The most recent cake decorated

Little Angel #3 just wants to be part of the action now. So fun watching them interact and play. Admittedly, LA #3 can be QUITE precocious. She is very coordinated and very good at taking things (especially from her brother) and scooting away from him as fast as she can with an ornery little smile on her face!

Summer Time Fun

If it weren't for our backyard (and our wonderful neighbors) I don't think I could bear to live in town. We have so much fun in the backyard and make many, many silly memories there! (I just LOVE the picture of Little Angel #3's chubby bottom as she leans over the pool. She absolutely loves to stand by the pool and drop things in so that she can reach in. What a cutie!!!!)

Pilgrimage

At the end of May, we took a family pilgrimage to Washington DC for the ordination of a college friend in the Dominican Order. It was most definitely a privilege to be a part of, and it was indeed a pilgrimage as we had some pretty sleepless nights, many hours in the car, and even sickness in the car (though it was as mild as we could ask for as far as sickness goes).

Here is Fr. Anthony and a few other pictures of the kids having a grand old time with their cousins.

Down on the farm

Some pictures of our visit with family when we went home for Grandma's funeral.

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Her

On April 27th my maternal grandmother (known to many of her great-grandchildren as "Grandma Cookie")passed away at the age of 91. She will be sorely missed, especially as her passing marked the end of an era in my family. Mother to 9, grandmother to 38, great-grandmother to 52, and great-great grandmother to 10. She always hosted holiday gatherings and family reunions. We will miss her cheerful zest for life!

This is a picture of the spray that was on her casket. While part of me feels like it is morbid to display it, I think it is very beautiful with her hat and her shovel. Interestingly, my coping mechanism has been gardening. I hope that I can learn from her love of God's creation and always marvel at its beauty.

Little Angel #2 Update...

...Just because he's so dog-gone cute!! He's such a fun-loving boy and adds just the right amount of spunk and spontaneity to our "Party of Five"! We are in the midst of major attempts at potty training. It's quite the hysterical process to say the least. I think we had two successes the entire week this week, and he decided that the potty seat makes a better hat than anything else. I succumbed to the consumerism I so often complain about and got him a seat that looks like a football. His successes were in large part due to the football, so now I'm trying to convince myself that it was a useful purchase (still can't say that it was "necessary" though). He now requests M & M's when he announces that he has to go. I'm tickled to have found a treat that he desires enough to "do his business for"...He still has yet to learn that he actually has to GO in order to get the treats.