Overwhelmed!

Yesterday was just one of those days. Nothing was going particularly wrong, but nothing was going particularly right either. Laundry seemed insurmountable, every room in the house was a mess, my part-time job was piling up and dinner was just out of the question. Luckily, we were able to accomplish some school work and that is always a breath of fresh air. Rose Marie did a new transferring work, using chopsticks and it was a huge hit! She had gotten away from transferring works for awhile, but it was a welcome change of pace yesterday. Samuel did his very first "spooning" work and he LOVED it! It is so fascinating to watch a child in the middle of their work and see what interests them the most. He was so careful not to spill, and if he did, he was quick to pick up and put the little ball back into the proper bowl. This is a skill that is still extremely challenging to him, but he was not frustrated by it all and seemed to enjoy trying to do it over and over again. Hopefully, I will push past the overwhelming feeling of yesterday, and just relax in the little things that are being accomplished. I just need to vent a little. :)

Family Date Night :)

Last weekend, Jake and I were really in need of a date. It had been one of "those" weeks (for three weeks!) and we were craving a little time out to talk and reconnect. Unfortunately we couldn't find a babysitter for our little guys. I went into the kitchen and began dinner preparations, when he turned around and said, "Well...why don't we ALL go out for a date?" I stood there for a long moment thinking about the situation and weighing my options and decided..."Hey, why not?!" So we packed up the kids and went out on a date! Rose Marie decided that we needed to take special pictures of our date night. She was in charge of the camera, which was a blast.

We had a FANTASTIC time! We all laughed and giggled. It was so much more fun that I had expected it to be (based on our last eating out experience.) Here are the pictures from our budding little photographer:

1) Where did we eat at?

2) "Mommy, make a silly face for the picture!"

3) Of course:

4) Bottomless chips and salsa for Sam!

5) Daddy trying to get in focus:

6) Waiting for our table.

Isaiah 62

"You shall be called by a new name, pronounced from the mouth of the Lord...No more shall people call you, 'Forsaken,' or your land, 'Desolate,' but you shall be called, "My Delight," and your land, 'Espoused,' for the Lord delights in you."

This is perhaps one of my favorite readings, (along with a few others.) This was the first reading at Mass yesterday.

It has always struck a deep cord in me, as I feel like it reveals that romantic part of Our Lord's heart...it shows his passion for us. The "calling by a new name," is so significant throughout the scriptures. Here it is clear that to the world, Israel is lost, but God not only acknowledges her beauty, but changes her name to reflect His love for her. The idea of giving delight to Him, is one that I think of with trembling. "For the Lord delights in you," how can I possibly be or do anything worth the delight of God? How can I delight Him, when sometimes it feels like the entire day is a struggle to listen to Him or be close to Him? However, insignificant as I am, sinful, wayward, stubborn, prone to fall into temptation, "Forsaken," and "Desolate," He still "delights" in me. This is one of those unfathomable mysteries and one of the most romantic love stories ever written! Fulton Sheen, was fond of calling this, "The Divine Romance," that romance between the soul and her Maker. Thank you, Lord for whispering to me again through the words of scripture! I will strive to be Your Delight in all of the small things that I do!

School Days

We did it! We are back in the swing of school and it is WONDERFUL! The, "he is being annoying," "I don't have anything to do," and "Mommy, what are you going to do with me now," statements have reached an all time low. Whew! That first morning of working with letters and numbers (with a bit of art work mixed in), was incredibly peaceful. I am so grateful and encouraged. It takes a great deal of planning and "stick-to-itness" but it has huge payoffs. Rose Marie in particular seems much more content and happy after having a little time with Mommy doing letter works. Samuel had his first crayon experience and he was so excited! I felt guilty for not having introduced it sooner. He would scribble happily for awhile and then sit there and point to his masterpiece and then bend over to kiss it. :) Very cute! He has been showing everyone his picture. I hope we can stick to this, because I think it gives all three of us a sense of accomplishment. I just need to be more determined to plan out my days a little better and actually stick with it. Wish us luck! :)

1) Focusing very intently:
2) He couldn't resist tasting just a few colors:

New Beginning!

We have finally taken the Christmas decorations down and thus we welcome winter. I am ready to begin this New Year with the kids. I am hoping tomorrow that we will start our school and if we accomplish only that much, I will feel very victorious! (I will let you know how that goes!) I have been missing our school routine, and I get the impression, that Rose has too. She needs and loves to be challenged. The break has been nice, but I definitely feel like she has been bored. Hopefully with some focused, challenging activities in the morning, she will be more happy to play in the afternoon.

In other moments, I feel like I have been reminded in many ways that my Rose is growing up. I can't believe how fast this time has passed with her. I went shopping for a few clothes that she needed, and realized that she is quickly outgrowing the "baby" sections. :( I am not ready for this! I realize that she is still young, but I am not ready for the fact that even department stores no longer consider her a baby! When did this happen? I am feeling more like giving in to playing her "baby game," just to keep her small for a little longer. I know this is good, and I am trying to enjoy this stage without being too sad about her leaving behind babyhood for good. She is daily becoming such a nurturing little girl (except where her brother is concerned!) I love it!

And then there is Sam! He is, and always has been, his father's son! Need I say more? I am going to try to find challenging works for him to use over the course of this week, because he is in desperate need of them. This little one, has a busy mind that frightens me! :) I need to find activities to occupy it. His kisses, on the hand, well...they can continue to find a landing spot on his mother's lips. He is an adorable kisser, complete with the spicy little "come hither" look. But, we are going to stay focused this week and do works, so that we get away from manipulating Mommy with delicious kisses and making eyes at her! :) We shall see.

Family

This past week our whole little family was down with a nasty version of the cold/flu. We were all spiking fevers, coughing and generally just feeling horrible. After we had gotten the kids down for bed finally, trying to make them as comfortable as possible, someone knocked at our door. It was my sister and my brother, who had driven 2 hours and had come just to be here to help! They dropped all of their plans, all of their comforts and came just to lend a hand. It was an incredible relief! The next day, while I was still feeling like I had just stepped out of the boxing ring, they helped hold, comfort and entertain my sick babies. They stayed for two whole days and even took one morning to get the babies up and feed them!

That is true family! They are family who makes everyone feel important. When you need help, they never wait for you to ask, they generally just appear. These are my siblings. They are the ones I used to babysit, play with, change and comfort. I remember one particular time when my younger brother was terribly sick, how we went to great lengths to try to make him laugh and to bring a smile to his face. Now, years later, that same younger sibling shows up at my front door and is the one to bring me comfort! God is so good!

As I look at raising my own little family, I hope that I am able to raise children who will value their siblings. I know that not all siblings do, and mine have been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I hope I raise a family who appreciates one another's differences and cherishes the unique gifts of each person. I hope we embrace new members that come into the family with arms wide open and without judgement (Ahem!) I hope we support one another, even if we disagree with how things may be done. These have been some of the many gifts given from my girlhood home and I pray that I may pass them down to the next generation.


Thank you Mom and Dad for the gift of generous, loving and amazing siblings! :)

Resolutions

So, the New Year turned out to be slightly different than we had planned, but I am feeling like God is teaching me more and more to roll with the punches. We planned on having at least one romantic date night to kick-start our New Year and a party at our home. However, everyone came down with a horrible cold/flu. We canceled our party and ended up having a date night in. It turned out to be fairly relaxing. Anyway, here are a few of the resolutions I would like to keep this year.

1) I want to get my spiritual life on track. I want to commit to some spiritual reading or reflection every day. More than anything I want to get this one to stick!

2) Exercise more regularly. I feel so much better about life in general and more capable about dealing with life stresses when I have an outlet. I think for the good of my mothering, I need to make this more a priority.

3) I would love to pick up a new skill this year. I have yet to decide what it will be, but I am on the lookout. I have toyed with taking some cooking classes, or taking up knitting, or playing an instrument. This is the resolution I will probably not quite attain, but I like to think I will. :) If you have any suggestions for this one, I am definitely open to them!

4) Last, but not least, I would love to be able to talk to my friends on the phone more regularly! I always feel so refreshed and renewed after spending time in grown-up conversation. I really want to show my friends that they are important and cherished by reaching out and calling more than I do. This requires me to overcome my fear of talking on the phone, but I intend to be brave this year and to pick up the phone and call. :) I really hope I can follow through on this one!