Over Month Has Gone By...

And I feel like I have so much to say!

Firstly, I no longer have my computer, so I am at the mercy of when I can borrow one for now. :)

Secondly, I have been thinking A LOT about life, marriage, children, the faith, etc. Honestly, my thoughts have overwhelmed me recently and I feel like it has been hard for me to express myself clearly. I am feeling a bit better now and I am anxious to get my thoughts out there somewhere. So, consider yourself warned for future posts.

Thirdly, I can't wait to share again how our lives are daily growing and changing. People always warn you that children grow up way to fast...I finally understand what they mean by that. :) I need to get back to recording it again, so that I never forget.

Here I am! I am back, and I will post when I can. I hope everyone is enjoying this fall weather! God bless!

Vacation!

We are home again! This year, we decided to go on vacation with friends of ours from our College days and their families. We had such an amazing time!

I have come home feeling incredibly blessed by the friends that God has placed in our lives. It was so encouraging to spend a week with like minded families and to draw strength and wisdom from each of them. I felt so supported as a family by our loving friends. There was so much laughter and fun, and conversations that encouraged us to be stronger in particular areas of our faith. I feel like I am still digesting the beauty of the week and relishing the reconnection with the dearest of friends. It was wonderful to watch Rose Marie begin new friendships with my friend's children! I think I am still in awe of how God has blessed us in this area. Thank you Lord, for the beauty of amazing friends!

Here are a few snapshots from the week:

1) My man and I, enjoying some much needed couple time.
2) Sharks and Stingrays...life doesn't get much better than that! :)

3) The Wright Brother's memorial. No, I promise that Rose Marie was not strangling Samuel.

4) Daddy and his little beach bunny! She LOVED the water!

5) The boys!

6) Our little family, relaxing on a beautiful day at the beach.

Peaceful Days

What "peaceful" looks like:

1) Leisurely, unrushed mornings that include little girls who give big hugs and little shirtless boys with delicious smelling skin.

2) Sipping my coffee and listening to pudgy little feet pounding through house, accompanied by hysterical laughter.

3) "Irish Dancing" in jammies and tu-tu's with my daughter and watching how her eyes smile when she twirls.

4) Finger Painting, which inevitably becomes body painting.

5) Cleaning up the painting project

6) Nestled in my bed, between my babies, barricaded in by mountains of books and feeling two pairs of toes wiggle on my legs and their heads resting on my shoulders, while their clean hair tickles my cheeks.

These are the best days. I wish everyday could be just like this.

Presence

I have been doing way more thinking than is good for me recently. This is the poor excuse for my absence from the blog. I hope if I can muddle my way out of my head and into the blog, maybe I can come back to reality. :)


I have been pondering the importance and the difficulty of presence in my life. There are times in life, sometimes joyful, other times tearful, in which words or gifts seem to fall miserably short. Oftentimes, I think the most important thing a person can do is to simply be present. Presence is what is remembered. I remember those were at my wedding, those who held and coddled my babies, those who were simply there. Love was shown, by the act of coming and being a part of what was going on in my life. (Am I slightly revealing here that my love language is "Quality Time.") :) On the other hand, absence is felt most keenly. The lack of someone's presence can be devastating and hurtful. I think sometimes, we...or maybe I, underestimate this gift of self.


I hope, so very much, that I can give the gift of presence to my children. That I can let them know that I am here, and that I will be, for the big and small moments in their lives. They are showing me everyday how vital this seemingly small gift is for them. I pray that when they look back on their lives they will know that they were important to me, and that I showed this, by being there for them and with them.

I passed by the Catholic Church the other day, and I felt a tug on my heart, in a way that I haven't in such a long time. I remembered Jesus, waiting for me in the Blessed Sacrament and thought about how He lovingly places himself in such a humble state in order that He may be present to me. Even when others fail, He is there. He has been there when I cried and when I was joyful. He looked on me in my wedding dress and later, He was present to my children when they were presented to Him in their baptismal gowns. He is ever present, and not only in a spiritual way, but tangibly. We are so loved!

Thank you, Lord for the gift of Your Presence, help me to reflect this in my own life.

A Song

This is the song these days, that I can't get out of my head and brings me to tears every time. Because this song and the thoughts and emotions it evokes, seem to be occupying so much of my time, I thought I would share it with you. This is Lifehouse's song, "Broken."

County Fair!!!

This year we decided that we would "try out" the local county fair. We had no idea what a fun evening we were in for! We had so much fun and Rose Marie is already talking about going again next year. The kids were perfect ages to really enjoy what was going on and it was so fun to watch them! Here a few snapshots:

1) Animals! Sam and I had just been going over the sounds animals make that morning, so he was thrilled beyond words to hear them in person. We was so excited to hear the pigs grunting, and then he turned to look at me as if to say, "Mommy you were telling me the truth! They really DO make that funny sound!" Priceless! These little lambs were very friendly.

2) What would a fair be without Monster Trucks! Sam kept saying, "Oh wow! Oh wow! Mommy, oh wow!" I think he was pretty impressed.

3) Carnival rides! I think the two different reactions to the ride are pretty well caught in this photo. Rose had such a great time and was much braver than I expected her to be, while Sam on the other hand...well, not as thrilled.

4) Rose decided she was old enough to ride the roller coaster all by herself. I was incredibly scared and could hardly watch her from the sidelines. I had to fight the urge to talk my brave girl out of the ride and try to be respectful of her decision. At the end of the night, it was her favorite ride! Here is her proud/excited little face after it was over.

5) This little one, was much more to Sam's liking:

6) At the end of a fun-filled Fair day! The whole trip home, Rose Marie made plans for next year's fair. We can't wait!

On Our Shelves...

First the disclaimer: I realize that I am not a trained Montessori instructor, nor am I as educated in the philosophy as I would like to be someday. This little experiment below, is my attempt at putting some of her theories into practice as best as I can, with the knowledge that I have and with the what my budget will allow. :) I am open to any suggestions or corrections, so that I can continue to learn how to put this into practice for my children.



By the generosity of my Mother-in-law and my Father-in-law, and the expert craftsmanship of my Brother-in-law, Rose Marie was given this shelf for her birthday! Isn't it beautiful! I was so excited, that I actually started to cry. I had been wanting a place for the kids to store their "works," in an organized fashion and that would allow them easy access to them. Up until this point, the works had been either in a large Tupperware box or a cabinet that wasn't very easy for them to get to. So here is our experiment with having our works easily accessible. I have to say, I was a little worried the very first day, but in the end, this bought me an entire half-hour of shower time, to myself, because the kids were so engrossed in what they were doing! Surprisingly, the area has stayed very clean and neat. I think they are getting the idea. :) We will see how long this lasts.

Here are the things we currently have on our new shelf. I know that they should be organized according to practical life/sensorial works, but due to space and age, I have simply separated the shelf as follows: Top shelf are for Rose's works only (mostly because only she can reach it!), middle shelf is for both Sam and Rose and bottom shelf is primarily Sam's but Rose still enjoys working with them as well, which is perfectly fine by me.

1) Weaving work: Both of the kids really enjoy this! I didn't take a very good photo of the entire work, but there is a little basket full of pretty ribbons and the children weave them through the wires to create different patterns. Rose Marie, in particular enjoys this. I can't remember now which blog I saw it on, but I meant to give credit to it. When I find it, I will post it here.



2) Bean Spooning: I think Sam could do this ALL day. He loves the sound the beans make when they go into the bowl. :)

3) Rose Marie's dropper work: She is doing better with this. Fine motor skills are still a bit of a challenge for her, so I thought this one would be a fun way to keep working on them. So far, she is enjoying it.

4) Rose Marie's Letters and Season matching game.

5) Sam's Dinosaur puzzle, animal matching and open close work:

6) Yep...all day! :) Very happy little man.