Picture Day!

Today is a momentous day in G-Ville--MG is getting her baby photos taken!

For the first two boys, we were much better--a lot better, getting shots every 3 months. With J, though, the floor fell out from under us. Alas, we've attempted to hold on to at least one of the first year photo sessions-- the one between 8 and 9 months, with one particular shot taking the cake as our favorite. So far, we have these three little fellas...

"Phew" man, as we like to call him. You can see he was the peanut of the bunch (he was born at 36 weeks and yet at 6 years, still remains on the peanut-y side compared to his brothers--you better believe they won't let him forget it when he's older! :)

Our sweet "Uncle Fester" T, who had no hair for quite some time. He was all cheeks and smiles. Definitely a photogenic baby.

And then there was strapping J, our tallest, most solid little fella, with a sweet smile and gentle disposition. He will one day be G-Ville's gentlest giant.

We're hoping to add today a sweet little lady to round out the bunch and complete the fearsome foursome. GG and I plan to arrange the framed 8 x 10's side by side in our bedroom with a thin black frame and white matting. Can't wait. Most of me is merely thrilled to follow through on a project that's been 6 years in the making. Check that baby off our lists! We're not done yet--ask me how its going until you see the frames on our wall. Getting them up and coordinated will be the true accomplishment.

Baby steps. TGIF and blessings,

What We Got

The weekend was stupendous, amazing, outstanding!

Here's the G-Ville report at week's beginning...

Our feaster, extraordinaire (and her sneaky pup, lower left)

1. Grab 'n go Lady

Little MG is perfecting her self-feeding and can now eat cheerios and puffs with ease. Steamed cut up carrots were less successful (she was tired) and spinach ravioli was even worse. So far it seems like we might have a "skeptical" eater (I didn't say picky!) on our hands. She's so curious about everything, but more excited to examine food than eat it. Add to her list of soft faves, YOGURT! She's been inhaling the Trader.Joe's vanilla and loving it. There's only so much you can try with two teeth. The upper ones are looking to make an appearance soon.

2. Papa's turning 36! (or was that 63? We're having trouble remembering... ;)

We celebrated Papa's grand birthday on Saturday, complete with lunch at Red Robin and birthday bash back at Mimi and Papa's. It was a fun celebration. The boys' cards were a hit as were a framed pic of Papa and M from Maine and a book about Israel. M threw in an additional gift back at their house--a dance to "Texas Road", a song he made up with a mixture of beat boxing and humming--pretty darn good! There's no doubt our #1 (and his trusty sidekick, J) love to perform. T would rather sit back and take it all in (though he did practice for the event the night before... :)

3. GG gears up for Shamrock!

With T minus 6 days to go until his half marathan, GG is gearing up for an awesome race. Completing the challenge is his goal. The whole crew and I will be heading east with him for the race. Read: pray for GG's sleep the night before--ha! :) We have a two-room suite and are hoping we can all settle the night before. Our hotel is really close to the halfway mark of the race so the kiddos and I plan to hit the pavement at 7am and be there to cheer for Daddy and friend, Bryce! Can't wait. There's no question it will be an adventure! We're hoping for a nice getaway. Weather reports indicate 55F and sunny for race day. Sounds like *perfect* race weather to me!! GO GG!!

God bless you today in all you do.

Prayers,

Rain or Shine

Good morning, friends.

Friday it is. Happy Friday!

While sad in many ways, our week is coming to a close with a lot of goodness, thanks be to God! We are well--the sun is shining, buds are poking out of the ground, the baby is smiling (mostly), and the house is clean. Can I get another Amen?! Thank you, Lord.

Our week has been truly cleansing. Dealing with Lewis' death has given way to lots of prayer, which is always a wonderful outcome. We have proceeded into Lent. Ash Wednesday, while usually pretty grim for me, was actually a fantastic day of discipline, order, and goodness within our family. The younger three and I attended a prayer service, all of us began our Jesus tree, and we started a kindness jar (thanks for the inspiration, Queen B!) The older boys also attended a later Mass with GG. I got the time wrong and ended up being a half hour early, which translated into a half hour of playtime for all the kids on the church playground = awesomeness. It was fantastic! To top it off, I had a burst of energy around 9:30pm and ran 5 miles around our neighborhood in the rain. Don't ask me what came over me, but I just had to do it. Custer and I found a half mile loop and did it 10 times (or at least I did. The pooch petered after lap 4! :) Rainy runs are zen for me.

The day really couldn't have gone better. God reached down to soothe my soul a bit. Thank you, dear Lord!

As the week is coming to a close, we are slowly triumphing over a respiratory bug that has had us all in its grasp for the past two weeks. M now has it and we just learned Papa has fallen victim (on the eve of his birthday--sorry Papa!) The rest of us are emerging, though, so we can now better care for the sick.

The weather reports are claiming 60 degrees and sunshine for the next two days. I am praying the weekend provides continued rejuvenation.

I'll pray for a little of sunshine in your world too.

God bless,

Struggling Tonight

I'm struggling tonight...

We found out today of the death of a friend of ours from Princeton. Lewis was a great person, a loving friend, an all-around happy, smiley, likable guy who could warm any heart. It had been awhile since we talked, yet part of me feels like the world is a little dimmer without his gentle soul out there, making its own delicate impact. He was the definition of a "good guy" in my book.

Death is a hard truth that awakens in me many fears of things I cannot control. I begin to go down the list of people I would be devastated to lose and then think about how their lives might continue if I were gone. It can be fine if I stop there, but I usually don't and my thoughts travel to other worries which turn into anxieties and what-if's. That's when I have to ask the Big Guy to just take it all away. Such is the case tonight.

The most awful twist in this whole scenario is that Lewis was struck by a car while walking outside a restaurant in Vail, CO. The guilty party: a 29yo guy, who's being charged with a DUI. It is so unfair. I feel anger, resentment. Yet I pity the man who has to live his life knowing he took the life of another due to his carelessness.

Lord, have mercy on my friend, Lewis.

Bring comfort to his family.

Offer peace to my soul.

Hug the ones you love tonight,

Pancake Morning

If you live in G-Ville, there's no better way to start off a weekend than by consuming vast quantities of pancakes...

The whole crew this morning

Can I help wanting to elicit smiles like these?

Or happy babies like this one? MG enjoyed her first round of pancakes.

Carried to her mouth with a fledgling pincer grasp... and much determination and concentration!

And a little help from her brothers. Too cute!

After another sickly week, we're hoping this weekend is just the ticket to health and good standing. Thanks be to God for weekends!

Blessings to you from G-Ville,

When a mama falls asleep at 8:30pm...

...she awakens with an unusual spring in her step... at 5:20am!

...she feels fresh; she feels unusually good; she wonders what alien has taken over her body!

...she has to tiptoe around the house so as not to arouse all the sleeping lions.

...she beats the baby to the milk line.

...she gets to wrestle with the kiddos and Daddy in bed (because there's actually time to spare!)

...she gets to be The Claw, The Clothinator, and then The Chasinator (coined by T) to get boys ready for the day.

...she greets her day, rather than the day greeting her; she participates, rather than passively watching.

...she thanks God for sleep.

Can I get an amen?!

Checking Things Off the List

A virtual pat on the back to me:

I have just finished entering updated Christmas card addresses into our computer address book.

Umm... hello, B-mama?!

It's March, for crying out loud!

That should tell you something about my life right now!

Cheers to getting with it, :)