Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Bona Fide Crawl

This definitely looks like crawling to me!

Don't mind the A-Team music playing in the background...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Little Artists

Yesterday, Rafa & Gab were in the mood to paint. And of course, I grabbed my camera.





Meanwhile, Micaela continued to prove she is the happiest baby in town!





Monday, May 24, 2010

Sunday is our fun day

It’s funny when you’ve done so much one day, that the next day almost seems to stop! Yesterday was pretty low key – not that I’m complaining. We all hung around, and the kiddos got into the wading pool to cool down!

It was fun just to be home together.




















Sunday, May 23, 2010

Where did the week go?

What a week. There’s a saying we like that goes – “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” We had a lot of plans for this past week, but I don’t even know what finally became of a lot of them. Monday seemed a little warm to us. And then we noticed it didn’t get any cooler when we turned the A/C colder. Does anyone know what an A/C compressor coil is? We know now, and I can tell you that it ain’t cheap! Didn’t plan on that one. At least we got a nice little hand written note from the A/C company later in the week thanking us for our business. That was a first.

Yesterday, we took part in the parish wide rummage sale at St. Catherine’s. That was also a first and it was pretty fun! We had a lot of stuff that we didn’t use anymore and figured it was time for some spring cleaning. It was fun! Geneva and I even made some cupcakes to help draw some potential buyers – and it worked! We got a lot of traffic and it was fortunately a success. Although we hadn’t intended to actually make any money off the cupcakes, we definitely took a loss in that department. As you’ll see below, between Rafa & Gabriela sneaking off with a cupcake every now and then, Gabriela was spotted making off with some change and putting it in her pockets. Too funny. She really just loves to put things in pockets. And now that she’s seen Napoleon Dynamite, she also likes to put tater tots in her pockets too. I’ll send you a picture of that sometime too.

All in all it was a really fun day. We got to talk to some friends while we waited and the kids all got to hang around with other kids and just goof around. It was fun.

Here's Rafa taking cupcake #2 or 3.

They seemed very pleased with themselves.

Here, Gabriela found some cupcake change.
And is trying to put it in her pockets before anyone notices...

Me and Micaela hanging out.
And Geneva just hanging out too!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Just a Typical Monday

To the family is entrusted the task of striving, first and foremost, to unleash the forces of good...
- Pope John Paul II

After a nice and quiet weekend, we started out to a typical Monday. I carried the video camera with me some of the day, just so you could see what’s going on. Frankie has been busily working on the textbook. The kids and I are up to the usual. Here I caught a little clip of Micaela while she was playing with her blankets this morning. She’s always so happy to see you!


Then Rafa & Gab are always dying to get “comfy” in one of the big beds. When, I asked them if they were comfy – they sure sounded really “country!”



Now that the weather is warmer, we are going out for our walks much earlier in the morning. Today we saw a rabbit out in the neighborhood. This isn’t unusual and the kids love seeing them. It’s also not unusual for Gabriela to get upset once they run off!



Later in the afternoon, after Geneva and Frankie got home from completing their Mobile Loaves & Fishes volunteer work, it started to rain! It was really nice and much needed. The kids also gave some much needed humor as they did their little rain dance. You can’t really tell, but the rain drops are pretty big!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Aaaay yay yay yay yaaaaay!!!

It’s been nutty as usual, but yesterday had a little twist! The Spanish teacher at Geneva’s school asked Frankie to do a mariachi presentation for the kids in several of her classes. So, for a few hours yesterday, Frankie was at the school dressed in his trajes and teaching the kids some song & rhythm along with a few gritos! I have to admit that the most memorable thing was that one of the kindergarten kids walked into the classroom, saw him and said, “Oh, a mariachi – I just might faint!” One even asked if he would perform at his birthday party. Super cute. The kids really got into it and you can tell in one of the clips where their feet got going all on their own!

Meanwhile, while we waited for Frankie to finish, the kids screamed for ice cream. And they got it…

Here he has them doing some gritos.


I don't even know why I ask Rafa to smile - he always gives me this face when I do. Pretty funny.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Our Family Theme Music is Circus Music

This really isn’t true. Sometimes, though, it SEEMS true. I mean, look at these kids. They look so sweet when they’re sleeping. They really are very sweet. Some days, though, start out innocently enough, and then I find myself underneath a circus tent.

Take Friday, for example. Rafa & Gabriela like playing with our home phone. They pretend they’re on the phone with someone and have a pint-sized conversation. If they actually manage to press the “on” button and find a dial tone, it usually stays off the hook for hours because I haven’t realized that it’s off the hook. Sometimes, one of them even manages to call someone from the easy-to-dial phone book. Grandma and Grandpa, and even Aunt Mary can attest to receiving the occasional phone call from one of the kids. So Friday morning, as I was cooking breakfast and watching the kids play with the phone, what I didn’t expect was the doorbell to ring and a police officer on the other side of the door asking, “Everything all right in there?” Yes, it happened. They somehow managed to dial 911. What parent doesn’t have this story to tell? Right???
In any case, the 911 folks must have heard the kids playing with the phone because the officer didn’t seem too surprised to hear my explanation. He smiled, wished me a good day and left. Whew!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day!

Since today is Mother's Day - I thought I'd share a part of a story called The Invisible Mother (WARNING: mushy stuff ahead):


I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going … she's going … she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

•No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
•These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
•They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
•The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Micaela turned 8 Months old Today!

Hard to believe, but Micaela was born eight months ago today! She’s not yet crawling, but she gets around VERY well! She’s a chatter box and her favorite word is still “Dada.” She’s eating all sorts of fruits & veggies. She likes this broccoli & carrot combination with melted cheddar that I make for her. She also loves plain yogurt.

Last night Geneva and I went on one of our late night excursions to Barnes & Noble – we love that no one is there so late and we take our time browsing and munching on Starbucks cookies. Today we had the usual chores. Geneva was an altar server for the vigil mass and then we went to the home of some friends for dinner. Frankie and I enjoyed chatting with our friends as we watched their three kids and our four kids all goof around together. It was nice.

These pictures below are all from today.











Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Emperor's New Clothes

Oddly enough, I don't have much to post! We've had a busy few days. Saturday was the first communion of the son of our good friends, Tom & Cherylann. They had a party at their house afterwards and all I can say is that they sure do know how to throw a good party! We met some new friends, ate some GREAT food and the kids enjoyed playing with all the other kids. As you can see below, Micaela is trying to learn how to crawl. I think we're still a ways away, but she's getting the idea.



Rafa & Gabriela are pretty much just up to their old tricks. Here's a funny story though...
Gabriela gets a kick out pretending to be other people lately. Since the kids enjoy watching the Mozart movie – her current character of choice is the emperor of Vienna. So when I ask her, “Gab, would you like some scrambled eggs?” She says, “No Alla. Emperor!” Ok, I say. “EMPEROR, would you like some scrambled eggs?” When she’s “in character,” she takes every opportunity to remind you that she’s the Emperor and not Gabriela. This is all fine and good until you’re in a very busy grocery store and other shoppers look at you funny when you say, “No, Emperor, we can’t buy ice cream today.”