They are Here!

Aunt Linda and Uncle Mark spent their first day in Germany fighting (and defeating) the six hour jetlag. They are true champs, and made it all the way through with only one teeny power nap. We are getting the most out of them already:

Homeschool Music Class

I doubt that the Catholic-hymn writer Dan Schutte has ever seen his beautiful hymn "River of Glory" performed in this way:

a naked 2 year-old and his videographer 5-year-old sister in front of an Imac computer playing his song.

(chorus lyrics are, "River of Glory, springs of our birth, flood of God's riches poured on the Earth. We are born from the darkness and clothed in the light, we are bathed in the glory of God.)

The Gifts of The Holy Spirit

Pentecost... one of my absolute favorite Church holidays.


There is something about this one that has always spoken to me: the frightened Apostles locked in the upper room - so human-- and then the confidence with which they are inspired when the rushing wind of the Holy Spirit enters their midst.

Additionally, after a couple of years of European travels, I can appreciate the power of being able to speak a different language. What an important aspect of the early evangelization in the wake of Christ's death.

As for us, we had a humble celebration involving lots of the Holy Spirit's symbolic red color, some Pentecost punch, Holy Spirit cookies, discussion of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and oh, yeah, of course Clifford got to come to dinner because, well, he is red. Hope your weekend was peaceful and renewing.

Big Boy Upon Us

With three children I have noticed that the milestones seem to hit you like a ton of bricks, like a surprise, rather than like the natural result of the carefully observed growth and progress of which you have been so aware.

The Clark Bar has now joined us at the table:

and I had to get out his first pair of shoes to facilitate the insane jumping in his jumperoo.

videographer Viv

She has been begging me to post this video. It demonstrates her ongoing preoccupation with the fact that "Baby Clark" isn't anyone's big brother. She has solved this problem by entrusting her Baby Alives to his care and baby tutelage.

Fryday

There are some days it pays to be a stay-at-home-Mom. Unfortunately, I tend to get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of raising young children and lose sight of the greater scheme of things. It takes continual refocusing on my part to reaffirm my decision to make mother-wifering my full-time job. We know that, in the long run, our familial stability hinges on my ability to be home with the chill'ns. But what about in the short-run?
Well, today I was rewarded with one of those short-term-smile-inducing moments. It was about 0900 and Viv was back in her bedroom changing into her "Friday" underwear because who can really do homeschool work without donning the appropriate undergarments? As I stood at the sink loading the morning breakfast dishes into the dishwasher I heard her call out, "Mom, are we going to fry something today?" I only had to pause for a moment to figure that one out. A huge smile came across my face as I relished the joy of experiencing language and life anew alongside every pair of fresh eyes and brain of which Ethan and I are the co-creators with God. She is the first of our three children to be unlocking the mysteries of life and it is mind-blowing. I turned off the faucet and responded in the only possible way, "yes, of course we will."

We don't fry anything around here, but you can bet that tonight Daddy deep-fried us some frozen pot-stickers.

I never want to forget this day.

Fraternal Love

Or is it "frat house" love?

6-Month Check-up

Nothing too exciting at Clark's 6-month check-up: for which I am grateful. However, I do want to report that he weighs 20 lbs. 1 oz., which means that I could put his carseat front-facing a full six months earlier than allowed by the two-pronged "20lbs. AND one-year" rule. Good to know. Good to know that I will be hauling that Chunker up to our third-floor walkup in his infant carseat for another six months!

Mothers' Day

I didn't have the presence of mind to snap a picture, but I would like to proclaim to the world that I was presented with homemade crepes, filled with fresh whipped cream and raspberries, accompanied by a caramel latte for my Mothers' Day brunch. The taste of these creations rivaled that of crepes I have eaten at a cafe in Paris on the back of the Seine River. I say this not to name-drop, but, rather, to laud my Renaissance Man of a husband.

I will tell you, though, these crepes and espresso tasted far sweeter than any restaruant could ever produce. The magic ingredient to this mother's palate was the sweet sounds of an eager 5-year-old daughter at her father's side.... learning the small and large steps of coordinating a perfect meal for a loved one.

Clark's 1/2 Birthday

Clark William marks a half of a year with the family today. He is even-tempered and quick to smile. He adores his older (look-alike) sister who enjoys spending quiet reading and movie-watching time with him on the couch. His relationship with his older brother is a bit more ambivalent, but after many kicks-to-the-head and involuntary dog-piles, Clark still gives Seth the benefit of the doubt and loves him.

100% breast-fed, he is still largely a Momma's boy, but we have big hopes for his ability to bond with the father whose arrival home each night causes him to light up with a smile. Clearly I have no way of knowing just yet, but I fancy that he will be my intellectual, conversational partner son when he is grown. Only time will tell, but we don't need any more time to know how much we love having Clark as the completion of our quintet.

3 "Babies"

A game they invented for themselves, this late Thursday afternoon. The best part was that the older two would only goo and gaa for a good part of the afternoon.