If she hadnt said it first

Slow going here in cyberspace. But i have a totally legit excuse:

Lately, i've been so absolutely in love with my family that i just cant find the words. And i'm not going to fib by saying i'm even trying to make the time. I just can't bear to deprive myself of their sweet faces and bursting-with-baby-joy hearts for even as short a time as it takes to whip up a short anecdote.

And instead of being blog-guilted into posting something unworthy, i take consolation in the words of St. Therese of Lisieux, who proposed,

"How can the human tongue hope to express what the human heart can hardly understand?"

Another Question for my Canon Lawyer friend

I dont even know if my blog is cool enough to still merit his attention, but on the off-chance that it is, here's my question:

How difficult/likely is it for a priest to obtain the faculty to confirm from his bishop if this priest is not a dean? The confirmation would be taking place at the Easter Vigil for a 13 year old who was baptized Catholic as an infant.

Space Dome

If you don't alread have a set, i recommend requesting from the Easter Bunny a pair of generous grandparents for your children who give them gifts like this one for their birthdays. This Super Dome is big, belongs outside, will outlast our children's childhood, is a medium for endless afternoons of climbing fun, and gave the receiver an opportunity to "be Daddy's helper" on Sunday afternoon.

A great big squeezy hug thank you to Nana and Pops for this grately anticipated needs-2-parents-to-be-assembled present!!!!

How to spend $80

I could buy a Baby Hawk Mei Tai carrier from here, or i could buy fabric for $7.99/yard, make my own, and spend the other $72.01 on some much-needed dress shirts for the one who works outside the home.

What kind of woman ISNT satisfied by her ability to be crafty and save money while doing it? And i have to admit that i'm totally pleased with the Tasha Tudor-esque scenes of children playing with blocks/in tree houses/in rose gardens that this pretty piece of flannel features in a muted sage.

Though nothing will ever measure up to the comfort and versatility of my beloved sling, strapping the little ones on the OTHER side of my body has proved to have its advantages when i'm carrying the been-full-of-clean-clothes-and-in-the-basement-for-too-long laundry basket up from the basement.

To Dangle

Our Lenten Crocus

I love that my husband has a gardener's heart.
I love that he planted these happy little crocus bulbs indoors for our pleasure.
I love that, day after day, we watched in anticipation as green foliage emerged, leading the way for papery, oblong buds.
I love that, when the glory of this springtime announcement finally blossomed, our little son peered over the pot and placed a sweet little kiss on the new flower.

Seeing him react to simple beauty that way was a moment of revelation for me:
Shouldn't I be more reverent of that which is good and beautiful and pure, responding to it with gestures of silent joy?

Ice Forest

I was deceived by the hyacinth and crocus bulbs that were gradually emerging from the soggy soil - winter is not over just yet.
Detriment to my power lines, phone lines, and water supply that this spectacle proves to be, i do find something about a woods full of glassy, glistening trees to be strikingly majestic.

Mount Sinai

Even though i'll never get entirely used to it, i am gradually becoming less and less surprised by the aftermath of a Thomas's increasing independence.

Example: Finding the house's last roll of toilet paper in an unraveled pile on the bathroom floor (bottom yet unwipe-ed) and hearing it described by the culprit as "the mountain of Moses" brings me only joy these days. We'll soon learn to repress our desire to reenact the morning's Bible story with essential personal hygiene items.