Airmail

I was sitting in the recliner the other day when LA #1 shot by me, making a hasty line to the front door with three torn pieces of half-scribbled coloring book pages. Just as she was about to step outside I asked her where in the world she was headed. She turned around slowly as if to indicate her disbelief at the fact that I had dared to pose the question. "Daaad! I need to put the mail outside so that the garbageman can take it to A and G!" (A and G are two of LA #1's little friends who have since moved from the area.) After setting the old man straight, she turned, stepped onto the porch and proceeded to throw the papers into the air. Satisfied that her "mail" would now reach its intended recipients, she stepped back inside and went back to the kitchen table to color, leaving her befuddled father shaking his head.

Snips and snails and puppy dogs tails...

This picture was meant for my last post, but I had problems uploading it.

That's what Little Boys are made of!!

My son is getting ornerier by the second...

If you've every wondered what "snips and snails and puppy dogs tails" referred to, look no further!! I can tell you.

Drawing on walls. Climbing on the back of the toilet to reach into the cupboard with the cleaning supplies. Moving chairs to the fireplace to grab candles off of the mantle. Taking books off of the shelves and spreading them all over the house. Putting the clothes I've just folded in the diaper pail. Eating highlighters. Drinking water from the bowl that had pancake batter in it and has yet to be washed. Climbing the shelves of the bathroom closet-unfolding towels along the way. Taking drinks of milk and spitting it out on the floor instead of swallowing it. Exploring what the toilet is used for..."Mommy, you mean I'm not supposed to put my feet in it??" Climbing in baby sister's bed while she's sleeping. Biting baby sister's toes. Climbing to the top of the play kitchen to "play the drums." Taking dirty dishes out of the dishwasher to the sunroom to "play" with them...

...If you need further description, please let me know. There is more!

Heaven help! :)

Adorable

Isn't cuteness just oozing out of her??

Enjoying her big brother!

Well, LA #2 still has a long way to go as far as not making his little sister cry, but we did capture some moments in which they were both very much enjoying each other's company. We have the classic belly blow, a nice smile from LA #3 during a game of peek-a-boo, and a very loving kiss from LA #2.

Birthday celebration

Last week we celebrated the Blessed Mother's birthday with a rosary made of cupcakes. Everyone had lots of fun with this project!

She doesn't even miss us...

It's Wednesday and LA #1 is still with Grandma and Grandpa and having so much fun!! Picking apples and pears, taking care of the animals (dogs, goats, cows), swinging on the swingset, playing marbles with her uncle and riding on his shoulders, picking on Grandma, learning how to ride a bike. Wow. Now I will be more inclined to let her stay more often. I'm sure she's enjoying a break from her brother's constant pestering.

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down

This past weekend we traveled out of town to celebrate my father's 60th birthday and go to a family wedding. LA#1, as you know from my previous post is a lover of all things having to do with weddings. This one was particularly exciting for her as it was Cinderella themed. There were glass (well, plastic) slippers everywhere, not to mention the ice sculpture castle and the castle wedding cake. She had a BALL (pun intended). Though she used to be a Mommy clinger, she is little Miss Independence now, which is actually kind of nice since I was able to socialize a bit. Upon our arrival at the reception, she immediately found the flower girls and a few others and was playing Ring around a Rosy, much to the delight of the photographers who thereafter neglected the rest of the assembly. Unfortunately, the bride will have her fill of pictures of our daughter, and we will have none since we foolishly left the camera behind.

It was nice to take a little trip out of town. Once we got home I realized how much good it did me to get away from the house for more than just a few hours here and there. I'm exhausted, but in a good way. I feel relaxed and ready to rest in spite of all the messes LA#2 makes while I nurse. We all know they will still be there tomorrow, and even if I did pick them up, they would probably end up there again. So, I'm just going to kick up my feet for a few days, especially since LA#1 is still at Grandma and Grandpa's house. She is having a blast, and I am enjoying a rather quiet house. LA #2 was ready for an early nap today. I sighed a happy sigh of relief as I sat down to take a snooze myself, but to my dismay, half an hour later, he was screaming. Ugghhh...well, maybe he'll take another nap later, and if not I will coax "Aunt Taytay" to watch him while I take a nap. :) That's the beauty of a built in sitter!! Ahhhhh.

Her fair share

My apologies for the lack of pictures of LA#3. It seems like we are taking pictures of her a lot, but to tell the truth, they just don't seem to do justice to her utter cuteness. At any rate, I've tried to pick some of the best shots to give her the attention she is entitled to for being the cute, snuggley butterball that she is. Doesn't she have beautiful eyes?? For those og you who have never met her, I posted some pics of when she was first born so that you can see how much she's grown.

Hangin' in There

Whew! It's been 8 weeks since Little Angel #3 arrived...already 8 weeks! These little ones grow so fast! I'm beginning to understand more and more the passage of Genesis in which God tells Eve, "In pain shall you bring forth children." I always thought this applied to labor, which of course it does, but every day I grow in my understanding that pregnancy and labor are just the beginning of that pain. The daily little crosses don't seem extremely painful, but they are crosses nonetheless...lack of sleep, little ones making messes while I nurse, fighting, screaming, teething, disciplining a stubborn 3 year old and an impulsive and physical little boy. What gets me is that in the midst of all of this and the chaotic state that I feel my home is now in, these darling little ones are growing and changing so quickly that I can hardly grasp it or really appreciate their littleness, their complete trust and openness, and the time that I just get to spend with them. I'm finding that sometimes the greater pain is not so much in the sacrifices that must be made, but in the fact that in my own busi-ness and even my sinfulness I forget to enjoy them, or worse, I don't want to enjoy them because I just want to get the dirty dishes out of my sink. I'm thankful for the freqent realization that this time in which they are little will pass so quickly, and I try to embrace this time. On days (which are many) in which I struggle greatly with being patient with them or with the frustration of not accomplishing the housework I wanted to tackle, I tend to forget that the time will be gone before I know it. I never realized that motherhood would come with so many little heart-aches, right now the greatest of which is coming to the end of my days and reflecting on the ways in which I put myself before them and how that clouds my vision and my ability to love and serve them as I ought. But, thank God for His mercy and His grace which is sufficient and is getting us through. And I keep reminding myself that there will be another time to put the house back in order and I will get more sleep. It just doesn't have to be now, so I'll just hang in there until that time comes and focus on the fact that when I come to the end of my earthly journey, I want to offer God the Cathedral of my children, not my house.

End of summer Fun

Sniff, sniff. The end of summer is drawing near. Here are a few pics of some activities we managed to squeeze in before the end of summer. Parish picnic, a trip to the beach, backyard wrestling on the freshly cut lawn.

Big Brother

So cute! He loves his little sister!!

He also loves his hoodie towel, which is a bear. It's a dog to him, though.