He is Risen!!!

It is a stunningly beautiful Easter morning.  

I want to remember the Joy of the day, the unusual levels of cooperation with post- Mass pictures, and the gorgeous, sunny Spring weather.  

I also want to record a few tid-bits from the past few days that made me Laugh:

- after altar server rehearsal prior to the Easter Triduum, a certain 11-yr-old, for whom serving these liturgies is a brand new thing....   Me:  Did you learn what you're supposed to do?  Him: I basically didn't understand a word he said except, "Be there 30 minutes early."

-While discussing the cold morning air and whether to wear tights...  Yoyo (age 8):  If Jesus can get crucified on the cross, I think I can go bare-legged.

-Our 14 year old daughter begged to attend the Easter Vigil, then she happily got up and went to Mass again this morning.

-Crash (age 3) to his grandfather who suggested he wait until after lunch to eat cake:  I don't like you.

-Spike (age 13) played basketball for hours upon hours outside with his cousin in spite of cold, red cheeks and fingers.

-My crazy brother, affectionately known as 'Uncle Phil,' took all the kids on a wild mud-bogging adventure through soggy fields at my parents' house in their Ranger (ATV).  So many happy, exhilarated, FILTHY children.

This Easter will long be remembered as one of the best.  

Happy Easter

Daffodils for Easter make my heart sing!

It's Holy Saturday afternoon. We just spent about 24 hours with my side of the family.  It was ridiculous amounts of fun!!

Now we're recovering from all that excitement and coloring Easter eggs.  

This activity has the potential to be very peaceful.  However...

(2 sleepy girls.  The one with the towel on head is the only one among us heading to the Easter Vigil in a few hours...  She'll be singing in the choir.)

...this little man does not understand the waiting process that's required.  

Here are Grandma and Pada with all their grandkids.  So much fun.  I'm sure they may currently be found napping.  

Tomorrow after Mass, we're making a road trip to visit Nana and Papa.  

Have a Blessed Easter!!!

Daylight Savings..

...is not gonna mess with this girl!!  While the rest of us struggle to move and grieve for our lost hour, she's up early and has her schoolwork almost done by 9:00am.  (I should clarify that Daddy has been gone for hours - 6:30am meeting - my idea of torture...)  

In other news, the puppy got a serious haircut...

Second Sunday of Lent

My oldest child, her godmother, and I attended a truly wonderful women's conference on Saturday.  The theme?  MERCY CHANGES EVERYTHING.  Beautiful, true, timely.  I am still contemplating the words and the liturgy from the priests and speakers.  It's been a long time since I've attended a conference, and what a joy to share this experience with my daughter and dear friend (who I consider to be my godmother, too, in a sense, because she was my RCIA sponsor).  

We returned home Saturday night to happy kids, a tired husband (God bless him), most of the laundry clean and folded (again, God bless my husband).  Sunday was unseasonably warm.  After church, three of my kids plus the puppy took a long walk and Joy snapped the picture above.  Her Instagram caption read, "Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a super hero."  Love this.

It was a good weekend.  Hope you all have a blessed day. 

We'll Make Do

So far, It's been a very wimpy winter in terms of snow accumulation...  Over the weekend, we got about an inch, and it's decent for packing, so 3/5 kids plus one puppy are outside making the best of it.  I am taking pictures through the window from my perch next to the fireplace.  

Happy semi-snowy Monday!

Birthday!

This handsome dude (the one with the red scarf) turned 11 two days ago.  11!  That puts us dangerously close to having 3 teenagers in the house.  He's pictured here with his cousin/buddy extraordinaire.  

For his birthday dinner, he chose cheese and crackers, apple slices, and ice cream.  We added a rotisserie chicken to the menu, and he was perfectly content. My husband picked out some special cheeses at the store, and it turned out to be a super fun dinner, in spite of my reservations.

So, happy birthday to our kind-hearted, scientifically-minded, one-of-a-kind middle child.  We love you like crazy.

Saturday in Chicago

Summer Intensive Ballet auditions have begun.  For all of January, serious young dancers around the country flock to big cities hoping to get chosen for one of their dream programs.  Or, sometimes, they go just for the experience of a new studio, different teachers, challenging themselves to see how they compare with other young artists.

Sometimes it's just about proving to yourself that you can conquer your nerves and get through it.  

I planned to read during the audition but there's way too much tension in the air for that.  So...

First I went for coffee.  The change is what I had in my purse.  This particular DD must be welcoming to the homeless because there were several hanging around.  Whoever asks first gets my stack of coins.  The draft coming in the door was terrible, so I moved on to Target. 

 I've never seen a two-story version of my favorite store.  And, have you ever seen this??!!   It's an escalator for carts.  Maybe I'm just a country bumpkin, but this handy conveyor was new to me...  

Check it out in action:

Yes, I shamelessly photographed a stranger and her groceries.

While I was there, I picked up something I've been longing to try...

A grown-up coloring book!!  So fun!

And I found one of our friends from our home studio to hang out with (she was waiting to audition with her age division, which started later):

Meanwhile, Dad took all the other kids plus our nephew to a museum.

So, it's an eventful weekend for us.  

Have a blessed day.