The Beginning of our Oompa Band?

Or maybe "Oompa Loompa?"    

Move Over Steve Jobs

I thought I was so savvy when I made the rule that the only food items to which children could help themselves were those from the fruit bowl. Good gracious, these Apple Brothers are going to eat us out of house and home. This shot is 100% unposed-come-around-the-corner-and-find-it-material.

The Middle of Our Three is Three

SETH! Our little man. Our first little man, today you turned three.

It was a joyous birthday, but really you are such a ray of sunshine that you act as if every day is your birthday. For the way people grumble about middle children, I just haven't seen that from you. Au contrair, little guy. You can be calm and still enough to sit patiently while your older sister reads you book after book. You will sit there as long as she is willing to read another title. On the other hand, you are happy to climb into your baby brother's crib and pummel him just minutes after he wakes up.

You are the cuddler of the family. You tell jokes that don't make sense and then laugh uproariously. You still love your "babbis" at night, but we sheepishly let you hang on to them as the final remnant of your babyhood. You potty-trained about a month ago, spend many hours a day in costume as either a knight or a superhero and your energy is unfathomable. Every day you show us what a joy and what a challenge God designed in little boys. We love you with hearts that want to turn into bean-bag chairs and let you flop into them and stay forever.  Happy Birthday, Son.

St Paul's Outside the Walls

Renewal of Vows

Amazing. That is it. My husband and I were blessed with the opportunity to renew our marriage vows this morning. At an 0800 Mass in a crypt chapel at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, we stood there and said "I do" all over again.

Our marriage was a sacramental one. It is forever. We were not messing around on Sep. 6, 2003 when we said we do. It is really forever. I thank my Church. I thank my Church for having the timeless wisdom to know that humans are weak and there are moments when I need to have no choice - it is forever. So, as we stood in that intimate chapel, we were just feet from the burial place of Saint Peter, the first pope, Christ's vicar. We were also near the tomb of John Paul II, recently beatified pope of the majority of our lives -  I felt a part of something huge and sacred and eternal. Saying yes again, with all the life and experience that seven years has entailed,  was really a no-brainer. Yes, Babe, YES YES YES!