I am thankful for... our parish and my MOMS Group there. We moms see each other a lot and have been crafting at our meetings this summer. The community at our parish is such a source of strength for me right now in the last leg of this deployment. Everyone really cares for each other and takes care of each other and it reminds me of how I think the early Church must have lived. I cannot feel too alone, which is a struggle right now with my husband gone, no family here, and living out in the country. (Although, I remember city life feeling lonely at times when I was home w/ young children w/out my husband, even in the midst of all those people- which to me is somehow worse than the peaceful solitude of the country.)
And I am thankful for a surprise package from Jesse, my birthday gift early b/c he thought "maybe I needed it."
A handmade journal of camel leather w/ sunflower pages and a bead & shell bracelet. Both Kuwaiti items.
I am hoping... that my husband leaves Kuwait on time and arrives home just before Mary's 1st b-day on August 18th. I really would love to celebrate it quietly with him home on her "real" day. We will have a dinner/party with my family when we go to see them the first time after he gets back but I would love for her best b-day gift to be a lot of good quiet time w/ her Daddy. She really seems to still know him b/c she gets excited seeing him over Skype and babbles at him but, being the Momma's girl that she is, I'm afraid real real-time is going to be a little scary for her at first.
On my mind... travel plans! Plans for two trips to Ft. Worth to see my family these last six weeks of the deployment, including a Rangers game over the 4th and the RB&BB circus! for the kids for the first time in August, a treat from their Mimi. Also, plans for when my RHL (consider that my opinion on the recent conversation at Testosterhome!) is finally home, including another weekend in Ft. Worth w/ a trip to the Dallas LEGO store (b/c I know HE will love that as much as the boys) and a short real family vacation! to the OK mountains. No holiday to celebrate or party to plan while we are there.
We are also making fall plans for some animals to join our brood here- about 6 chickens and 2 horses, I hope. To go with the 4 children, 1 slowly-calming dog & 1(no longer Tom!)cat. And his most recent family (Momma & 3 kittens!) that we are now sometimes feeding, too. Another one of those things I never expected from myself, the former cat-hater.
And I am (always) working on plans for curriculm for next year, including Montessori pre-school materials for Mark here at home. He's very ready. Yay! He may also go to some pre-school at our awesome parish. He. is. Mark. Hear. him. roar.
Noticing that...Said toddler is getting the good nap he needs after our late movie night Fri. We had a mom's movie and a kid's movie going. He went back and forth between both before he finally fell asleep here..
The effort to reach this tempatation must have exhausted him b/c the box was still closed!
A few plans for the week... swim lessons for a MOMS-friend's kids, a meal to another MOMS-friend with a beautiful new baby boy, Summer Family Week at our parish, aka VBS w/ tracks for parents, including one on Theology of the Body & talking to your kids about sexuality. Did I already say I love my parish? It is my prayer they will hear it from us first in a positive and meaning-filled way & so know the beautiful gift that our bodies are.
From the bookshelf...The Well-Trained Mind, Hainstock's books on Montessori at home, curriculum catalogs. On the way from an amazon.com spree- Growing Up Sew Liberated, this & this for the fall hobby-farming plans. Big boys are reading the Redwall series this summer and loving it!
In the kitchen...a good recipe for Gazpacho and a fun one for baby jello jigglers. Ingredients purchased, just need to get to work! Thanks, Mom. For everything lately, especially for forgiving my weaknesses (like my tendency to hold things in until I explode) and listening to my view of things.
On the Church calendar...big Sundays these last four: Ascension, Pentecost, Holy Trinity, and today Corpus Christi. Haven't done anything (except the most important- Sun Mass!) to celebrate. Lacking creative inspiration in that department right now...
Some recent photos...
First more of Mark Ignatius:
His current obsession includes going shirt-less with sunglasses.
This was a "Mark & Mommy date" when the Dallas Zoo came to our nature center, which will forever go down in Mark History as the-day-Mark-bolted-to-the-stage-to-try-to-hold-the-9-ft-boa-constrictor-when-Mom-turned-to-put-her-camera-away.
Could this pensive boy be the same little guy?
Remember the one of Mark playing his instruments for Mary? Now she plays...well, mostly chews.. on them w/ him.
And Miss Mary Constance at 9-10 months:
She's another water-bug. Her first time in the water here. Those 2 bottom teeth are completely in already.
She's cruising along the couch now but she still loves to crawl into fun spaces.
And she's eating some table food, mostly Cheerios. She LOVES them. Also, some feta cheese, egg white, banana.
(Those details are for Daddy.)
Finally, the big baseball players at their team party at our house:
John Paul was grumping b/c they shortened his name to John. Already long-forgotten, proving how unnecessary the trophy even is.
No comments:
Post a Comment