Friends

BABY!

Baby MC was born on March 26, 2010 at 1:51pm. She weighed 10 lbs and 14.4oz, 21 inches long (or "1 foot, nine"). Mother and Baby are doing well. Thanks for all of the prayers.

Beautiful

It is almost 10 p.m. on my due date, and because Baby MC didn't have her birthday today, I decided to attend the Holy Hour with Mark Forrest at our Parish earlier this evening. Thanks to Aunt J for highly suggesting that I go! The whole time was a gift. The songs he sung tonight and the meditations are on his CD, Come Walk with Me. Right now I am listening to his CD You are Mine. Beautiful.

Early Spring Daybook

Outside my window...

After some beautiful spring weather in the 70's and sunny, today is a bleary gray day with a high of 64 degrees with rain and thunder later this morning

I am listening to...

Seany's voice is the loudest right now in this family. Our 4 year old is becoming quite the middle child. We are always telling him to be quiet.

I am thankful for...

Good friends and family who are "on call" right now!

I am pondering...

"God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that he may love and perfect them." - C.S. Lewis

I am reading...

Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers to be by Donna- Marie Cooper O'Boyle

From the kitchen...

Tonight we will have Boston Baked Beans

I am thinking...

that I feel like I will be pregnant forever

I am creating...

plans to visit my family (grandmother, aunts, and my brother) this afternoon

Toward a living education...

We are still going to our homeschool co-op!

Beauty in the home...

We were focusing on this aspect this week-end, trying to get things in place before Baby MC arrives. We got a much-needed new mattress and box spring yesterday for our bed. Last night was like sleeping on a cloud in heaven. I can't wait to cuddle up with our new baby on it and I can only imagine how wonderful it will feel to lay on it on my stomach!!! Also, Ryan and I have been brainstorming about issues re: our tv, and how we want our family room to look. The beginning stages have been to create a child free t.v. zone(we have issues with our little guys pulling out wires, coloring on the tv, changing channels, touching buttons, the list could go on and on) , meaning that we got a large shelf and Ryan put it up high to put our new t.v. on so the little boys could not reach it. Now we just need to take out our computer desk and find a new home for our pc (for the kids to use), move our old couch into the living room, and get a new sofa for the family room (been shopping around, but haven't found "the one" yet).

The Domestic Church...

Our Lenten calendar: we've donated the foods we've been collecting to our Church yesterday. We are still praying and collecting our pennies as well. Rayzor has 1 more day of altar server training and then will be initiated into the altar server program at the Mass on Holy Thursday. He has gotten a couple of compliments from our Monsignor at our Parish, and I know he is very proud! He even got his new robe and cincture on Saturday.

I am hoping and praying...

1. for an uneventful labor and smooth birth (this week?)

2. for Nana

3. patience for Ryan and I

In the garden...

Ryan was busy this week-end taking advantage of the beautiful weather and weeded, trimmed, and cut down a lot of things. He shared his yard plans with me and is excited to start implementing them. He bought a tree (I think a Japanese cherry tree?) to plant in our front yard to commemorate our first spring at our new house. He has plans to use some of the stone border that is around the perimeter of the yard to build a retaining wall around the tree, and he has plans to take the bricks that are around the yard (yuck) and build a small brick patio for our fire pit. Our town has some sort of "best yard" competition and I told him he will be a contendah!!!

One of my favorite things...

How Benny hugs Big Daddy. He loves him so much.

Baby Benny this week...

Besides all of the hugs for Dad, I can't believe all of the signs he is picking up from the signing time dvd's. He turned 18 months 2 days ago!

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Ha! This makes me laugh. Tuesday: see midwife in the afternoon and Rayzor has CCD in the evening. Baby due Wed! B-Rad has ballet in afternoon. If the baby hasn't arrived by evening, our Parish is having a Holy Hour with Mark Forrest that I HAVE to go to! Friday is co-op in the morning, but I don't think I will be planning on going. Stations in the evening. Saturday is Rayzor's last altar server training.

A picture thought I'm sharing...

An Ordinary St. Patrick's Day

Enjoying some Lucky Charms for breakfast...note the snuggle action of biggest and littlest bro in the background!

Cleaning their room

Chore avoidance

Pin the Shamrock on St. Patrick

Artichoke dip made by Joz, thanks to Moeme!

Sharing the chocolate cake batter

My turn

Fighting

Shamrock cake

Pistachio Mallow Salad

St. Patrick coloring pages

The END

Ordinary Days

A link to a link to a link and I came to this video over at crazyacres... Mary Poppins Not warns that "You may need a kleenex. I did." I did, too.

Daybook

Outside my window...

It is grey and cold. 47 degrees and cloudy.

I am listening to...

Spongebob

I am wearing...

maternity jeans from Old Navy and maternity shirt from Motherhood.

I am thankful for...

my husband and kids for adjusting to my lack of energy. Don't worry, I'll be feeling back to my old self soon.

I am pondering...

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort" - Herm Albright

I am reading...

The last books I read were the Percy Jackson series. Loved them!

From the kitchen...

Tonight we will have corn fritters (like pancakes but with corn in them).

I am thinking...

I can't wait to have this baby! At this point in my pregnancy, I get very selfish and impatient. I start having pity parties and crying spurts and outbursts. I know it sounds awful, but I am just being real! I will be 39 weeks on Wednesday.

I am creating...

the finishing touches on this big fat baby girl!

On my ipod...

This doesn't apply to me...yet! I don't own an ipod, but we recently bought a macbook and Ryan and I have been enjoying it so much more than our pc. Yesterday we were listening to itunes (Ryan has an ipod) on the macbook and jammin' to our favorite singer, Billy Joel!

Toward a Living Education...

We've lightened our regular schoolwork but are still faithfully doing our nature study every week and we are still attending our homeschool co-op on Fridays. Hoping to straighten up the school room and pantry so we can get some school work accomplished while Big Daddy is home after Baby MC is born.

Beauty in the home...

We got a new and bigger dining table and chairs on Saturday (from Ikea) and boy what a difference it makes! Everyone has a little more elbow room! We will go back and get 2 more chairs for Ryan and I that were out of stock (the chairs are different then the kids chairs). We also got Rayzor a new full mattress for his new bed.

The Domestic Church...

I have been making a point every day during Lent to focus on our calendar no matter what. Saying prayers, gathering our canned goods and pennies for the rice bowl. I make sure to read the Mass readings for the day and we all say our intentions and this helps our focus on others during this season. We've also been praying the rosary almost every day.

I am hoping and praying...

1. for my health and the health of the baby

2. for my Mom who had to put down their dog yesterday

3. for my brother who is gearing up for another move

4. for my grandmother who is in the hospital for an infection but is getting better

5. for my cousin who was taking her grad school tests this morning

In the garden...

Big Daddy has been pointing out tulips and daffodils sprouting up in our yard. He is eager for some nice weather to begin more weeding and planting for our yard transformation. I know he has some big ideas rolling around in his head, and the kids are also eager to help!

One of my favorite things...

lying down

Baby Benny this week...

He has been signing more on his own and copying signs. He got a new haircut on Saturday that makes him look so much older! I guess he is gearing up to being a big bro. I know he will be a good one.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

I am supposed to have Bible class tonight, although I'm unsure if I will feel up to it. Tomorrow night Rayzor has CCD. St. Patrick's day on Wednesday will bring lots of treats and a corned beef dinner. B-Rad starts ballet class in the afternoon. I will see the midwife in the evening. The kids are supposed to have CCD that evening. Not sure if we will make it. Co-op on Friday and a hair appt. for me in the afternoon. Stations Friday evening. CCD for the girls Sat. morning and Rayzor has altar server training, too.

A picture thought I'm sharing...

Outdoor Hour Challenge: Winter Series #7 Winter Birds

We've had another great time studying birds. It's amazing how addicting it is! Ryan and I realized this last summer when we were doing our birding Park Quest challenge. We thought birding was something that old people did! Ryan went out and got a new bird feeder and seed and hung it outside in front of our front window and we have been observing all of our little friends, trying desperately to take pictures of them before they flutter off and most importantly trying to identify them!

Ryan identified this one for me yesterday, I think he said it was a house finch. This was my favorite picture.

These American Robins have been the most sighted. We've read and noticed that they prefer to hang out on lawns looking for their next meal.

I thought this might be a cardinal, but then at closer inspection thought it might be the mate to the finch we saw earlier. They might be a pair of purple finches, I think his lady is under the van. I was wondering why they were pecking at the driveway, but then it occurred to me that there are probably tons of crumbs right there, where the kids get out of the car!

Here is the last little birdy I was able to photograph yesterday. We think it might be a European Starling.

This morning I noticed this little birdy and snapped its photo before it flew away. I can't really tell but from the markings on its wings I believe it is either a mourning dove or a common ground dove.

We were able to all get outside this morning!

A bowl of seed, and a bowl of water for our backyard feathered friends.

B-Rad wants so badly for the birds to come eat the seeds out of her hand!

Joz tries to get a better look: a birds eye view with the binoculars!

Big Daddy appropriately chose this school house bird feeder!

By: Ev

By: Rayzor "It's always eating worms in my front yard."

By: B-Rad "We went in our backyard and got bird seeds put them in our hands and hid behind a tree or bush and then we went inside and did our papers."
By: Joz "One of our most familiar birds. Often seen on lawns. Recognized by its brick red breast and dark gray back."

By: Seany

The books we used:

To see more outdoor hour challenges about winter birds, check out Barb's blog Handbook of Nature Study!
The End