Mama-luia

I think it's in the Introduction to the Devout Life that St. Francis de Sales encourages couples to celebrate their wedding anniversaries by assisting at Mass, and receiving Holy Communion. The day before our wedding, a priest friend of ours told us, "from now on, every Communion you receive will be saying 'amen' once again to your wedding vows." So, being that today is our third anniversary, we took both boys to our parish for Mass. It's at 7pm, which is normally Noah's bed time, but I figured keeping him up about thirty minutes late would be alright. He's stayed up later than that simply so we could eat dinner with my parents in town. Well Noah was very, how-you-say, two at Mass today. Patrick had to remove him from the chapel and pace around at the entrance because he was shouting and laughing and had been running around while we tried to hold him back. Meanwhile, Isaiah wailed in my arms. I took him out too. While we stood the...

It's almost time to get the supper on, I say to myself. (Yes, the rhythm of my days is very much dictated not only by what time we eat, but also what time I begin to prepare our next meal or snack.) But being the organized housewife I am, I recall that I have a batch of spaghetti sauce and leftover salad in the fridge. Hmm, this frees up a few extra minutes! Why not call my mom and see how her day was? We talk for about twenty minutes. Baby is asleep in his bouncy seat, toddler is playing peacefully in the next room. I'm feeling pretty great about life. It's time to get off the phone, heat up the sauce and boil the pasta. I go to the fridge only to discover... there is no sauce there. It's in the freezer! How could I have forgotten to take it out of the freezer? I quickly decide to mince some garlic and saute it. With olive oil and lemon juice, it makes decent accompaniment to pasta, although not nearly as filling and enjoyable as meaty spaghetti sauce. ...

Sometimes, kids need time just to be. No appointments, no 'playdates', no scheduled activities or long drives in the car. Sometimes, kids need just to be outside. Immediately after breakfast, Noah said "I play outside! I play outside!" and I thought, yes, let's go for it! After forty days and nights of rain (or thereabouts) and a joyful, but exhausting, weekend preparing for and celebrating Isaiah's baptism, I agreed with Noah that we all deserved some peaceful time in the great outdoors. I love that in the few hours we played in the yard, we managed to draw with chalk, wildcraft clover blossoms ("mmm, clo-der, EAT!"), spot an airplane to much excitement, study some slugs and wood bugs, and carry wood from the woodpile into a little red wagon. Such simple pleasures, and such joys to not only Noah, but me as well. How nice it is to give myself permission to slow down, enjoy the fresh air, and actua...

The gown. Now worn by two Craine boys The proud papa (on Father's Day no less) getting ready to do the last minute ironing The Mommy. Always with the crooked smile, always (or so it seems) with the baby in the sling The proud big brother Isaiah, newly full of grace Our wonderful priest, Isaiah's amazing godparents (and their adorable son!) and us * What a wonderful day for our family yesterday! We witnessed our youngest son enter the Church and we couldn't have asked for a better day. A wonderful Mass The company of so many friends and family, who made the long trek in the early morning hours! A moving homily, where Fr. Toochukwu brought tears to my eyes. (He noted it was Father's Day and pointed out what a wonderful example Patrick is as a father. He spoke of seeing us leave the chapel one weekday after Mass, and Patrick genuflected before the Tabernacle and innocent little Noah knelt down too.) A crowde...

This past Wednesday was the memorial of Our Lady of Combermere. She's the photo you see as the header on my blog. She's been watching over me eversince I went to Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy . She is the most unusual representation of Our Lady I have ever seen. She's not standing passively and praying. Rather, she's running -- to embrace her children, us. I have been so drawn to this title of Our Lady since I became a wife and mother. I envision Our Lady of Combermere to be so practical. She doesn't have a huge budget. She hardly has any money at all. But she is so grateful to St. Joseph for the hard work he does to provide for her and her Child. So she makes do with what she has, she doesn't grumble, she works hard, and she does this all in a spirit of prayer and thanksgiving. Just exactly what I would like to be for my husband and children. I am so indebted to Madonna House to introducing me to Our Lady in this special title. I am also so grateful to Cath...

{pretty} Okay, so I am tooting my own horn here, and I know it's not a work of ART, but it is a work of love. This is a cake I made for my eldest son, Noah (it still shocks me to say "eldest", given that his brother isn't even one month old yet). Today is the anniversary of his baptism, and he's really fascinated by baptisms lately, especially after attending his cousin's last week. In fact, he keeps asking if he can be baptized, particularly whenever we mention our baby's upcoming baptism. Um... sorry, sweetheart, you already are . So I thought making him a cake in honour of his anniversary would cheer him up and help him celebrate the excitement of having already been baptized. It's rather cheerful, don't you think? {happy} Noah learning how to hammer an actual nail, while being supervised by my father, who's building doors on my husband's soon-to-be office. I love seeing how sweet my dad is with his grandchildren, even when he teaches ...

This is a very quick update because I am so immersed in the haze of sleep deprivation, baby brain and laundry that I know I can't make articulate sentences (for proof, see my last post. Yikes.... you'd never guess what my last paid employment was after seeing that). Isaiah is doing very well. He is gaining quickly, doc is impressed, she's off my back now. Whew. That, and his lovely godparents made me a WHOLE blueberry coffee cake (which I've already eaten...) and loaned me Dr. Jack Newman's book to debunk the doc. I didn't need to bust it out, but I felt better knowing I wasn't 'failing' at breastfeeding both by reading him and having her give me the thumbs up. Now back to my regularly scheduled program of laundry. Two kids in cloth diapers? I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.