Gone Fishing

Eli has been desperate to go fishing. For real. He has dutifully practiced casting and retrieving with a casting plug both on land (in the front yard) and in the water (at the beach last summer). His hard work was rewarded this Sunday.

The weather was gorgeous, so the boys walked down to the lake at the end of our street to go fishing. For real. With a hook!

He was eager to get outside, so he dressed himself in his finest fishing gear. :)

No nibbles. Shucks. Even though they didn't catch anything, Eli had a blast and will likely want to try again this weekend. Heck, playing in the water is almost as much fun (...if not more.)

This little dude was happy to be out in the sunshine too. The walk there and back soothed him so that he was ready for a long nap in the swing when we got back.

Precious Child of God

Hello everyone! I have not had a lot of time to sit and type at the computer lately. Hmmmm...wonder why? :)

I love it when they are sweet together, but these two definitely keep me on my toes. Feeding, changing, playing, cleaning, cooking, oh my! Nothing out of the ordinary in the life of a mommy.

Fun news! I have a new camera. The old one had taken a few tumbles, and finally suffered a fatal fall over Christmas. My dad was kind enough to lend me his so I was sure not to miss out on capturing moments in the fast and furious days of a newborn. I love the new one and look forward taking more pictures with it as I have barely had the chance to use it much yet. And I really want to get some help learning how to make the most of it.

It is also a pleasure to share that Jude received the sacrament of baptism this weekend. He is a sweet child of God now and forever.

It was wonderful to celebrate this beautiful sacrament with family and friends. Aunt Ann (Jude's godmother) and Pap Pap were able to make the trip up for it.

Jude was a sweet angel and almost slept through the entire service. He barely flinched when the water was poured over his head. And after several baths this week, it makes me smile that I can still smell Chrism oil used on his head.

Eli was a proud big brother and wanted to stand up with us during the sacrament.

Fr. Oscar did a wonderful job, and we could not be more thankful for the wonderful, loving, and faithful godparents Jude has.

Eli forgets to smile sometimes and instead, he gives his "pirate face." We promised that if he smiled for the first one, we could do another one with pirate faces.

So funny!

No group shot or pictures of my family. Bummer. But it was a precious day for this precious boy.

Remembering

A year has passed since we lost a precious woman to heaven. So much has happened, but I know she is proud of it all. What a legacy she left....

In memory of a FABULOUS mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother.

God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen.

No More Monkeys....

....swinging from table tops!

As we were finishing up dinner and getting ready to leave a restaurant on Sunday night, our CRAZY monkey decided he should try to swing from a table. Before anyone could jump up to stop him, the table pulled down off of its ledge and landed on Eli's face....along with all of the condiments on top of the table.

There were tears, fears, and panic attacks had by the boy (and his parents). Thanks to Aunt Kristi's calm, we were able to assess the damages:

This is the following afternoon, so the swelling was coming down at this point. It could have been SO MUCH worse. It is not a fun scene to play over and over again in your mind. It was an event that makes you question your parenting...."if only we had made him stay in his seat until we were walking to the door"...."if only we had made him get out from under the table"....."if only..."

He's been a champ, and despite a late and traumatic night, he was ready for school the next morning. He (a little too proudly) told his classmates what happened. They seemed to agree that it was not a good idea. Hopefully he learned his lesson as he only gets to eat soft foods until those teeth tighten up again. Time for Chef Mommy to get creative (...since he doesn't like soup or mashed potatoes.)

Again, we feel blessed that it wasn't any worse. Thank you, Jesus! Seriously.

Jude News

Hard to believe that Baby Jude is 3 months old already. Thankfully this month didn't fly by as much as the first two. Maybe that is because, what I like the call "the newborn time-warp," seems to be over. The haze is lifting, and I'm beginning to feel more like myself again. I am accomplishing things around the house, and I feel like I've slipped into the rhythm of being a Mommy-of-2.

Jude, "The Dude", has lost his newborn (alien) look and is becoming a chunky monkey. He is transitioning out of his 0-3 month clothes and just started wearing size 2 diapers. He is growing up! Based on my own measurements at home, he has grown another inch or so and weighs about 14 lbs (according to Wii Fit, fully clothed.)

His reflux was under control with some low doses of Zantac, but I believe he is going through a growth spurt as the barfies have picked up again. I also think he is going through a growth spurt due to the fact that he * HAD * (key word here...) been giving us 5-7 hour stretches of sleep to start each night, some nights only getting up one time, but has had a couple nights waking up every 3 hours this week. Makes for a super tired Mommy. Ugh!

When he's tired, he loves the swing and the paci. His favorites lately are looking for the TV (he loves the flashes of lights and colors), watching big brother, finding Mommy's voice, dancing with Daddy, and playing with his hands. He is getting more and more control of those hands and loves to stick them in his mouth.

He found his toes the other day while sitting in the Bumbo. It was too cute watching his eyes light up at the sight of them. He has had little to no interest in toys until this past week. He will stare and swat at them a bit more now, and every once in a while, he is lucky to make some noise with them or land one in his mouth to gnaw on.

Last week he decided to explore rolling and goes from tummy to back...when he feels like it. Sometimes I think he forgets that he can. He is ready to move, always arching his back, attempting to scoot, and rolling off of our laps. Slow down, little one!

Jude is very vocal and friendly, mastering flirting early. He broadcasts his mood with his tongue (if it is out, he is incredibly happy!) and his arms. I can read him like a book....most of the time. Overall, he is content and a happy baby. One of my favorite things he does is pat and pet me while nursing or for comfort when I'm holding him. It makes my heart swell with all kinds of love.

Jude, you bring us incredible joy, and we love getting to know you more and more each day.

A Beautiful Day for a Picnic

I hear these words anytime the sky is blue and the temperatures are above freezing. Eli loves the idea of a picnic. We had a couple this week. One at the park on a day a bit too cold to be picnic-ing, but we did it anyways. Jude slept in the warmth of the car while Eli and I enjoyed our lunch in the chilly sun.

The sun was back out again yesterday, so Eli thought it was once again, "a beautiful day for a picnic." We packed up food and headed to the front yard with a blanket and the Bumbo for another fun lunch in the sun.

Don't picnic lunches somehow taste better than regular ones?

O Internet, How I Missed Thee!

In efforts to increase our internet speed, we changed providers at the first of the month. With rain, came a delay in the new hook up. Or maybe not...just some technical difficulties. Long story, shortened....10 days later, we are back online. Crazy how dependent we get on the internet. Or at least I am. I admit it, I'm a email-checkin'-blog-hoppin'-FB-usin'-aholic. At least I know it.

So here goes my effort to catch up on all that has been going on around here:

I rotate laundry weeks, and the last time it was Jude's laundry day, I discovered a science experiment in his hamper. Ewwwww!!!!

Lesson learned. Don't leave barfy clothes too long or they will mildew and mold. So gross! The entire morning and most of the afternoon was then spent on getting as many of these spots and stains out as possible. There went my day. And sadly, if it wasn't bleach-able, it was ruined. I tried a lot of different things and bleach was the only thing that worked. I boiled in color-safe bleach, I spot treated with diluted bleach, I oxy-cleaned, and I even used my go to stain remover: fels-naptha. And despite all my best efforts, I think 6 or 7 pieces from Jude's wardrobe had to be tossed. Boo. To top it off, the dryer decided to stop working in the middle of all of this laundry drama. It is the 3rd time in 2 years--2nd in just 3 months. Turns out we had been getting the wrong parts to fix it. Once Matt figured that out and got the right parts, we were back in the laundry business. {sarcastic} Wahoo! Well, I guess it is better than shelling out big $$ for a new dryer...or going to a laundromat.

Birthdays were celebrated! My dad and I celebrate birthday's 3 days apart from one another. I turned 35. Ouch. Don't know why that number is hurting my mind so much, but wrapping my head around the fact that I am rolling down the 30's to the 40's is messing with me. Holy guacamole.

Isn't he just the cutest present ever?!?! Love him and all of the chunky rolls he is getting these days. His presence (presents?) in my life...along with Eli....have caused quite a shift in thinking.

An Evolution of Birthdays: Growing up, birthdays were the best! Maybe it was coming from a big family, but I adored my birthday. It was all about me! Celebrate ME! Of course I loved the presents, but it was more than that. I got to pick the dinner and the cake. My opinions and voice was heard loudest of all. Being 1 of 6, I'm sure, made this a big deal. And then it was on to college where birthdays were still fun, but different. Friends and boyfriend (Matt) always did it up right for me. Married-life and working-life birthdays were also still fun. I counted down my birthday with my students every year. There was no chance the students could forget it was my day and that they better be sweet to me. After all, it was my day. Great, but still different. And now, birthdays with babies. Birthdays sneak up on me. No more counting down the days. Maybe it isn't the fact that I have children....maybe it is actually that I don't feel the need to celebrate such OLD ages (just kidding!) Life these days is all about taking care of my beautiful boys. My birthday is still a wonderful day, but it is different than when I was a kid. I feel differently about my day. It is a special day, and it is my day, but I feel more excited about my babies' birthdays than my own. A true evolution.

I couldn't have loved this year's birthday any more. It was a perfect day. Spent it with my boys and getting phone calls and messages from loved ones. And I felt special.

As mentioned, 3 days later, we celebrated Grandpa's birthday on what happened to also be Super Bowl Sunday. We did it up right, Pittsburgh-style, with Primanti Brothers sandwiches.

Yes, there are fries and slaw ON the sandwich!

Yummy! Too bad it didn't bring enough good luck to the Steelers for a victory, but it was still a fun game. The Steelers hung in there and kept coming back, but not enough to win.

Oh well. I still think not having Pouncey in there at center made the difference...and that he should have won Rookie of the Year. (Go Gators!)

The Super Bowl also marks the end of football season. A moment of silence, please.




I'm in mourning as the sporting world takes a major shift for me. March Madness is fun and all, but it isn't football. I skim through the Sports page a lot faster these days. I am a fan of baseball and hockey, but not the way I am with football. Oh football, how I will miss you. Until next season....

And that's all. Hope your February is off to a great start!