Ann's First Holy Communion

This past weekend Ann made her First Holy Communion.

It was a beautiful day watching her receive the greatest gift.

During the homily the priest had the children take part in a "treasure hunt".  Scattered around the church were clues representing important symbols of our faith, such as the baptismal font and the Paschal Candle.  Each clue led to the final "treasure"....the Tabernacle.

Ann answered one of the clues correctly and had to retrieve the next clue for Monsignor.

She also took part in the Offertory Procession.

  So proud of that girl.

We had some pretty awesome altar servers that day, too.

Billy and Mary

I also have to mention that big sister Mary helped Ann get dressed for the day.  She did Ann's hair

and put on her veil.  So lucky to have that girl as my helper.

 That special moment of receiving Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist.

Ann's great-grandmother, Mom-Mom

Gran and Gramps!

Grandpop!

Our Monsignor!

Our friends John and Mary

Cousins Jason and Eric

 

God Bless Ann Theresa!

 

"Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb." 

Easter Weekend

Baseball has officially started for all three boys.  Matthew had his first practice on Saturday.  There were tears.  He spent most of the time in the dugout waiting for this torture, also known as T-ball, to be over.

Tommy had a game.  The score was 28-2.  It was a looooooong game.

Billy had a scrimmage.

Next Day:  Easter Sunday

 Some of my side of the family came for dinner.  My sister in law organized the egg hunt.

My niece Eileen and sis in law Kathy

It was a beautiful day all around.

I hope you had a Happy Easter as well.

Scenes From A Birthday

Look who's 10!

That face pretty much sums up who Tommy is....he's fun, energetic, and happy.  He's very affectionate too, and my mother's heart just loves that about him.

I forgot to mention he's my daredevil.  So we got him the perfect gift.

Later that afternoon, Dad took him to see Captain America, The Winter Soldier, too.

 

Happy Birthday Tom-Bomb.  We love you!

Iron Man

Will the real Tony Stark, please stand up?

Ordinary Is Extraordinary

I woke up this morning feeling Matthew crawl over my legs and under the covers into the spot that had been vacated by Bill.  Once the blurry vision cleared, I saw the light from the bathroom shine through the door that was slightly opened. 

Inside I could see Bill, standing at the sink already dressed for work.  His back to me, I could see the sharp way he tucked in his dress shirt--military tuck--just like he learned in the Navy. 

I remember what my mom always said: "There's nothing more handsome than a man in suit."  She was right. 

I watched him tie his tie.  I thought, "Boy, am I lucky."

I turned to the right of me to see Matthew who was already asleep, and again I thought, "Boy, am I lucky."

It is in these moments-- these simple, simple moments, that bring joy to my life as long as I remember to let them.

Scenes From A Birthday

It's been almost 3 weeks ago now, but little Miss Ann had a birthday.  Since Bill and I were on retreat, she had a blast at her Gran and Gramps house for an entire weekend.  They gave her a party, complete with cousins!  And cake! And presents! And lots of love!

When we all got home, we celebrated with ice cream cake.

I can't believe she is 9 already.  She is growing into such a sweet little lady.  She has a big heart and takes such good care of Matthew.  She's like a little mother to him.

She is my angel girl. I love you Annie-pants.  Happy (belated) Birthday!

Here I Am

Have I completely lost any and all followers I ever had?

It's been two weeks since I last posted.  Usually when there's nothing in particular to write about, I do one of my famous "Everyday Happenings" posts.  But to be honest, unless you want to hear how I plucked two gray hairs out of my eyebrow last week, there really is nothing happening.

Well, that's not completely true.  We've been out and about enjoying different social events. (We're popular like that).  I've also spent a lot of quality time with my calendar.  When we're on the cusp of Spring sports things get a little harried for me.  It's not the running around so much as it is the conflicts of who needs to be where when.  When two kids need to be at the same place at the same time, I can get it done.  But, throw in the third, fourth, or fifth kid and I need to be super crafty in my skills. Sometimes those skills include making pancakes for dinner and eating in the car.

I asked Matt today what he liked better--Mornings at home with me, or afternoons at school.  That little bugger said, "Afternoons at school."  Can you even believe it?  The nerve.

Here are some shots Mary took with her tablet while she, Matt, and Ann played "School Picture Day."

Don't you love the scattered pine cone decorations?

Happy Spring everyone!