Happy Easter! He Is Risen!

(We never did get a good picture of Brian, as he was a bit fussy on Easter!)

Wishing you all a Happy and Blessed Easter!! This was a particularly special Easter for me. My good friend and neighbor, Kerry, has spent the last six months preparing to join the Catholic church, and I was honored to act as her sponsor. Last night, at an absolutely beautiful Easter Vigil Mass, she and three other adults were welcomed into the Church.

Kerry's dedication has been inspiring to watch. Because her husband works on Sunday mornings, she has made this weekly journey with three little ones by her side, faithfully attending Mass and weekly meetings while battling occasional tantrums and toddler tears. While most people would shy away from such a challenge, she embraced it in a way that was truly amazing to watch. And so, last night, it was an incredible experience to stand by her side as she began her life as a member of the Catholic church. It was beautiful, emotional, and simply the culmination of months of learning and praying. In this sometimes-troubled time in the Church, it was so incredible to see these four adults choosing to become a part of our Faith, a Faith that is so important to me and to my family. Congratulations, Kerry!

As an added bonus, I now have some quiet, peaceful time alone with Brian, while Dan is at Church with the three girls! We decided that pacing in the back of the church with a fussy baby was not too appealing, so here I am, enjoying some quality Easter morning time with my little "Bri-guy".

Of course, the Easter bunny hopped through our house last night, and now our living room is strewn with pink and purple Easter grass, candy wrappers, and plastic eggs. The sugar-high crash won't be pretty, but it has been so fun to watch them enjoying their Easter basket surprises!

Tomorrow morning I start my new job (a bit daunting, with a baby that is not-such-a-good-sleeper)! My posts here may be few and far between this week as I go through my orientation at the new nursing home, but I will try to write soon! Meanwhile, if you start to miss my updates, enjoy watching Brian's "rolling over" video once again. It's truly thrilling...

Holy Saturday

The girls spent the afternoon coloring Easter eggs! As promised, here are some action shots...

New Technology

We finally bought a video-recorder, so this is my "test run". I realize that "Brian rolling over" is not the most thrilling movie for all of you to sit through, but once I get the hang of this new technology, I'll try to tape something that will keep you on the edge of your seats! (Possibly something like "Erin doing forward rolls")...

Good Friday

This morning the kids and I are off to a local shrine, to walk through the outdoor Stations Of The Cross. It's amazing to me how even 4 and 6 year olds can be so reverent and understanding of the season of Lent, and particularly of Good Friday, if you simply take the time to explain things in simple terms. The girls have given up dessert two times a week as their Lenten Sacrifice, and Beth has learned so much in school about Holy Week, which she in turn explains to Amy. I'm proud of them all, and it definitely makes Easter Sunday much more meaningful for the girls.

Of course, the Easter Bunny is still quite a priority around here, and they are looking forward to decorating eggs tomorrow afternoon! I'll try to post some pictures of their decorating endeavors.

Wearin' O' The Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day, from my three Irish Girls...and my little Irish boy, too.

(Thanks to Grandma and Pop for the festive outfits!)

Guess Who's Coming To Our House Tonight?!!

That's right...The Tooth Fairy!!! Yeah Beth!

Still Fighting

this nasty bug. I promise to post as soon as I can hold my head up...and keep the fevers down.

Role Reversal

Yesterday morning I awoke feeling a bit "off". My throat hurt and I felt congested, but the morning routine called, so I set out getting everyone washed, dressed and fed. I readied all the backpacks, and we headed out for the morning drop-off. After seeing Beth safely onto her bus, we headed for Amy's preschool. While waiting for the school doors to open, I began feeling somewhat chilled. By the time I kissed Amy good-bye I had a cracking headache. And by the time we arrived home ten minutes later, I felt violently ill.

I called Dan and begged him to come home, and he promised to pick up Amy at 11:15 and then head home to stay with the kids. Within half an hour, I had a 103 degree fever, hacking cough, and began vomiting. I put Brian into his swing, and luckily he fell asleep. Erin was in tears because we couldn't go to story-hour, but when I curled up on the couch in a feverish haze, she stopped crying and sprang into action.

My two-year-old cherub ran to the kitchen cabinet and found the bucket that we use for stomach bugs. "Mama, here's the spitsie bucket", she cried, handing the tupperware container to me. "Now, let me get you a blanket". She hustled about the house finding things to keep me comfortable, and then sat next to me on the couch, sucking her fingers. Every few minutes she'd look over at me and say, "Cose you eyes, Mama. Just cose you eyes and sleep. I'll watch Brian".

After a while, as I felt sicker and sicker, I decided to put Brian into his crib, and I headed up to bed. I brought Erin with me, and she ran around opening bureau drawers. "Where is you pajamas, Mommy? Let me get you pajamas". Then she sat on the edge of my bed, quietly looking at picture books, until Dan arrived. She was so proud to inform him that she "took good care of Mommy". And really, she did. I'm so proud that my toddler showed so much more empathy and understanding then I ever could have imagined possible at her age. Thanks, little Erin. Hopefully I'll be back on my feet again soon, so I can take care of you.

Technical Difficulties

Next time I host a playgroup for toddlers at my house, I'll remember to keep a close eye on my computer. Then I won't have to spend a week off-line, unable to post on my blog, because one of my little guests enjoyed turning my computer off..and on...and off...and on.

I finally managed to get things up and running tonight, so I'll write a real post soon.

Pretty Clothes

Last August, when Erin turned two, she received a birthday present from Uncle Tom and Aunt Audrey. It was an adorable, pink-striped outfit, and it caught Erin's eye immediately.

"Ohhh", she breathed. "Pretty clothes!" After years of hand-me-downs, Erin was thrilled.

Since then, Erin has worn this outfit at every possible moment. The minute it comes out of the dryer, she strips out of her back-up clothes and grabs the pink dress. "My pretty clothes! My pretty clothes!", she cries with glee. Many a morning has been spent with Erin in tears because the outfit is not ready to be worn, and I'm sure that some parents in town must think that my poor child only owns one set of clothing, because she is rarely seen wearing anything else.

Back in September, when she first put the outfit on, the pants were quite baggy, and the dress was somewhat long. But yesterday, I noticed that the pants are actually starting to "just fit". After hundreds of wearings, I fear that the reign of the "pretty clothes" will soon draw to an end. And although there were times that I was very tired of Erin's stubborn refusal to wear any of her other dresses, I feel a tiny bit of sadness at the thought of her outgrowing the "pretty clothes".

Remarkably, the outfit is still in good condition, so I will probably put it into a bag soon, along with other size 3T winter clothes. And someday, when I pull it out of the bag during a sorting frenzy, I will remember this long, cold winter. I'll remember these few months when Erin changed from a toddler into a little girl, with blond pig-tails and a broken-tooth smile. And I'll thank God for the gift of Erin...and for the birthday gift that made her so happy.

Snip, Snip

All of my girls were almost completely bald at birth, and Erin and Amy didn't have much more than peach fuzz by 18 months old. However, in one of life's little ironies, Brian was born with a large shock of black hair. Everyone assured us that it would fall out, but it never did. Instead, it grew and grew, and today we decided that he needed his first haircut. I'm not sure that a barber would have appreciated having a three month old in his chair, so Dan attempted a home-haircut, and it actually came out quite adorable.

Not to be outdone by her baby brother, Erin requested to have her first haircut today, too. She's two-and-a-half now, and finally has enough hair to have a trim. So, Erin and I went off for an afternoon alone together, and above you can see the "before" picture (looking quite petrified, I think) and the "after" photos (appearing very relieved that it was all over).

I learned something new about Erin while we spent time without the other girls. I discovered that she is very L-O-U-D. I'm embarrassed to admit that I never noticed this before, but she must just blend in with our crowd. However, without the background din, her voice boomed through the hair salon.

"LOOK, MOMMY. THEY HAVE HAIR RIBBONS HERE. CAN WE GET ONE?"

And a few minutes later...

"MOMMY, I DON'T LIKE THAT BOY'S HAIRCUT AT ALL. DON'T LET THAT LADY CUT MY HAIR, OKAY?"

I spent the early part of the afternoon constantly repeating, "Shhhh, Erin", but finally I gave up. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, and Erin has clearly learned that volume is necessary in her world. So tonight, my ears may be ringing, but little Erin went to bed with an ear-to-ear smile...and tiny pig-tails, too.