks. Have a nice weekend!

Linking up with Jen, who is hosting Seven Quick Takes!

Seven Quick Takes, Friday Dec. 6

1. We had that cold front the rest of the country had this week. And while Jen’s (linking up with her quick takes here) chart on how cold is so much colder for her in Texas is nice, the reverse chart for Northern people and hot weather is not entirely fair. She gives 10 degrees for “every time you were snowed in”, but the thing is being “snowed in” is not something that happens in the North. That only happens in places where people don’t get very much snow. Here in Minnesota snow is just part of life and you just deal. We even have a massive snow blower that our kind Minnesotan neighbors gave us since they had a spare! But as it is, I don’t mind the heat, it is much more bearable than the cold.

How it feels to live in Minnesota.

2. Speaking of warm weather, I took the kids outside on Wednesday morning since it was a wopping 33°F out and there was fresh layer of snow on the ground. We I built a snowman in about five minutes. The snow was perfect for packing. I could have made the balls a lot bigger, but packed snow is heavy and I was afraid I would not be able to lift it.

He is an artist, which is why he a wearing a beret. I almost gave him a pipe, but thought M might not appreciate his pipe left out in the snow.
 Every time I see this figure right outside our picture window, I do a double take thinking it might be a person standing in the window. 

3. I do confess that I am wimpy about 2°F weather with a -20°F windchill, so much so that we were pretty worried when our furnace stopped working last night. I posted for prayers in a Catholic mom’s Facebook group and right after people started praying the furnace started keeping the house at our set temperature. I am convinced that their intercession played a large part in our furnace running all night. We only got down to 67°F in the house by the time our repairman came and figured out the problem. We now have reliable heat! Praise the Lord!

4. Happy St. Nicholas day! We prepped the kids all week for it and this morning they were thrilled to find the goodies in their shoes. G (4.5) has us figured out and asked, “Why did you put candy in our shoes?”I will not get into it right now, but we are very forward with the kids about pretend things adults do for kids.

St. Nick had Aldi stock up on Sea Salted Dark Chocolate Cover Caramels.
M will be lucky if there are any left when he gets home from work today.

It is pretty amazing how new flavored lipsmackers and hair clips and can keep two little girls happy for hours. It is so funny to see them with the bottom half of their faces smeared with it. My favorite part about St. Nicholas day though, is buying the chocolate Santas and eating them all well before Christmas…

5. Happy birthday to my dear sister S! I am the only sister left in my 20s. I will try not to rub it in. S is a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent, and holy woman! I am so happy that I have her as a sister. We had a great conversation yesterday on the phone and it sounds like she is having a fun gathering tonight. If only I were in St. Louis…

6. I finally finished Crime and Punishment on Wednesday, two days before my goal. It is an impressive book, but I suppose everyone already knows that. I am not sure if I am entirely convinced by the events in the epilogue, but maybe I just need to digest it longer. I will say no more, if you want to know more about it, read the book! This is a great translation. I have now started Baseball and Memory by Lee Congdon. M gave it to me for my birthday two years ago. It is about history, baseball and why they are important to remember.

7. Two weeks ago I asked for prayers for a friend’s baby born by emergency C-section, and since then the family has started a blog with daily updates. Please continue to pray for her, and if you would like to know more you can read the blog. Thank you for your prayers!

Musings on a Snowy Monday

It is not the typical Monday in the Spencer household. The house guests left yesterday morning. We had my in-laws and two sisters-in-law for the long weekend, and it was a very nice visit. Thanksgiving day had the typical delicious fare as well as macaroni and cheese for the birthday girl (L turned 3) and a vegan roast for certain non-meat eaters. To add to the fun, on Friday we had 14 more people arrive for the afternoon: 2 aunts, 2 uncles, 9 cousins, and a fiance. Our new house had its first large party and it survived mostly unscathed (we got the ink spill off the new carpet within minutes of the incident).

The older girls were pleased to have so many people around to play with for three whole days, but by mid-afternoon yesterday, G (4.5) was running a decently high fever and F (1) was miserable with a cold. Today has been a sick day, as L developed a fever this morning. Cranky, sick children makes for a quiet, uneventful day for me. We called the doctor, and she thinks they have “what’s going around.”

And now the snow is swirling about outside and the blackbean soup is simmering with the leftover hambone. The Jesse Tree is awaiting its first ornament of Advent and the wreath is sitting on the table. A friend wished on Facebook yesterday a Happy Catholic New Year, and really that is what it feels like to me. Bringing out our strong liturgical year traditions for Advent really does make it feel like a new year.

I am going to list a few goals I have for this next year:

  • Start making all my own stocks by next Advent. I have a strong dislike for boning meats, and prefer to buy boneless, skinless meats, but it is time to get over it.
  • Regularly cross stitch so that by next Advent I actually have a finished stitched Jesse Tree ornament. 
  • Not cave and restart Netflix and use the library instead.
  • Go through the stuff I brought home from my parents house.
  • Paint the girl’s dresser.
  • Do school every school day.
  • Sew kitchen valance curtains.
  • Be kinder.
  • Listen to my children.
  • Never cease to seek holiness.

Seven Quick Takes–Saturday, November 23

1. And it is the weekend again already! The days just fly by with the kids and keeping house. I am really thankful for my Monday resolution, which I might need to alter to include email. I missed a few important emails during the day this week, so I think I need to allow myself a quick email check. Facebook, however, can wait until the kids are in bed.

2. G (4.5) picked out a book at the library last week about a little girl and her grandma. At the end of the book the grandma dies, and the girl discusses death and how she misses her grandma. Out of the stack of 13 books, this is her favorite to have read to her. She has not yet known anyone who has passed away, but she will someday. I don’t really know if literature can prepare a little child for such a loss, but maybe it will help her understand what has happened better when she encounters it in her own life. Maybe I will follow up on the book by discussing praying for the souls of the dead.

3. I am cooking my own Thanksgiving turkey this year for the first time in my life! Our first three married Thanksgivings we were traveling, and last year our aunt and uncle cooked dinner for us in our home since I was three weeks post-partum at the time. This year my in-laws are coming to visit, and my mother-in-law and I planned the meal earlier this week. Everything but the turkey and L’s birthday request of mac and cheese is going to be vegan for the benefit of M’s youngest sister. However, this meal should be no problem compared to the Pate de Canard en Croute that I made Wednesday and Thursday.

4. We bought a treadmill last weekend, and it is a good thing we waited until we bought house to get something so huge and heavy! We got it safely down into the basement study with the help of M’s colleague. Many thanks to him for his help! It is just in time for today’s high of 18°F. If I was cool and had a smartphone I would post a screen shot of the weather forecast here. 

5. In case you are wondering, I am still working my way through Crime and Punishment. I am over halfway now. Maybe I should have a two week deadline for myself. I will try to have it done by St. Nicholas day. Speaking of St. Nicholas day, when one emphasizes that with kids instead of Santa, one hears things like this from one’s 4.5 year old, upon seeing Christmas displays with candy:

“Look, Mom! They are getting ready for St. Nicholas day!” 

 

Photo by Brian Behrend. This is not the dog we saw.


6. The world from the perspective of a nearly three year old gets pretty interesting. Today I found L looking out the front window at a lady walking her dog. She said to me, “That dog broke his poor little body!” I took a closer look at the dog. He was wearing a sweater. I almost did not want to explain to her that he was not in a full body cast, because it was so cute that she thought this.

7. Please take a moment to pray for a friend’s (from grad school) wife and newborn baby. She just had an emergency c-section and apparently the baby is not doing well. 

Linking up with Jen’s Conversion Diary. Head on over for more quick takes.

This Month in Girls–The Baby is One!

In theory, I should be writing these posts once a month, but so far that has not happened. I thought that F’s birthday would be a good reason to give a look at all three girls.

F, the Birthday Baby: 
– My father is visiting and he sung a song to my girls that his mom sang when his little brother was a baby, Beautiful brown eyes, Beautiful brown, I will never again love blue eyes, Beautiful brown eyes. Even though she is the third child with beautiful, long-lashed brown eyes, I am still enamored with them.

-She still insists on getting around by crawling, pulling herself up only when in the most desperate need of attention, especially on my legs while I am cooking dinner. Standing up against her will is a chore.

-She is working on saying words and things that sound like words: “Ma!”, “Da-da.”, “Oooooooh!”, “Ah-yay-yooo-ya!”, and then the high pitched shriek.

-She is happy to play near her sisters and delights in their attention. But mostly prefers to do her own thing near them.

-She is still needing the two naps, but if she misses the morning nap, makes it up in the afternoon. Also, night time sleep has been wonderful with one or two wake ups, and easy to resettle; that is when she has her own room.

-She will look at her “church book” fairly quietly for a 30 minute Mass.

-Her favorite foods are meats, cheese, and clementine oranges.

L, the Acrobat:
-She has a birthday coming up in three weeks. It is hard to believe she is almost three!

-Yesterday, I overheard her say to my father, “You are my favorite!” And then insisted on him sitting next to her at lunch.

-Even after a concussion last month, she can still be found climbing on the back of just about any furniture that she can get on. She can also be found jumping from piece of furniture to piece of furniture.

-She is one of the cutest kids that I know. There is something about her cheeks, eyelashes, and way of expressing herself that makes her pull this off. Even when she is crying her big tears, she is adorable.

-She is thrilled with the snow season’s arrival, but also keeps on asking to go swimming outside?

-At Mass she tries to “ride” the back of the pews like a pony or wants to be cuddled. Her little child’s missal is usually just held.

-If you ask her what her favorite foods are she will say: “Pancakes, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and peanut butter jelly and a baseball bat!”

G, the Imagination:
-With my mom and dad visiting, she is getting all the attention she could possibly want, but she is forgetting how to be alone in quiet time.

-I did not realize until this week that most of the games she and L play are play acting everything. G will narrate events and act them out and L will follow. The day is one long elaborate story.

-She is very excited when she makes connections between things she has learned in catechism, reading, and other lessons and her lived life. 

-She is on Lesson 20 in her 100 reading lessons and is doing very well. I knew she had it in her!

-She is trying very hard to sit still and follow her missal at Mass. 

-Said that her favorite dinner was cupcakes, but really will eat anything. Further, I am a bit in awe of how carefully and skillfully she is able to use her fork and spoon after many years struggling to figure them out.