Easter Weekend 2014

The only thing on the required packing list

For two of the last three years we have hosted Easter in our home (and somehow I only have a post about the one from three years ago.  I'm going to have to go picture diving for last year's event...).  However this year, we set aside hosting duties to travel to Savannah to see one of our friends come into the Church at the Easter vigil.  It was really such a sacrifice on our part... to travel to beautiful Savannah and partake in the bountiful feast Easter party that our friend Thabo threw for her husband Chris (the newly confirmed).  We just suffered through.

The best shot we could get at the end of a very long day (before the Easter vigil).

In all seriousness...the rainy, dreary weather of Good Friday helped set the mood for our day of fasting and remembering that Christ had to die before he could resurrect.  And after more rain on Saturday, we were ready to celebrate our risen Lord.  Alleluia!

This smile didn't last for long friends.  

About half way through the readings Matthan decided he had had enough and melted down until he fell asleep on Tim's shoulder and slept the rest of the Mass.  We tried to get a family picture again following mass.

On Easter Sunday we hunted around the house for our Easter gifts.  The sunshine finally peaked through!  In the afternoon, we went to the Easter party and spent the rest of the day catching up with old friends.  

On Monday the weather was beautiful and we spent most of the day outside at the park. 

Great-Grandma Muriel and Matthan

Matthan walked and climbed most of the time.  And then he sat with me practicing drinking water from a cup.  What can I say, he's easily entertained.

Cousin Jo-Jo and Matthan

We watched "Uncle Tim" and Joey play football and fly a kite.

Joey

Aunt Penny and Joey

Grandma took time on her lunch break to come visit everyone.

Grandma Mary hugs

Matthan and Cousin Sophia (Fe-Fe)

And the girls skated on the sidewalk that runs along the edge of the park.

The skating girls - Ava (left) and Sophia (middle)

Part of Grandma Mary's Easter gift.

It was a wonderful Easter weekend.  He is risen!  Alleluia!

Happy Boy and Bunnies Who Eat My Garden - PHFR

We had a 100% chance of rain forecast on Tuesday and it didn't rain at all.  Since then the weather has been beautiful this week, and so I decided to mend my hermit-ish ways for the sake of Little Man and get him outside.  

{Pretty}

First time playing with a bucket in the sand

The Hubs and I worked in the yard last weekend and brought Matthan out with us.  Our yard does not drain well leaving a large mud puddle in the middle of the grass.  I thought Matthan might be squeamish about it.  He was not.  He crawled and walked, and pushed his "bike"  (red and yellow car in pic below) through the mud with no problem whatsoever.

Yesterday, I gave him a little watering can and a bucket of water.  Hello cheap entertainment.  He stayed fixed to that spot watering himself until the bucket ran dry.  

How to grow an adorable child - just add water 

{Happy}

Happiness is mommy's lap and bowl full of grapes

Give my child a new book and he is happy.  He likes cars and dogs so what could be better than "Go Dogs Go".  I am was going to put it into his Easter basket, still probably will, but I couldn't resist giving it to him early.  I read it to him, and then he read it to himself for a while.

For the boy who loves books so much, I figured going to the library would be super fun.  It was.  But he had no interest in the books.  He climbed around this amphitheater and walked up and down the aisles for a good portion of an hour.  Fine by me.  I sat there and read my gardening book.

{Real}

Speaking of gardening, we're attempting a vegetable garden again.  Bunnies are cute, I know.  But when I spotted them in my yard this week, I had several evil thoughts go through my head as to how to dispose of them.  Last year, they ate our garden... twice!  I've already put a lot of planning into this years garden, and me and Mr. Bunny are going to have to come to an agreement or I'm going to have to bop his Little Bunny Foo Foo-ness on the head.  I haven't ruled out some kind of fence but our garden is built into the hill and a fence would be a lot of work and money.  

On a sort of related note, as in vegetables... stick with me... The Hubs and I started a nutrition plan this week which includes no gluten, no dairy, no soy, no artificial sweeteners, no alcohol, and low added sugar.  We're trying to work out some health issues of mine, and see if they're food sensitive related.  Five days in and it's not horrible except right now I really really want a McDonald's fish sandwich and a donut.  The Hubs made me a nutrition plan approved chocolate treat so that I wouldn't feel so deprived.  That is love.  I know that there are a lot of food sensitive people out there so I might share some recipes.  Matthan approved of our quinoa spaghetti.  And once we figured out that he didn't like the "end" of the asparagus, he ate two large stocks.  

{Funny}

This is less "funny" and more "how to soothe an irritable child".  I think Little Man's teeth were bothering him the other day.  Whatever the reason, he woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  See Exhibit A.

However, I possess the great powers to make him smile.

But then he woke up from his nap inconsolable.  And I really needed to make dinner.  I gave him a dose of medicine and set him up in the kitchen with his Grandma-made fuzzy chair, fish "cwackuhs", and his "ying-ying" (blanket), so that he could watch me cook.  He stayed there until Daddy came home.

Hope all of you are well and blessed!  Now go check out Like Mother, Like Daughter to find other blog posts with the theme "Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real".  

7 Quick Takes: Picture Dumping and Exciting Lent Projects

Happy Friday everyone!  It's time for 7 Quick Takes!

--- 1 ---

I hope that your Lent is going well.  Have you seen my Lenten themed table?  It makes me happy.  It is the only clean room in the house at the moment, and it is a good reminder of the liturgical season.  I'm thinking about doing a post on the environment and our spiritual lives.

--- 2 ---

Speaking about posting...eckhmm...sorry for the lack thereof.  I haven't been feeling inspired lately.  Or if I do get inspired, the inspiration and memory of what I was going to post about gets pushed out of my brain by my child who has decided that ear piercing screams are the best way to communicate at the moment.  We're working on it.  The screaming.  And the posting.  Would you accept picture dumps without my prattling?  Would you tire of "look at my adorable child" picture only posts?

--- 3 ---

I'm not the only one that enjoys taking pictures of Matthan.  He has a fun time doing it too.  He loves to get his hands on my phone whenever I'm looking the other way.  He got ahold of it the other day and was on camera mode so I flipped the camera so he could see himself.  He took 71 pictures and videos.  This one was the only one where you can see more than his forehead.

Matthan selfie!

--- 4 ---

Matthan managed to mess with my settings which we discovered after we took this photo.

We finally managed to get a photo of me on my new bike (financed by some Christmas money,  Thanks Grandma!).  We've been going riding every chance the weather has given us.  Matthan loves it too.  He sits behind Tim, pats Tim on the back, and kicks Tim in the butt, and yells "Puppy!" at all the puppies we see at the park.

--- 5 ---

And in other super exciting news!  I cleaned our fridge!!!  And spared you the "before" picture.  I always loved how clean the fridge looked when we moved out of our various apartments, and always told myself that I should do it more regularly.  And now I remember why I don't do it more regularly.  It is really hard work to get everything out of the fridge and because I'm a little OCD and remove all of the shelves and drawers to scrub them down.  I also realized that I need to pay closer attention to expiration dates.  Building up immunity over at our house!

--- 6 ---

Matthan got a new car too!  He gets in it, shuts the door, and says "Bye bye" and repeats over and over and over.  He doesn't actually like to move in it yet.  He likes it to be wedged between the counter and the chair so that it doesn't roll as he crawls in and out.  Crazy child :)

--- 7 ---

And since my child seems to be going for a record of how long he can talk to himself before he takes a nap today, here is a picture of him napping.  So sweet.

Last weekend, the Hubs and I were busy working in the kitchen when I realized that we hadn't heard from Matthan in a while.  I looked into the living room and there he was, chilling on the floor with his tiny prayer book that he carries around.  A picture of contentment.

I think Matthan might be trying to grow up a little too fast.  He is already trying to fill Tim's shoes.

Have a happy Friday and a blessed weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Happy Feast of the Annunciation!

"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." ~ Luke 1:31

The Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis, 1712

The Feast of the Annunciation is probably my favorite mystery of the rosary.  Even before having my own son, and feeling life within me, The Annunciation always made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  But the feast, to me, always interrupts the flow of the liturgical seasons.  We are well on our way in our Lenten journey, turning into grouchy people for giving up carbohydrates, sweets, or coffee bringing our bodies and our spiritual lives into submission with our sacrifices, and now we're talking about Mary being pregnant... again?  Wasn't Christ just born, and didn't we just feast our way through Christmas?  

Ah, but I learned something recently.  The Feast of the Annunciation is on March 25th... nine months before Christmas... December 25th.  Just when I'm thinking somebody goofed and was trying to slip this feast in anywhere.  But, that still doesn't explain the interruption of our Lenten journey.  

There is usually warmth and excitement and joy surrounding a baby's coming.  The placement of the feast in the middle of Lent is a reminder of the clear purpose for Christ's coming.  Christ came to die.  For us. He was born in to human life to give us eternal life.  

It is for this reason, we remember, that we make our Lenten sacrifices.  To remind ourselves of Christ's sacrifice for us, and hopefully, give us a greater understanding of the love from which that sacrifice flowed.  His love for us gave His sacrifice purpose.  Is your Lenten sacrifice just a burden for you?  If so, might I suggest giving it a purpose?  If you gave up Starbucks, add up the money from all the times you would have gotten coffee and give it to a charity.  Or stick it in a mailbox of a family in need.  If you gave up chocolate, send it all to me.  If you gave up social media, go have face-to-face time with a family member or friend who needs a pick-me-up.  Or write a letter to cheer someone up.  

Our sacrifices help us say no to something, and it opens us up to saying "yes" to something that God has for us.  What does God want you to say "yes" to?

7 Quick Takes: Dear Mr. Exercise Instructor

{1}

I started the True Beginner workout program on dailyburn(dot)com a few days ago.  I like it for several reasons, one being that they have "real" people in the videos.  By real,  I mean there is a 300 pound guy, a 200 pound woman, and a 55 year old woman doing the workout behind the instructor.  It gives you a "we're in this together" kind of feeling.  However, I've considered writing the instructor a letter.  It would read something like this:

Dear Mr. Exercise Instructor,
I'm thoroughly enjoying my prescribed workout program.  However, I think that the videos are a bit unrealistic, and I was wondering where I might purchase the real life workout videos.  You know, where the yoga mat is encircled with toys and books, and where there is a kid climbing on top of you every time you sit on your mat, and sticking his head between your legs when you stand, and throwing balls at you.  A video where the view from your yoga mat is not a finely toned hottie, but rather this - 

I also think that you're doing "child's pose" incorrectly.  The correct pose is as you show it, but with the addition of an actual child sitting on your head.  These additions to your videos would increase your audience, I believe, as this is how real people work out.  

Sincerely,
The mom who will strive to accomplish her daily workout during nap time from now on

{2 and 3-7} 

If Matthan had a theme song for his life, "Happy" from Despicable Me 2 would be it.  

I now play it almost daily and dance around with him.  It beats a bad mood any day.  Hope your week was filled with happiness.

Go check out Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes posts.