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.

Dandelion Wednesday

Our homeschooling plans had to be drastically altered when I saw today's weather forecast. We spent the morning collecting, observing and reading about dandelions.

These bright yellow flowers are all over the fields and playgrounds here, and I have realized how much being a mother changes one's perspective on these flowers. I mean, just five years ago I was at Home Depot buying the strongest chemical weed-killer on the market to rid our backyard of the "most resistant dandelions." Now, my two eldest children collect them as we walk, and bring them to me in proud, vibrant bouquets. They adorn our table in a teeny vase. In fact, as I was preparing our lesson for the morning I came across this quote from the great Ralph Waldo Emerson: "A weed is just a plant whose virtues are waiting to be discovered." After this morning with the kids, I have to agree.

Italy for 13 days -we must be mad

So, we have now quasi-settled into life with three children and Daddy has been home from his deployment for a whole five weeks, so the logical next step.... a whirlwind tour of the boot-shaped country to our South and home of our beloved Catholic faith, lookout Italia....