Churches, Courthouses and Airports!

Well, we did manage to get off to the start of the day without too much trouble.  We were happy to  start our trek to Houston via the back roads near interstate-10.  It is very hard to explain to a 7-week old that we will stop in "just a minute," so we tried to time our stops along Zaira's schedule.  We also had  few ideas of our own.  The trip only takes four hours if we drive straight through to the airport.  We became very good Sunday drivers and took nine hours instead.  It was a nice way to spend our Sunday before taking Michael to the airport.

We made our first stop in Gonzales where we were able to see a very old courthouse.  It had a nice clock tower that even inspired someone to write a poem  (Old Townhouse Clock) about it.  Gonzales is most famous as the start of the Texas independence.  We did not get to hear the entire story because the park was closed.  Supposedly there is a re-enactment every year on the first weekend of October.  We might need to make a trip back here sometime.

We then continued on our way, stopping in Shiner...not for beer as Michael wanted to do, but not with five children, instead we found our first beautiful church of the day.  We were in painted churches country!  We did not even realize it but we had stumbled onto the very road that would take us past many of the painted churches of Texas that I mentioned in yesterday's post!  I will not be able to show you pictures of all of them because it would take up all of my space, but this is the one I found most beautiful!  It really was hard to just pick one picture!

We continued along this path for several miles...weaving around back roads enjoying the scenery.  We also saw many more nice looking courthouses in all of the small towns along the way.  We thought it was interesting that many of the courthouse historical markers mentioned that if the courthouse was burnt down a odd provision was allowed.  Court could be heard outside under a tree.  I am not sure why this had to happen under a tree but it piqued the interest of all of us in the car.  One tree in particular was still standing, albeit in the middle of the street!   It looked a little rough but it even held an historical marker!

This was the last of our touring through towns.  We managed to stop and shop for shoes and then we were off to the airport.  Michael was able to leave for his flight with little effort.

We then picked up a good friend of ours who will be staying with us fora while.  This is a mutually beneficial relationship that I hope will work out.  She and I have been praying about it over the last month and we think it is a good situation.  We will get through this time with hope and prayer.  So looking forward to seeing what God has planned for us!

Just heard from Michael and he made the first part of his trip without any trouble, so now I can go to sleep.

Tale of Two Restaurants and a Museum

We headed out this morning at a leisurely pace to see Fredericksburg.  As we were leaving town, I noted that I had forgotten my cell phone and purse, but we decided that these things were not needed and we continued on our way.

We arrived in town and went straight to the National Museum of the Pacific War as we have wanted to go here for some time.  We truly enjoyed the historical details presented at the museum. The lay out of the rooms was a little sporadic at times, but the content provided was very helpful in understanding the many dynamics of the war.  I walked through the displays with Zaira, Edward and camera trying to take in as much as I could.  Michael and Brendan took a leisurely stroll (literally as Michael was pushing Brendan in a stroller!) around the museum.  As Edward would later say.."Daddy is enjoying the museum a little too much!"  The other two older boys, Sean and Henry, weaved in and out of the exhibits on their own...catching up with us from time to time to share comments they found interesting.

Edward, Zaira and I found our way out into the main lobby first.  I noticed a press conference in a side room and asked one of the men at the front desk what was happening.  He said a plaque was dedicated to the men in the Doolittle Raid and some of these men were present at the time.  I thanked him for the information and sat down to wait.  After a few minutes, I realized that Michael might find it interesting to talk to some of these men.  So I went back into the museum to find him. When I asked, Michael jumped at the chance to meet these men.  Unfortunately, by the time we made our way back out into the lobby the men had left for lunch.  Michael only had a chance to meet one man who left quickly after meeting him.  So Michael went back into the museum.

Notice at this point...it was obviously lunch time.  However, I sat back in the lobby and waited for Michael to finish his time at the museum.  I did manage to ask where we should go for authentic German food and had the spot picked out when Michael arrived in the lobby late into the afternoon!  Thankful the restaurant was right around the corner.


We sat down and ordered our drinks, which arrived promptly, and then our meal.  At this point, Sean had gotten a little rowdy and loud so I asked him to step out of the restaurant to calm down.  He came back in after a couple of minutes and said he had found out something interesting.

Confession time!  I was not ready to listen to what he had to say and was only half listening...assuming he was going to tell me about one of the many historical markers that were all along the sidewalk.  Imagine my surprise when he said, "This restaurant does not accept Mastercard."

Sidenote:  We do not use a lot of creditcards or ATM cards, etc.  We like to keep it simple...all we have is a Mastercard!

So I looked at Sean and asked him to say that again.  He promptly repeated his statement and went on about his business.  I turned to Michael and asked if heard what Sean said.  Michael, also only HALF listening, said he heard, so I repeated what Sean told me.  Michael then looked at me and asked what we were going to do!  I told him to stop the order and we would figure out a way to pay for our drinks.

The waitress must have thought we were crazy!  She just looked at us dumbfounded when we confirmed that the restaurant did not take Mastercard.  She asked if we had another way to pay and we told her we did not because I had left my wallet at home which contained our checkbook.  She went to the back and spoke to the owner, who suggested we go to the bank and obtain cash.  We told her we did not have a way to do that and we waited for an answer.  The waitress finally returned and told us we should leave the restaurant!  I have never been so embarrassed in my life!  Well...Michael then proceeded to stand up from the table and bump my full glass of tea all down my front!  I can now way I have REALLY never been so humiliated in all my life!  Unable to pay for a meal AND being completely soaked with tea...we managed to gather all of the children and head out the door!

I must say I was ready to go home!  However, wanting to make this an enjoyable day, I swallowed my pride and suggested we try another German restaurant across the street.  So we made our way to restaurant number TWO!  We made sure we could pay with our only means of payment and waited for thirty minutes for a table!  We did enjoy the meal and even watched a little Aggie football (yes, we are Aggies!), so all was good.

We then went to the second part of the museum which detailed Adm. Nimitz's life.  This museum was much smaller and we were able to enjoy this part together.  We even worked out a little puzzle with all of the boys using the naval code system.  It was enjoyable as we learned about this amazing man who worked so hard to assist our country in battle.

We then proceeded to the final portion of the museum, which was partly outdoors.  The clouds looked a little ominous so I chose to sit back in the car with Zaira and Sean (who were both getting a little weary from the day).  The others learned all about the Avenger (airplane), PT boats, and re-enactments.  Something I will try to understand through the pictures taken.

I did manage to find a a local church with a Mass that would begin right as the tour ended.  We did in fact make it with a few minutes to spare.  And what an amazing sight to see as we walked into one of the magnificent painted churches of Texas!  We were welcomed kindly and were glad to have the opportunity to worship in such a beautiful setting.  It made a nice way to end our time in Fredericksburg.

We had to drive home in the dark and Zaira was a little fussy along the way but we made it back to Mom's with little effort.  Tomorrow we make the drive to the airport, but hoping to find some interesting stops along the way.

At Gramma's House

As I mentioned, we took a little road trip.  Wednesday afternoon, we headed toward my mom's house.  We made a stop along the way to get haircuts.

Yeah..I know sounds crazy, but I have been going to the same hairdresser for 20 years.  I love that I can go in and she knows exactly what I need.  Bette is amazing as she changes up my style just enough to keep it fresh and stylish without making me work too hard to keep it that way.  It is also nice to have someone who knows your history so they can talk to you with ease.  She was so excited to meet Zaira.  I am sure she will one day be trimming up her hair just like she did for Amanda.

It is so hard to believe that this how we first met so many years ago.  Actually, Bette had been cutting my hair for about two years and then we had a problem!  Amanda (young pre-schooler) decided to cut her own hair and Bette had to fix her trim job.  It was quite an ordeal and Amanda ended up with a bob-cut!  Bette managed to make her look adorable.  We have never left Bette for more than a hair cut or two in all of the years since then.

Since I was getting a haircut, the boys decided to follow suit and found a local barber shop to get their own hair trimmed.  No bonding story for these guys, except the fact that the barbers have been cutting Aggie Corps of Cadets for many years.  It took them a while to make the rounds with only tow barbers on duty to cut five heads!

We also made a side trip to see introduce Zaira to some long time friends of ours.  It turned out our impromptu stop was not possible because they were all sick.  Only Kimberly was able to step out of the house to cooing over her from the side of the car!  She is such a good friend that we were still able to spend an hour talking to her.  She also promised to gather up all her girly clothes and have them for us the next time we were in town!  It is nice to have such a good friend!

We finally made it to Mom's around 10pm and we all went right to sleep...EXCEPT Brendan who had slept in the car most of the evening!  He decided to stay up playing beside my bed with Army guys!  Around 2am I finally told him the soldiers had to go back in the toybox.  He told me no every time he put a toy in the box and managed to fall asleep beside Michael!

We enjoyed Thursday with my Mom.  Michael had to do some military training and took the car.  I think Zaira was glad that we did not have an excuse to go some where.  We just had the time to relax and talk.  My Mom also introduced Zaira to her new 'doll friend.'  This doll is a 3 foot tall cloth coll with yarn hair.  She wears a purple dress with butterflies and Zaira will have a matching dress when she is a little older!  Mom made the doll because I mentioned it would be nice to have a stuffed animal to take Zaira's picture throughout the years.  Mom decided that a doll was a better choice.  I think we will name the doll Rose.  Amanda and I both have similar dolls that we cherish. Maybe we can all take pictures with our dolls when she comes for a visit!

Today is an even slower day.  Michael left for his second day of training and Mom had to go to work.  It is also raining here...flash floods throughout the area!  We are enjoying being lazy with old TV shows and computer games.

We did have a visitor for lunch.  My brother Adrian stopped by and ate with us.  It was nice for him to get to meet Zaira.  It was a good visit where we were able to catch on the last few months.  Zaira decided that she would sleep through the visit!  I still managed to get a picture of Adrian with Zaira.  One day (all too soon) she will remember him for his nickname...Uncle Rootbeer.

When Michael came home we loaded all the children in the car and took them to the park.  It was in between rain storms so the boys were able to play and get rid of some of their excess energy.  We stayed until it began to rain again.  Zaira slept through this event as well.  She woke up as we got her back in the car...I am sure she thought we were crazy as we tried to make it back in the car without getting wet!

The day ended with a leisure dinner and watching another round of old TV shows.

I cannot end without sending a birthday message out to my brother, Christopher.  He probably will not read this blog but just in case...I wanted him to know he was not forgotten.  The children call him Uncle Bubbles and sang a greeting to him on his answering machine...maybe we will still talk to him later in the night.

40 Days for Life

I have not written a lot about our family involvement in pro-life efforts.  I guess with our new bundle of life we have been more focused on this then our community outreach.  We have stayed strong in our commitment to life and assisting our local pregnancy help center.  In fact, we have gone many times over the last few weeks to give little donations of diapers, wipes, and clothing.  I even sorted through my maternity clothes before packing them up in order to try to give some of the outfits away.

Yesterday, we began our local prayer campaign (40 Days for Life).  This is a time of prayer and fasting for the end to abortion, as well as community outreach.  This has become an international effort started by our good friends in College Station.  Here are the highlights of what has happened since its beginning in 2004 (straight from their website):

• 1,894 individual campaigns have taken place in 440 cities
• More than 525,000 have joined together in an historic display of unity to pray and fast for an end to abortion
• More than 15,000 church congregations have participated in the 40 Days for Life campaigns
• Reports document 5,928 lives that have been spared from abortion — and those are just the ones we know about
• 69 abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry
• 24 abortion facilities completely shut down following local 40 Days for Life campaigns
• Hundreds of women and men have been spared from the tragic effects of abortion, including a lifetime of regrets
• More than 2,100 news stories have been featured in newspapers, magazines, radio shows and TV programs from coast to coast ... and overseas
• Many people with past abortion experiences have stepped forward to begin post-abortion healing and recovery
• After so many years of legalized abortion, many people of faith are experiencing a renewed sense of HOPE!

Tuesday night we had our Kick Off Rally at the Lutheran Church.  We had a wonderful guest speaker, Rev. Larry White from Houston, speak to us about the gift of life as we are God's creation.  He spoke about how we were made in God's image and should not take this gift for granted.  He related our plight in America (and around the world) as equivalent to the Holocaust in Germany.  Just as the devil, the master of deception, eased his way into the life of the German people through Hitler, we have allowed the lies of abortion to enter into our society.  Just as the German people look back on the atrocities of Hitler's reign as evil, we will one day be able to look back and see the gradual shift in our society and know that it was wrong.  We must stand in front of the evil and cry out for God to assist us in our fight.  Just as the German Christians had the opportunity to stand in front of the trains, risking their lives, to prevent the Jewish prisoners from going to their death, we must take a stand.  Will we be like the Christians in Germany who chose to look away and deny the atrocities?  Or will we take that stand and fight the good fight against all odds?

The pastor gave us this challenge, not only for these 40 days, but until this battle for life is won!  We are called to be here for those who can not speak for themselves.  We are asked to pray and give of our time to end abortion in our nation.  We were asked to sign up to pray at the Planned Parenthood to witness to those who go to the clinic.  We gladly took several times to pray.



We spent our first day praying in front of the Planned Parenthood.  I was there with Zaira, Brendan, Edward, and Henry.  We arrived to find our coordinator, a pastor from the Lutheran Church, already praying.  He kindly stayed and prayed with us through our hour of prayer as well.

I had decided to use our Morning Prayer for the basis of our time praying.  I was so pleased to see that the readings were all about God's gift of life and mercy.  These were easily discussed as we prayed and talked about the need for both of these gifts in our lives.  I love the way we were able to spontaneously bring to reality the prayer that was in our little prayer book.  It is always a joy when our prayer time is real and not just words being read from a book.

I really felt like this time was filled with special graces.  We were able to talk and pray about all of our needs.  We did not pray as if we were judging those at the clinic.  We saw our own need for forgiveness and mercy as we prayed for our nation and our community.  Although we were there at the Planned Parenthood early in the morning before they opened their gates for business, we felt like our prayers were being lifted up for a greater purpose then we could understand.

We ended our hour of prayer singing and praising God.  Then closed with the St. Michael's Prayer for added protection from "the wickedness and snares of the devil," directly in the surrounding area of the clinic.

We hope to spend many more hours in prayer at the clinic.  However, we had to leave our vigil to go out of town for the remainder of the week.  We will be taking Michael to the airport on Sunday so wanted to spend a few days focused on our family.  We will continue to pray each day for the efforts around the world and return to the vigil on Monday.

I encourage everyone to find a local campaign and sign up to pray.  There are also daily prayer emails that you can sign up to receive at their website.  This is a unified effort that does make a difference.  The prayers are very focused on different aspects of the abortion issue.  The focus is on change of heart and conversion.  Take some time to pray for the end of abortion!

Serving the Lord

After a long week at the festival (which we thoroughly enjoyed-see 4H post), we had a nice day of rest that included an altar serving training at our campus mission church.

We actually planned a day that we could enjoy sleeping in.  Then we made a big breakfast with time to enjoy before dressing for church.  We arrived in time to settle into our pew and say a little prayer before Mass began.  Believe me, this was a nice change from our rushed frenzy over the last few weeks!

Mass was such a joy as the boys all sat in a nice row and actually participated in the prayers of the Mass.  And, Zaira actually tried to sing for us today!  She, also, stayed awake throughout the Mass distracting the sweet elderly couples who sit behind us with her smiling and cooing!  Not to mention their joy in seeing her brothers' spontaneous kisses to her head!

No this was not a dream, but a reality that is seen rarely (yet more increasingly) at the Reynolds' pew on Sunday.

We then made our way to the student center for a quick bite to eat before the altar server training.  The three older boys went to the training.  For Sean and Henry this was a refresher course after many years of serving.  However, Edward would be learning the needs of the altar for the first time.

Now, I must tell you, Edward was very nervous at the idea of being an altar server.  He told me that he would rather stay with me in the pew.  However, I explained to him that it was a great honor to serve on the altar. Also, it was a good idea to always be prepared to serve the Lord.  I strongly encouraged him to go through the training so he could be ready if he was ever needed.

So, Edward reluctantly made his way to the front of the church.  The training lasted most of the two hour block of time.  Then the children were given a special ice cream treat.  This was followed by a unique experience.  All of the altar servers, even the college crew, posed for a book of do's and don'ts of altar serving.  They posed in reverent positions that would take place throughout the Mass and then the alternative prankster motions that might (I hope never) be performed by a 'bad' server.

The boys had a great time with the photo session.  I pray they did not get too many crazy ideas from the experience.  It was nice to know that even in the midst of these chaotic pictures, the group still remained very reverent in their motions before the tabernacle.  Our boys (and all the servers) would pause to genuflect to enter the sanctuary as well as at the tabernacle before hurrying to their poses for the photographer.  It was silly to take these pictures but all of them knew that they were still in God's house.  It was a good time for everyone.

And what did Edward think of it all?  He enjoyed the experience and wants to be an altar server now!  Praise God for giving me the wisdom to not push to hard but give the nudge in the right direction.  I know he will do a great job serving the Lord by assisting the priest.

Turkeys and Elephants

Today the boys were up early and out the door faster than we could get out of bed and rub our eyes!  Yep...that's right!  We had something fun planned for them today!  We were heading to a local ranch for JAKES Day!  A fun-filled day outdoors learning about turkeys, guns, fishing, archery, and did I mention guns!  I know...we are so East Texan, right?   Do you want to learn more about this part of the day, along with a trip back to last week's event location?  Well...sorry...you will not read about it here.  You will need to go to my 4H blog!  Even though it is technically not a 4H event, our county 4H runs an archery booth at this event each year so it had to go to that blog.

However, that is not the only fun we had today.  We also headed over to the opening of our local Republican Party Headquarters in their new location.  We enjoyed a free hamburger supper and the opportunity to spend some time with our elected officials and a few hoping to meet our needs after the next election.  We also had the state chairman of the party available to say a few words. We even took a few yard signs home.  Here are some of the highlights we heard tonight:

Steve Munistreri (State GOP Chariman)-Imagine that you give a person a job with stated requirements to be met, and then have a review at the end of a year to see how the goals were met, and none of them are met.  What would you do?   We all know that person would be fired.  We need to do the same with our current president.

Trent Ashby-We need to know what we stand for...looking at both parties...Republicans are not afraid to show their love for God and country.  The Democrats took three votes to finally decide to accept the word God in their platform and were then booed!  It is pathetic!

James White-When you have a job to do, it does not matter how nice you are or how good a husband or father you are...you have to measure them by their job performance.

So much more was said...too bad I have a poor memory.  But be assured, the mood was strong of pride for this country as we prayed and sang throughout the event.  We had a great time visiting with some friends we see every day and those who we rarely see any more.  It was a great time to just enjoy the inspiration of the dedicated conservatives in our area.

The Past Few Days

Well, I have not posted in a few days...Did you miss me?  LOL...just joking.  I am sure I gave a much needed relief from our crazy family antics.

After posting my quick note on Tuesday, I went to bed glad for the much needed rest.  I woke up the next morning feeling a little achy but nothing too serious.  Henry and I started spaghetti sauce in the crock-pot for serving the college students tonight.  Then, we headed out the door quickly to make it BACK to the dentist for another round of fun.  This time Brendan and Sean had their annual cleaning done.  Edward had the second half of his mouth worked on...more caps and fillings.  Michael stayed with these boys, while I took Henry to his nature art class.  Of course, with Zaira along for the ride!

We arrived at the park in time to enjoy the quiet of the park before Bruce arrived to look around and choose the trees of the day.  Once Henry was settled in his chair to draw, I went in search of costumes!  NOT for Halloween!  If you have been following both of my blogs, you know we are gearing up for a food contest next week.  We decided on a patriotic theme a few days back.  I was trying to hunt down the Lincoln and Roosevelt costumes.  Unfortunately, I did not fare very well!  I am going to have to break down and buy them online.  I hope we do well after all of this trouble and expense.  I have already told Michael and Henry they will need to wear their costumes around town for the costumes to be worth it!  Brenda suggested that the boys use their costumes to compete in the fashion show later this year.  Hmmmm...that just might work!

Zaira and I headed back for the park and enjoyed the rest of the morning watching the group draw.  I am amazed at how well they are doing.  Bruce continues to be a great teacher.  He has so much knowledge about the trees, which I found the most fascinating.

Then we picked up the rest of the group.  Michael even managed to get his own dental visit scheduled.  Before heading home, Michael was able to stop and pick up a passport picture to renew his passport before heading back to Afghanistan.  Not to mention stopping at our favorite burger spot for lunch.

We arrived home just in time to eat lunch, rest a little while and then back out the door again.  Sean had his speech session.  Then we went to the church to prepare for dinner.  We do this every Wednesday evening along with men from the local Knights of Columbus group.  By this time, I was really starting to feel tired and achy so I just made the salad and left the rest for the two men in charge.  I even had a little help making the salad from Brendan.  He 'convinced' the carrots to get chopped up for the salad  He does have an imagination!

We went to Mass and I began to get a little chilled, which is funny because the church is not cooled unless in use, so it takes a while to cool down the building.  We then went to the social hall and that was the end for me!  I began to shake uncontrollably and could not get warm.  I was trying so hard to stay because we were going to make announcements are Pro-life events in the area.  Twenty minutes into the meal, I had to leave the building...thinking that the outside air would help.  It did not!

So, I had Michael make the announcement and we headed home.  I decided to have Michael check my temperature (I never have a temp!) and I was hitting 103-degree temp!  I sat in the recliner and begged Zaira to nurse to relieve the pain!  You see, if you read my blog a couple of weeks ago, I talked about mastitis and how much fun it is to be in pain.  Well, I think my body was telling me that I never really got over that last round of fun.  Also, I needed to solve this issue soon before Michael headed out for Afghanistan again.

This is the problem as I see it.  Zaira likes to hold her poop for three day intervals.  This is not unusual for a breastfed baby...BUT Zaira decides that she is not hungry by day two and she stops nursing.  I have to beg her to nurse!  So, what I need to try to get her to do is nurse even on these off days...so any suggestions are gladly excepted at this time.  The way it is going I am looking to begging again tomorrow if this cycle continues!

Needless to say I was wiped out again yesterday, so we cancelled all our arranged plans...a big deal in our house!  The boys did schoolwork and kindly let me rest.  The only time they even left the house was to go to the VFW lodge who graciously donated to our 4H club.  I will tell more about that on my other blog along with our hushpuppy adventure for the day.

This morning I woke up feeling so rested but still wanting to make the day as easy as possible for us.  I could not have planned the phone call from a dear friend, Vicky, any better.  She was looking forward to meeting Zaira and bringing a homemade dinner for the evening meal!  Praise God!

That meant the only thing we had for the day was the hushpuppies mentioned above and a quick stop into Wal-mart.  Then we could come home and finish up the school week with some testing.  I could not have planned that better!

We did enjoy the day also.  Zaira had the first joy of experiencing rain, which was so needed in our area!  She even had a drop fall on her sweet head as she leaned back to see it better.  She was a little startled but I think she enjoyed it!  I do not know what she would have done had it fallen into her mouth.

Soon after that she actually managed to get her thumb IN her mouth...although it was really just the side of her thumb, she was content.  It is so funny to see a baby discover themselves.

Earlier this week, I talked about our 4H photography photo session with our family.  We got the proofs in last night.  They are so wonderful!  We were told we could choose 20 but we had such a hard time.  I am so thankful we chose Natalie to do this for us, and that she was willing to work with our little group of photographers.  If you ever need a photographer, she would be top on my list.

So another awesome day in our house, thankful for God's blessings.

Quick Note

I thought I would pass on posting tonight, but realized that the boys had too much fun with their science experiment to miss blogging about it.

First, I have to brag...the boys finished all of their school for the day BEFORE lunch!  I love days like this!

This included Edward having an experiment to demonstrate water pressure at the bottom of the ocean.  With just a 2 liter bottle, balloon and some air, he was shown what would happen to a lung if it was under that much water pressure!  Pretty cool!

Since we got school done early, we got to relax this afternoon.  We left a little early for our 4H meetings to take a much desired picture of Zaira at our welcome sign outside of town.

Then the regular Tuesday 4H meetings filled our evening.

We are home now and I am heading to bed before 11pm!  WOW!  I love it when a plan comes together and ACTUALLY works!

An awesome day and now much needed rest!

School and Speech

We got a late start this morning.  No one seemed to want to get up...most likely because of the fun the boys had star gazing last night!  Michael pulled out our telescope and tried to peak past the clouds to see the stars.  He will watch for a clearer night and try again later this week!

In spite of our late start, the third school week began...and we started out with a little bit of redo from last week.  The boys hate spelling all around so it is not surprising that their scores from last week are not up to par.  I am going to need to get creative with this subject.  We also got behind in history and science...those afternoon courses that get away from us!  BUT, thankfully, the boys enjoy these subjects so it is never too hard to get caught up.

So, the game plan when these things happen in our school house, is to bring the student to the subject as if we were on track... in other words, stay in our regular routine.  If we are behind in a subject we try to double up on assignments until we are caught up.  This is not always possible but it usually works.  If we are redoing tests that do not relate to the next assigned lessons, I have them continue the current week's lessons.  Then when they have time, in between subjects, they are given time to review the topic and re-take a given test.  This is their responsibility and any grade recorded stays in the books until they decide to re-take the test.  However, if the subject matter effects their next week's work, we review and re-take tests before moving to the next lesson.  It seems to work well for us.  Sometimes we still get behind but I would rather have them learning then rushing to the next lesson.  It all seems to work out in the end.

The boys did get through the lessons today without too much trouble even with make up work.  The older boys were especially excited to have another science experiment.  Today we focused on air, which led to the understanding of the percentage of oxygen in the air.  I knew that there was more nitrogen than oxygen in air but I never knew how important it was to have this type of percentage.  Today we learned that the air has about 20% oxygen and if this percentage was at a higher level it increases the risk of fires.  This also would cause our bodies to increase the ability to burn energy!  This was demonstrated in an experiment in which we increased the oxygen in a jar with a burning candle.  The boys really enjoyed this experiment because they were convinced something might explode!  Thankfully, this did not happen and we got to have fun seeing the reaction of the candle to this oxygen increase.

We finished this experiment just in time to send Sean out the door with Michael for his speech session.  We have been very blessed with the program at the university.  Graduate students who need experience working with clients are assigned a student each semester.  These clients come from the community and there is a waiting list each semester.  We have been able to take Sean the last two years and he has made a lot of progress.  We have learned so much from the director of the program as well.

Michael and Sean met the rest of us at the park for our first 4H photography meeting.  To learn more about this adventure check out my 4H blog!

We got home in time for Sean to try his skills in the kitchen making Eggs Benedict!  I wish I had taken pictures!  He did a great job!

Family Fun Day!

This morning was so cool outside!  So hard to believe it was in the 50's after a high of over 105 degrees just a couple of days ago!  The boys have all gone out to enjoy the morning outside.  The older ones on their roller blades on the little road in front of the house and Brendan and Michael feeding the fish at the pond.  IT is quiet in the house, so I thought I would write my post this morning.

I wanted to have yesterday's post set aside for Edward's Confirmation/Holy Communion.  I knew talking about our morning activities would be a distraction...not to mention make a long post WAY TOO LONG!!! So, I thought I could share our Saturday morning with you today.

Each fall, SFA sponsors a Nature Fun Day at the Native Plant Center.  It is so much fun for our family because all of the things we love to do are at one big event!

We started our trek around the various stations early in the day...in fact, we were one of the first to arrive at the event.  It is amazing how quickly boys can get ready for the day when they want to do something!

The bird watching booth is so fun because it is, what I like to call, a do-able activity.  Our friend Ruth sets up this booth with paper cutouts of birds that have been marked with a code for several local birds.  The youth are given a set of binoculars (nothing fancy) to go out and bird watch among the trees and shrubs at the center.  The boys always love this activity because she hides them just enough to make it interesting.  And there is always one or two that are a little challenging that force us to go around the path one more time for the elusive bird we just could not find!

At least we are all pointing the same direction, but is it the right way? 

We then made our way to the geo-caching booth.  We have always wanted to take part in this activity but never seem to have the time to make it happen.  Once a year, our friendly forest services representative gives us the opportunity.  He saw us coming and decided to play with us a little.  He asked if we knew anything about GPS devices.  We said yes and he said he found his volunteers for the day and he could leave!  All joking aside, he gave us a GPS and we were on our way to find the treasure.  We quickly learned that the hiding places were not so easy ti find.  Most of these treasures were far into the wooded area along the trails.  The center is located on 42 acres and lots of room to hide prize box.  We had four different coordinates, so with four boys we had to find them all!  I thought it was funny that the prizes matched the boy-Sean found a bookmark with a website about trees, Henry found a poster of nature art pics from our favorite artist, Edward found a frisbee, and Brendan found a book about Smokey the Bear.  It only took us about an hour to make the hike through the woods.  Forgive me for not wanting to go to the next station which was of all things a NATURE HIKE!  I must say that we did enjoy the hike along the trails looking at the various trees and even discovering an unusual spider that was quite camera shy!

The next station was about water pollution in our rivers.  There was a hands-on demonstration showing how the trash dumped in the rivers goes right into the Gulf of Mexico.  The boys were also given a chance to 'help' an animal that had trash wrapped around its body.  Brendan especially enjoys this activity but thinks he can keep the animal once it is free.  SO glad he has not found one of these creatures in real life...can you imagine what kind of zoo we would have at our house if he did?  Lo and behold!  We saw our favorite artist with his very large dog, Buster!  It was a great escape to the next station without a fight to take a stuffed animal home with us!

Bruce was at the tent building station, so the boys got the opportunity to set up a tent.  We learned that the three things to look for in a good camping site are:looking around for a flat surface, look up to avoid falling tree limbs, and look down to avoid rocks & holes and ants & snakes.  I always think it is funny to see a one-man tent.  I want to see the man (person!) who can put one of these tents up alone!  Our tent was supposed to be put up in less than ten minutes.  It took four boys and their Dad (not to mention the help of the activity leader) 30 minutes to put up that tent!  I am so glad the boys were having fun!  I think that activity wore Michael out!  Yet, the boys were still full of energy...on to the next booth!

The next two booths were a good combination...fishing and dutch oven cooking!  The wait for the fishing poles was long but steady.  This gave the boys time to make a S'more and try some dutch cooking before having their turn at casting.  I also had a chance to talk to the Bass Fishing expert about coming to our 4H meeting to talk about fishing and regulations.  Before we left these stations, we found out there would be some blueberry cobbler...we would need to make our way back this direction for sure!

I could not resist a photo opportunity that I had been trying to arrange for several weeks.  The center has the most awesome bench for taking pictures.  It is shaped like a very large butterfly with a nice support on the back.  It was just screaming for me to place Zaira in and what better time than her one month picture!  Can it really be one month since she was born!!!  I think this is going to be a spot we return to often for photos.

While I was taking advantage of Zaira actually being awake for these pictures, the boys were at our all time favorite booth...the Friends of the Forest!  In fact, we normally work at this booth for events.  Our friend, Tamberly, had on her friendliest smile.  We were happy to show off Zaira and talk about how well Amanda (the person who got us interested in this group!) was doing in NYC.  Tamberly was excited to see us because she just learned that she would be in NY for an event called Urban Waters.  She was hoping to meet Amanda when she was there.  She really wants Amanda to meet some of the US Forestry team in that area.  This sounded like a good plan to me!

The boys spent a little time with the snakes they have on display before leaving for the next station without me!  I was still talking to Tamberly about obtaining prizes for our 4H contest.  She was more than happy to help me and gave me so much she had to help me carry everything to the next spot...not finding them there, she went a little farther to the NEXT booth.  We found out that the station prior was for making frozen yogurt.  They arrived just in time to taste but would need to go back to actually make it.

I suppose that was a good enough reason to skip over to the archery booth.  This is another event that the boys really want to participate in for 4H.  We have even tried to start a project in the past but the project leader needs to go to a special training.  So, the boys get to enjoy a little taste of this each year.  If they had it there way, they would stay at this booth for a long time.  Unfortunately, they are usually not the only ones who find this activity fun.  This year was no different.  They got their one shot at the target and we had to move on!  Sean was the best shot of the day, hitting his arrow into the red zone!

We made our way back to the frozen yogurt in time to have the boys churn the new batch.  This gave me the chance to sneak back over to the dutch oven cooking and grab a cup of cobbler!  Yum!  Henry came along with me to snap a shot of Zaira with the red-tailed boa, Romeo, that Amanda loves so much.  I figured I needed to send this to her to let he know I was teaching Zaira at an early age that snakes are OK.  I NEVER would have done this with Amanda!  In the process of getting this picture, Henry found out the booth was short handed and he volunteered to stay and help.  He was glad to be able to hold the snakes for the rest of the day!

When I arrived back at the frozen yogurt booth, the boys were just finishing the batch they started. I was so proud of them...there were a lot of children at the booth.  Even though they made the frozen yogurt, they knew there would not be enough for everyone so they left without taking a sample.  So we made our way to the canoe demonstration instead.  The boys enjoyed learning about the way a canoe maneuvers and boat safety.

Could this really be the last station?  Well, there was that nature hike?  Nah...we needed to get home for lunch anyway.  Actually, there were two more stations we missed.  The boys ran over to play a game called Leave No Trace Behind while I went back for Henry.  And, we completely missed the track booth where the youth were able to create molds of their favorite animal track.  We could have done this but the cast would not have dried in time for us to take them home.  We have done this activity MANY times so it was not terrible to miss but of course, the boys love doing this activity!

As we were heading out, a friend, Cindy, stopped us to show her treasure find of the day...a Luna moth hidden in the bushes!  You just never know what you are going to find when you head outdoors!  This was a great way to spend our morning!  I am so thankful for everyone who worked so hard to make this event happen.  We had a great time and cannot wait for their future events...already on the calendar for sure!  We even had time throughout the day to do a little PR for our own event that will be at the Forest Fest in a couple of weeks.

Well, the boys are starting to drift back into the house.  Time to get back to our other stuff for the day...Michael is trying to finish up his paper for his class...making edits and adding more details...I should probably weed the flowerbeds while it is cool outside...I also want to add Zaira to our cross-stitch family tree...the boys will probably enjoy most of the day outside using their amazing and vivid imaginations.  It is going to be a great day for praising God!

Edward's Confirmation

Before we talk about Edward's big day, I have to say that today is the day we traditionally celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Why do we remember her birthday (usually we remember their death that takes them into the eternal life)?  God set out to make a special woman who could give birth to the Messiah, His only Son...the only way for the Son of God to come into this world was to be born of a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14).  One way to look at this is to see Mary as the New Eve, she, like the New Adam, was born immaculate, just as the First Adam and Eve were created immaculate.  We remember this later in the year on the feast of the Immaculate Conception (Mary conceived without sin in order to be prepared as the Mother of God...only possibly through the grace of God.).  She is conceived without original sin in order to be able to hold the Son of God within her womb!  We gladly remembered Mary on this day to acknowledge this joy in having the Mother of God given the fullness of grace to bring the Savior into this world.

This already blessed day was made even more special by Edward's confirmation.  What is Confirmation?  "Christian initiation is accomplished by three sacraments together: Baptism which is the beginning of new life;
Confirmation which is its strengthening; and the Eucharist which nourishes the disciple with Christ's Body and Blood for his transformation in Christ. " (CCC 1275)  The explanation when I was young was that Confirmation made us adults in the Church.  However, what is really happening is the Holy Spirit enters into our souls to place a indelible mark (irremovable) that gives us the strength (through the gifts of the Spirit-wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) to defend the faith at all costs.  Our bishop saw the importance of this strength and its need BEFORE the children receive the Eucharist.  So, today Edward will first be confirmed and then receive the precious Body and Blood for the first time!  The graces of God will surely be flowing through him today!

For Edward, he had prepared for over two years for this sacrament.  Our parish church had a Confirmation set up last March for our two little confirmands.  We would have had a nice personal ceremony for them both.  However, Michael was unable to be there because of work in Afghanistan, so the decision was made to wait until he got back.  This was a hard decision but Edward really wanted Michael to be present for this special occasion.  I fretted over the decision over the last few months...why do we do this to ourselves?  I should know by now that God has the plan!  He knew how this was going to work out and there was no reason to worry!  This day could not have been more special!

We began the afternoon leisurely getting everyone ready for Mass.  Not always an easy feat with four boys and a newborn!  We had everyone's clothes set out and ready so it made it all easy.  Edward was ready in his nice three piece suit and then we got the others dressed.  Everything was going as planned.

However, Brendan took one look at Edward and said, "I want to wear a tie also!"  My theory is when a boy says he wants to wear a tie...DO NOT REFUSE HIM!!!  LOL!  After all, we don't want them to grow up thinking they can be bums right?  So, once this started they all wanted to wear ties and get really dressed up. We do get dressed up nice for church each week but not to this extent so it took some doing...we had to hunt down dress shirts that would be appropriate for a tie.  But, after a little bit of a search we made it happen!  Thank you, Lord! We even made it out the door at the time we planned!

We arrived at the church an hour early, as we were told seating might be difficult for the larger families.  The arrangement was for Michael and Edward to sit on the pew closest to the altar.  There would be one other child with her sponsor.  The rest of us (including the other child's family!) would be at the other end of the pew.  Since I had no idea how Zaira and Brendan would be in a long service, I chose to sit on the other end of the pew.  We all got settled in our spots (remember we are early and there are not a lot of people there yet) and I look over to see Brendan sitting with Edward, hands folded in prayer and looking so sweet!  He told us that he was going to be confirmed also!  Michael tried to explain to him that he was not ready, but I told him to let Brendan stay.  It would be a good experience for him to see the Mass up close.  What could be the harm?  Maybe he would be the youngest confirmand of the day!

It turned out that the other family did not come to Mass.  Praying for that family as we do not know why they did not show up.  However, this allowed our family to all be together.  Then our little 'confirmand' fell asleep!  Maybe this was the Holy Spirit saying "Not yet my little soldier in Christ!," as he slept through the entire two hour Mass!

Because our Bishop was transferred to another diocese, we have a priest (actually one for each deanery) who has been given the special privilege to celebrate Confirmation in our diocese.  We were blessed to have Monsignor Stickland preside over this Mass.  I say that because he is so personable (especially with the youth) but also because I grew up with him!  It is always nice to have a special connection with the celebrant of a sacrament!

Once again , the readings for Mass this weekend were perfect for the celebration of the sacraments.  The first reading was from Isaiah 35:4-7.  He speaks about a prophecy that Jesus will heal the sick, and to be strong, fear not.  We too must remember to be open to healing of sin and fear not.  One of the effects of Confirmation is to be given the strength to live a Christian life.  The Psalm 146...Praise the Lord, my soul!...is just another sign of Confirmation as we go deep within us to find an inner peace with God.  The second reading from James 2:1-5 asks us to not doubt that God will call all of us to Him..."Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?"  Then the Gospel fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah as Jesus tells the deaf man to be open (Mark 7:31-37).  We to must listen to Jesus and be open to His teachings.

For those of you who have never been to a Confirmation, before a youth can be confirmed they must know their faith (Bible, Catechism, Church history) after months of study.  They are interviewed by various church leaders to show their knowledge.  The day of their Confirmation this last effort to 'test' their knowledge comes with the meeting of the celebrant (again usually a bishop).  And, during the Mass a few questions are given during the homily before the sacrament.  This is really more of a public witness of their knowledge as the questions are addressed to all who will be confirmed.

The last couple of weeks the adults in charge have been a little concerned about Edward because he was going to be in a large group of youth he did not know.  What if he was chosen among the group to answer a question?  Would he be to embarrassed or shy to answer a question?  I must admit...I did not know how he would react.

So, the moment arrived, and Monsignor Strickland decided to ask a surprise question of the group!  He asked, "Who was St. Patrick?" As I said, he is very personable and was walking through the pews, calling the youth by name (they all had on name tags) and making connections with them as much as possible.  So when he asked this 'surprise' question, it should have been in a comfortable setting (We were at St. Patrick's church after all!).  However, I think the group of confirmands were caught off guard.  No one seemed to want to answer this first question!  Until Edward's little hand went up there was silence in the building.  I thought he gave a great answer (no parent bias, right?)...he said, "St Patrick spoke for God to the people in

Ireland."  The priest squirming in his seat at the altar, looked at Michael and whispered a thank you.  I think he was afraid they would look bad if they could not respond to a question about the parish saint!  LOL!  This got the others going and a few more questions were answered with ease...Edward even hollered out an answer regarding the number of sacraments (seven)...before Monsignor Strickland went on with his homily. (Michael later told me he had to stop Edward from answering the other questions!  And Edward said he was mad at Michael because he knew all the answers.  LOL)

Then the most wonderful thing happened.  I really felt like our family was pulled away from the group in some way.  Like we were in our own little parish away from this large assembly.  Monsignor Strickland came over to Edward and said the following words:

"Edward, you have been called to a special service for God.  We don't know what that calling is going to be...maybe you will be a priest or a great father...a businessman who will do great things for the many people...or maybe a politician...We will be praying for you!  God has that calling determined and He will let you know when He is ready."

It was a special moment that will not be forgotten.  The ceremony continued with the three parts of the sacrament of Confirmation.  First, the entire assembly renewed their baptismal promises of belief.  We were asked to profess our faith in one God, in Jesus as our savior, and in the Holy Spirit.  Then Monsignor Strickland (along with the two priests) outstretched their hands to the group for the imposition of the hands for the reception of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:1-2).  I took a picture of Edward at this time because I wanted to see how he reacted at this moment.  I think it is an interesting moment captured even though the picture is blurry...it seems to show that there was a movement going through Edward at that time.

The final action of the sacrament is to be sealed by the Holy Spirit by the celebrant anointing each confirmand with holy chrism oil.  Edward was accompanied by Michael to stand before Monsignor Strickland.  They are asked to choose a saint (a person who led a holy life) who they wish to emulate.  The saint is announced as a way to show that the confirmand has changed...by the Holy Spirit.  By giving a confirmand a saint name, they have an example of someone who has led a virtuous life.

Edward chose St. Francis as his patron saint.  He said he thought he and St Francis were alike because they both liked animals and nature.  The priest at St. Patrick's told Edward that he chose well (hint...this is the priest's first name!).  I think he did also because he really thought about his saint and had a reason for his choice.  I think that Edward will find many other reasons for learning about the life of St. Francis.  There are many sides of St. Francis to discover.

When Edward came back to our pew, he looked so happy and blessed!  I love being present at sacraments.  The grace present is so amazing and evident in the faces of those receiving the grace.  I cannot help but believe that there are graces in abundance for all who attend the sacrament.

Then the Mass continued into the normal flow....leading up to the moment of communion.  Once again Edward would make his way to the altar for this new grace in his life.  He would receive the Body and Blood of Jesus for the first time.

Eucharist...meaning thanksgiving...is the greatest joy that is hidden in the appearance of bread and wine.  We, as Catholics, believe we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus at the time of communion at Mass.  Communion...communicating with the Lord...is the moment when Christ enters into our body and we are in union with His will.  We are united as one Body in Christ along with all of those who partake along side us and throughout the world.  Now Edward can also be a part of this united movement to spread the message of God with the nourishment given to us by Jesus (John 6).

Mass ended and more pictures were taken.  We even found a friend, Stefanie, to take a picture of the family together.  We asked Monsignor Strickland if he would take a picture with Edward.  He was pleased to be asked.  He even told Edward that he knew me when we were young.  He also told Edward that their middle names were the same.  Edward liked that and said his name was Edward Joseph...Monsignor Strickland smiled and said that was funny because his name was Joseph Edward!  Now Edward had an even closer connection with Monsignor Strickland!

I know this post is long but I have to tell you about the dinner we had after Mass.  Edward got to choose the restaurant.  He chose Logan's Roadhouse.  As we gathered together around the table, he said he really wished Amanda could be with us.  I told him that she was with us in spirit and I am sure she was thinking about him on his special day.  Then our waitress came over and introduced herself...Amanda!  I told Edward that God wanted him to know that Amanda was with us!  God has such a good sense of humor.  She turned out to be such a great waitress too...she took good care of us as we enjoyed our celebration.

Edward was given several gifts last night.  A beautiful cross from our friend Lyndia.  We were so glad she was able to come to Mass and celebrate this with us.  Then a very special cross from Grandma...it is shaped like a butterfly with a cross in the middle.  It comes with a story as well.  Also, if you turn the butterfly to the side, you can see the outline of a baby (Jesus) in a manger!  I also gave him a special gift that I purchased when I was in Rome.  It is a rosary purchased from the Vatican.  I had it blessed by the Pope and took around with me to all the holy places I visited.  Edward thought it was nice but I hope he will appreciate it more when he is older.

We also looked over to see a good friend of ours from our 4H group!  He had not seen us in a while so it was nice to show off our new addition and talk to him about the day.

We got home quite late and even Brendan was tired again by the time we got home (thankfully...since he had taken such a long nap!).  So blessed to enjoy this day with Edward.  May God continue to bless him as he defends the faith throughout his life!

First Friday

  

For those of you who are not Catholic (or maybe have forgotten some traditions), the first Friday of the month is a special day of prayer and worship.  Imagine having a day devoted to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus (his heart is burning for love of us!), and just as He shows His love for us, we are called to show our love for Him and ask mercy for the times when we turn away from Him.  One of the best ways to show this love is the adoration of Eucharist at Mass.

We began our time of prayer with Adoration of the Eucharist (Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ).  We were so blessed to have our family arrive to lead the Rosary.  We prayed with a focus on the Passion of Christ (his agony in the garden, his scourging at the pillar, the crowning with thorns, his way to Calvary carrying his cross, and his crucifixion) which is such a powerful meditation to bring you to your knees before the Lord.

The day was also an opportunity for us to go to Confession.  This was especially important for Edward as he is preparing to receive the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation, as well as his First Communion, tomorrow.  The older boys and Michael also were able to confess their sins.  I will need to find a time to go also, but we ran short of time as Mass was to begin.  The feeling of cleansing after Confession is not something to avoid...there is just a joy in the experience of knowing you are right with the Lord!

Mass was offered for all the intentions of our little home school group.  We have about ten families in the area who are able to come together for the Mass.  It is nice to enjoy Mass and fellowship afterwards.  Today everyone wanted to hear about Zaira.  I even let a few of the teenage girls hold her for a short time as the boys had all made their way to games in the house next door!

We made it home to finish out our school work for the week.  We even got through that science experiment we had to abruptly stop LAST WEEK!  The boys have now been given the experience of chemical concentration via water and Tums solution!  Most of the school day was spent with a first round of tests.

Michael and Edward made their way to a rehearsal for tomorrow.  I think this is one time when I really wish the Church would allow the Spirit to move through the ceremony.  However, I suppose when there is a large group who have prepared for this sacrament, there needs to be a little pre-meditated organization.

Speaking of getting organized!  I almost forgot to tell about our decision on the hushpuppy recipe!  If you read the blog post a few days ago, we were not 100% pleased with our first recipe.  Last night we got together with the other family competing with us.  We tried a new recipe...you can read about it on my 4H blog as this event seems to go back and forth between the two venues.  Today, Brenda and I talked about how to help our team win the spirit award that is given out each year.  We had already decided on our team being called The Patriots.  I might have even mentioned that the team would dress up like Betsy Ross, Washington, Lincoln and Crockett.  However, Davy Crockett just did not seem to be working with the rest of the group.  So, we decided to have Henry dress up like Teddy Roosevelt instead!  He is even going to carry in a big teddy bear!  Then we started thinking about other ways to decorate our table.  We now have an awesome plan to bring it all together.  We cannot wait to see it in reality...we have a couple of weeks to make it happen!

We ended the day with a reading from a book about the angels.  This month is dedicated to remembering these precious messengers of God.  We started reading this book in hopes to continue and complete by the end of the month.  It should be possible as it was meant to be read during the month of September and has been nicely divided for daily reading.  It is called St. Michael and the Angels.  It is very interesting to see what we know about the angels from the Bible stories.

Tomorrow should be a busy day so I am hoping to get to bed early tonight.  Say a little prayer for our family, especially Edward!

 

More Dentist Visits and More!

As hard as we try, we cannot be in two places at once.  Sometimes, when I look at our days I wonder how we fit it all in to one day.  I was so thankful Michael was home to help me today because it would have never happened without two of us!

We all woke up and started our day as usual...PE and breakfast...then begin morning school work.  However, Brendan, Zaira and I headed out the door at 8am for Tyler.  Zaira and I were going to our 2 week (week late due to mysterious rash) check up with the midwife.

While we were making this trek, Michael was taking the boys to town for art class...Yes!  I know we finished art classes with Henry a couple of weeks ago but it was so much fun for him we convinced the instructor to continue.  We even got some of the other homeschoolers to join in the fun so it should be another great round of learning.  Henry was so excited he was even willing to do his morning school work last night after dinner. The other boys worked on their remaining school work.  Michael also had a  nature art project for them after they completed their book work.  They looked for natural framing in their surroundings and took pictures.

Back at the midwife, this appointment was for Zaira, so she was measured and cooed over the entire time!  She now weighs 11 pounds and 12 ounces.  She also measured at 23 3/4 inches long.  I finally got a picture of the midwife with her as well.  We have one more follow up appointment for me in a couple of weeks.

We stopped at a baby clothes consignment store and looked for a bouncer or carrier for Zaira.  We did not have any luck with this but I can see that we will need to visit this store often.  Lots of great clothes for good prices.

Brendan was a great sport, so we went to the restaurant of his pick-Arbys! and had lunch.  Then we went to Toys-R-Us to pick out Zaira's first toy!  Well, really it was a bouncer for her to sit in and enjoy but it does have little toys hanging from a bar above her!  Edward was happy as it was not PINK...it has monkey pattern on it instead.  Why not pink?  Well...I just could not think of a good reason to pay twice the price for a pink one!

We ALMOST kept our plan of meeting back together at the house...but Zaira nursed a little longer at lunch so we missed Michael by ten minutes as he headed to another round of dentist appointments.

Sean stayed behind at the house as he had a book to read for school.  This worked out well because he was able to help me put the bouncer together.  This made his day...he loves making his sister happy!  I am not sure what Zaira thinks of the bouncer.  She did not dislike it but she did get bounced around quite a bit.  She will like it more when she can enjoy it on her own.

Michael took Edward and Henry to the dentist for the afternoon.  Henry did well...as he explained it...there were a lot of steps...first cleaning and then sealing the teeth with multiple layers of film.  Edward had the joy of a local anesthesia so he was feeling good as they filled cavities on one side of his mouth.  That means he will need to go once more before he is through with the dentist this time around.   Both boys were given certificates of bravery.  Edward was told he was the best patient of the week.

We did finally meet back at the house...just in time to get ready for Mass.  We got there just in time to see Fr. Paul walking up the aisle.  I made it through the Bible readings when Zaira had a doosie of a diaper!  Since Brendan was struggling to sit still, I took him with me to 'help.'  We made it back in time for the end of Mass.  God knows I tried and I prayed my way through the diaper mess...mainly saying "Lord, help me" but He knows that I meant every word...a mother's prayer does not get better than those three simple words!

We had time to take some posed pictures of Fr. Paul and Pat with Zaira since we did not get any last weekend at the baptism.  Pat talked to Zaira about St. Rose and she was truly listening to her every word.  She was very alert most of the evening and we had fun enjoying this time.

We ended the evening with a phone call from Amanda!  She really seems to be enjoying her job at the vet clinic.  She sounds happy also.  She even talked about asking her boss for time off in January to come home.  Hopefully we can work out the details as the time gets closer.  A great way to end the day!  Boys are now in bed and we can relax for a few before heading there ourselves.