A Real Life Fairy Tale

Have you caught Royal Wedding Fever?  I didn't think I would, but after watching a couple of TLC documentaries about Prince William and Kate Middleton, I really sort of got into it.  It's all so romantic, really - small town girl meets Prince, he sweeps her off her feet and makes her his princess.  Last night, Ryan and I gave ourselves a crash course in the British Monarchy by doing some internet research (okay, well admittedly, he did research while I watched an E! program about the wedding) and then we had fun speculating about royal life, and imagining how awesome it would be to get invited to the reception.  Although I didn't wake up at 5 a.m. to watch the wedding (though I kind of wish I had), I was up in time to see the newlyweds appear on the balcony and kiss (twice!).  They are such a beautiful couple, and Kate's just dress blew me away.

Today at preschool we are celebrating the big occasion with Prince and Princess Day.  I can't wait to see my little munchkins decked out in their fairy-tale finest!

And lastly... we lived in England when I was 5.  What if we had stayed?  It's not like millions of other girls aren't thinking the same thing or anything, but seriously.  That could have been me.

Feast Day of St. Gianna

Happy Feast Day of one of my all time favorite saints, St. Gianna Beretta Molla.

Her life inspires me to be a better wife, mother, and teacher.  St. Gianna, pray for us!

Random Musings

It is a rainy, dark day outside...and to be honest, I am kind of enjoying it.  I went to the dentist this morning to get two cavities filled (half my mouth is numb - yuck!) and dropped Lucy off at the sitter's early, so I have a little while before I need to be at work.  Just long enough to grab a cup of coffee to write a blog post. :)

Okay, I really want to solve this mystery:  Who is the anonymous gift-giver who sent Lucy the glockenspiel from her Amazon Wish List???  I know you are out there - please let me know who you are!  Or if you wish to remain anonymous, Lucy and I thank you very much for the early birthday gift!  I am waiting until her birthday to give it to her, and she loves music so I know she will enjoy it. :)

Lucy, Ryan, and I had a quiet but joyful Easter spent going to Mass at our church this morning, then visiting with Ryan's parents for Easter dinner - a nontraditional but oh-so-delicious chicken parmesan, followed by lemon cream pie. Yum!!  Lucy was not quite herself, I think from having her nap schedule thrown off a little, and also she's fighting a little cold.  We tried to get pictures in her Easter dress but they didn't turn out too well.  And then, I left my camera at Ryan's parents', so I can't upload anything until next week...stay tuned!

Better get going... I hope this novacaine wears off soon so I can actually eat lunch!!

Happy Easter, again!

Alleluia!

A stone rolled away.

A perplexed Mary, quick to jump to conclusions ("They have taken the Lord out of the tomb!")

Anxious disciples, running.

Linen cloths, cast aside.

An empty tomb.

Shock, confusion, and... faith.

Jesus is Risen!  He is Risen, indeed!  Happy Easter!!


Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly king, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured; Alleluia!
Now above the sky he’s king, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
Praise eternal as his love; Alleluia!
Praise him, all you heavenly host, Alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!

7 Quick Takes: Good Friday Edition

1.  Take a moment to read this short but inspiring reflection by one of my favorite bloggers, Danielle Bean.  I know, for my part, I have not done enough reflecting this Lent; the days seem to have flown by, and I find myself almost surprised that today is already Good Friday.  Do we recognize Jesus hanging among us, not only today but everyday?

2.  Ryan and I will be carrying on our Good Friday tradition of making pretzels for supper tonight.  According to history, pretzels were invented by monks (some say Italian, others French) as a reward to young children for learning their prayers, hence their twisted shape which resembles arms folded in prayer.  They are also a traditional Lenten food because they can be made simply without any dairy products.  They are also very popular in Germany, and we both have German heritage... so there you go!  (Not to mention, they taste amazing, and this recipe from Alton Brown is SO tasty it almost feels indulgent rather than sacrificial.)

3.  I am also planning to attend the Good Friday Prayer Vigil outside a local Planned Parenthood in St. Paul.  It is raining; I was going to take Lucy, but may leave her with Ryan while she naps this afternoon.  I've gone the past 3 or 4 years, and am always calmed and inspired by the sense of peace, prayerfulness and joy in the crowd.  There is no anger, no shouting, no fear, no hatred.  Only love, prayer, sadness, and quiet pleas to our Savior that women will be healed, and the most hidden of all human beings will be given a chance to live.

4.  This one needs no explanation. :)

5.  We are going to Texas the week after Lucy's birthday (my baby is going to turn one?!  That's for another post...) and I am close to dreading the 2.5 hour plane ride there and back.  This child can not sit still.  For ten minutes, let alone several hours.  At this age, she is too old to sit in my lap and sleep, and too young to be entertained by movies or long stories.  So I've been brainstorming several ideas for keeping her at least somewhat occupied in close quarters.  One, of course, is food.  I think that will last awhile, at least...oh, maybe 20 or 30 minutes.  A friend recommended sticker books, and a website suggested painter's tape or masking tape (anything that peels and sticks could be rather entertaining).  I got some jumbo crayons but I am not convinced she's ready for even scribbling just yet.

Any other ideas???

6.  Happy Earth Day!

"Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle. In many parts of the world society is given to instant gratification and consumerism while remaining indifferent to the damage which these cause... If an appreciation of the value of the human person and of human life is lacking, we will also lose interest in others and in the earth itself. Simplicity, moderation and discipline, as well as a spirit of sacrifice, must become a part of everyday life, lest all suffer the negative consequences of the careless habits of a few."  --John Paul II

I am challenged by JP2's words, and also find them in keeping with Lent/Good Friday... how much have I strived to live a more simple life; to be more disciplined and sacrificial in my day-to-day life?  What happens to our Earth when we live as though resources are endless; as though we can consume and throw away to our hearts' content without any consequence for the future - for our children's, and children's children's, futures?  

6.  I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle for the 3rd time (you need to read this book!!) and yet again, I am inspired to become an organic, crunchy, local-food-eating, garden growing, cloth diapering, modern hippie.  Of course, I love her ideas and her ideals and the way she actually LIVES them out, but I know myself too well and know that I can't completely live that lifestyle.  Ryan makes fun of me because I always talk about "going green", but I do very non-green things like eating hot pockets (how much fossil fuel is consumed in packaging those?) and buying canvas grocery bags but always leaving them at home.  Okay, so I need to work on things... making little changes, rather than being overwhelmed by trying to do everything at once and then burning out.

(and one more...because Lucy is taking a very long nap. :) )

8.  On the "green" theme, I have actually been considering switching Lucy to cloth diapers, but still have a lot of hesitations. (Namely, her diapers can be extremely...well...messy.)  I love the idea of cloth, and there are so many great diapers on the market now, but will I have time to wash every day or every other day (at least)?  Or should I go with a diaper service? (but then can't use the super cute BumGenius diapers or others like them).  And is the investment worth it now that's she already a year old?  Things I'm pondering...

So Sweet

For the past week or two, Lucy has been giving "hugs" to stuffed animals and blankets by laying her face on them.  It is SOOOO sweet, and I can't help but to "awww" over it, which of course is the reason she keeps on doing it. :)  I will tell her to give something a "hug" and she does it.  Here's a short video - the quality's not the greatest (it was evening and we only had the lamp on) but you get the idea.

Bubbles!

This afternoon, Lucy sat quietly in Daddy's lap for a good ten minutes, watching him blow bubbles.  (Now if only we could bring them on the plane with us when we travel in May...)

Spring

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.  

~William Shakespeare

One of the best parts of my job is getting to spend time outside with the children.  The weather this past week has been blissfully warm and sunny, and we've enjoyed extra time soaking up the sun after being cooped up indoors for most of the winter.  This picture was taken last week, when we spent a whole hour an half on the playground!  It was still a bit chilly and mud puddle-y then, but this week the coats and even the boots have been put away.  We are loving it!!

Lucy and Mary

On Sunday evening, we visited our good friends (whom we don't see nearly often enough!) Greg and Kate, and their beautiful daughter Mary, who is just a little older than Lucy.  We had a great time catching up over dinner and letting the girls play.  The window ledge was the perfect height for some side-by-side exploration.

New Stroller!

Thank you so much, Mimi, for my new green umbrella stroller.  I love riding in it, and Mommy loves pushing me in it!  We had our first walk of spring on Friday, and here I am getting ready to stroll. :)

Playing "Together"

Last weekend, we went out to brunch with our good friends and their little girl, Addie.  Near the end of the meal, we let them "play" together with spoons (or one spoon in this case).  As you can see, they are not quite at the stage of being able to share or play together.  (And Lucy was clearly tired and ready for a nap...)

7 Quick Takes

1.  Lucy and I walked to Dunn Bros. (coffee shop) for the first time this season.  HOORAY!!!  I think (I hope, I hope, I hope) I can say that spring has officially sprung.

2.  In not-so-great news, Lucy had a some sort of weird stomach virus last night.  She threw up shortly before I picked her up from daycare, but was acting completely happy and her normal self.  So I took her home, we played for awhile, and I thought I'd try giving her another bottle; half an hour later she threw that up, too.  Her caregiver said that the other little girl she watches had also been sick, puking all night, but no other symptoms....so Lucy must have picked up the same thing.  THANKFULLY she only threw up the two times, and slept all night long.  This morning she's been a little clingy and lethargic, but otherwise seems to be fine.  Knock on wood, we made it through her first stomach illness... 

3.  I hope you have been watching this show!!  We have.  The winner will have restaurants in three "coveted" locations across the U.S.:  LA, NYC, and... Minneapolis.  (Didn't you know we are one of the three most coveted cities in the entire country?  Of course you did.)  It will be at the Mall of America, I'm sure; where else?  If you haven't been watching, start now...you can watch episodes on the website, or On Demand if you have it.

4.  I am pulling for this guy. (See #3).  I really, really, really hope he wins!!!  In fact, I am craving his food right now.

5.  Yesterday, Lucy said "Mama".  She said it when I came in the door after getting home from work and was playing with Ryan in the other room, so I'm pretty sure it was directed toward me.  I'm not really counting it as her first "official" word, though, because she's been babbling "mama" and "dada" and other variations for quite awhile, and they still aren't always directed towards me or Ryan.  I think I will wait for a word other than those two to write down in the baby book as her first word.

6.  I just finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.  Fabulous book!!!  The protagonist is an autistic teenager who sets out to solve a neighborhood mystery and decides to write a book about it.  When I first started reading, I thought the author himself was autistic and it was his story (like Born On a Blue Day, another excellent read).  It is SO believable, and artistically written - ironically, you end up feeling so much emotion and connection to this autistic man, who writes so matter-of-factly.  It's also short and very easy to read in little snippets, for you other busy moms out there. :)

7.  Lastly, I'll leave you with this picture:  A Little Girl With a  Little Curl.  

(I was finally able to get her hair into a ponytail.  But only for a short while...I like her hair down; it's getting longer, and I think it's adorable just the way it is.) :)

Bath Time!

When Lucy was a newborn, she hated baths, especially getting her hair washed.  She would skeptically allow you to put her in the tub and wash her, but as soon as you got her hair wet she'd wail like you were torturing her.  Now that she can sit up well on her own and play with toys, she's come to really enjoy her bath time!

And I had to include this picture:  We told Lucy to "smile for the camera!", and she did.  This is the first time I've seen her do a fake smile...and I'm sure it won't be the last! lol