Quality time

Where has the time gone? I can tell you that I'm busy, but I can't tell you exactly what I am busy with other than everyday life. Last week did not have much going on (as far as the calendar goes), but with Jason gone one day, and the kids having 5 straight days without school, 3 birthday parties for 5 separate people, a few extra events and my brother and his new bride visiting the weekend, we had plenty to do!






So now, I am looking at my blog wondering why I don't have anything new posted and realizing that it is once again Friday and I don't feel as if I've accomplished anything new. Once the weekend comes and everyone is home all day, I am just attempting to keep peace and a somewhat sanely clean house.




Positively, the weather should be nice so the kids can play outside, and we can try to get to the football playoff game that will be here tomorrow afternoon. Bonus! Sunny game time and it's not late so I can take the kids without interfering in bedtime routines!

As for the "quality time" title of the post? It's been time with mostly extended family. Birthday parties make for time with cousins and lots of family we don't see very often. Quality time with my "baby" brother and his new bride when they came to stay the weekend. Time with the kids during MEA break, and lots of time for Ian to spend with is godfather.

Goodnight moon

The other night was one of the first nights that we were out late and Ian was still awake. As we were walking into the house, it was a clear, calm, beautiful night and the half moon was high above us. Ian's little arm and finger extended toward the bright object in the sky and asked the question, "uhh dat?" ("What's that?") I suddenly realized that it was probably the first time that he's really seen the moon in the darkness of the night, so we took a moment to take it all in.

He was in awe of the moon & soon realized that it had a "friend" in the sky with it...a very bright star. (I am assuming it's a star, but it's bright enough to be a planet.) So now, each night before he heads to bed, he peeks out the window at the top of the stairs that so conveniently displays the new marvels in his life that he excitedly points at and says, "noom! tar!" (That's "moon" and "star" in toddler language.) I've always enjoyed star gazing, and I love it even more that my kids find the simple joy in it as well. Now I just need to brush up on my astronomy!

Knuckles

Bishop LeVoir & Ian

This is what Ian did when we said good-bye to Bishop LeVoir. We didn't tell him to do it either...well, I did tell them to do it again so I could get a picture of it, but otherwise the gesture was on his own.

Rite of Institution of Acolyte

Jason went through the last step toward becoming a permanent deacon this past weekend. As an acolyte in the Church he now has more duties at the altar to assist priests and deacons during the Mass in order to get him more accustomed to doing those things when he becomes a deacon. It was an absolutely beautiful Mass with a glimpse of the very near future for our family. I have mixed emotions on what will be our "downhill road" toward ordination with only 1-1/2 years left. I know it seems like a long time, but any time I can get with this family of ours, I truly embrace and savor. The Grace I am gifted with on the weekends at Schoenstatt are something I treasure and don't necessarily look forward to letting go of as of right now. Now I know why they call it "formation" and I am so blessed that this program allows the wives to be a part of what will essentially change our lives and our family forever.

Flushed away

So, things have been a little crazy & it's hard to be on the computer to get all done that I want to, but here's a good one that I don't want to miss getting on the blog.

SuzyCat has her own little retreat area where she can get away from the kids if she needs to & that is accomplished by a baby gate conveniently placed in the doorway where her food, water, bed & litterbox are. I have it up just high enough so she can scoot under it & it also deters little bodies from crawling easily over it. But when they do decide to try to do that, it usually twists and comes down, and one day Faith pushed it down and failed to mention it to me. Busy with something, I hear the unfortunately familiar noise of kitty litter being tossed about. I peek toward the gate & see that it's down & immediately know what I am about to discover...Ian standing in a mess of kitty litter, and an overturned water and food dish. If you know anything about litter and food, they don't make a fun combo to clean up when they are wet. At least I had just cleaned the litter box, so it wasn't too nasty.

Here's where it gets even better. As I am grumpily cleaning up the mess, I hear Faith go into the bathroom & I didn't happen to hear her go out. We have had to keep the door shut because some little person has learned to open the lid & likes to "play" with the toilet. So far, I have witnessed a toothbrush and 2 dominoes go down before I could stop him. He's a quick little fart & he's really good at accurately swinging at the flusher!

So as I'm finishing cleaning up the kitty's room, I hear someone in the bathroom, but it's not the usual noises...there's some splashing going on, and that noise is also unfortunately familiar. I look to the door & there is Ian STANDING IN THE TOILET! Both feet, completely in and fully clothed and bending down to splash in it with his hands. Not a happy mommy! Someone asked me if I took a picture...not necessarily my first thought or gut instinct, but my mental picture is one that I can now smile and chuckle at, although I was totally not in that state of mind at that point in the day!

I am sure this will not be the last post on the adventures in toilet bowl land. What's even more ironic is that by the time I get him to stay away from the potty, it will be when I actually will want him to start getting used to using it! Go figure! Maybe if God calls us to have another one, we can start potty training when they're an infant. That's an amazing thing to witness!!

Embracing Fall

I have truly enjoyed this Fall season, and it's just begun! The trees on our block are filled with color and yet fabulously shed their leaves in the breeze. Yesterday they were flying everywhere & I felt like I was in one of those plexiglass boxes that has a bunch of money in it & there's a fan in the bottom blowing it all around. I couldn't help but smile knowing that in that moment that the gift blowing around was not money, but in the beauty of the day and God's grace.

I finally enjoyed raking up leaves and letting the kids jump all over in them and toss them up and fall into their smiling faces. Everyday they track in leaves on their clothes and in their hair, but I think of the hours they just spent making up games and activities around those piles of leaves.

Now if the mosquitos would just go away!! I am still pondering their existence & what's good about them...