Spring Things

Considering it's almost Thanksgiving, maybe I should catch up on our spring.  Blogger FAIL.  I'm not sure if life's busier, I'm spending too much time catching up on Grey's Anatomy, or what but I seem to have forgotten that I have a blog.  In my defense, we had ONE free weekend all summer (more on that later) so it's been hard to stay caught up.

Our spring was full of family, friends, and fun.  We visited Aunt B and Uncle S for St. Patrick's Day--there's a huge parade in a nearby town and since Grandma A is Irish, it was a fun holiday to spend together.

Then we visited Aunt Moni in Tulsa (Big Daddy and I went to a Casey Donahew concert and she babysat) and had fun at the aquarium.  I love that we can drive two hours either way and see family!

We also did a weekend in St. Louis with the S family.  Daddy isn't a fan of St. Louis (apparently to do so means that you're disloyal to KC) so he reluctantly visited.  We had a beautiful day for the zoo and an interesting hotel experience (right across the street from Comi-Con.)  You haven't quite lived until you're swimming, and action heroes walk through the lobby.  I love St. Louis (AND my beloved KC) and I can't wait to take the girls back.

A huge highlight for Sassy (and her mom) was seeing Hunter Hayes in April.  And not just seeing him, but MEETING him!  I had decided to surprise her (BIG thanks to some of our friends who invited us) so I wrote it on her calendar--which she checks almost daily.  As you can see, we also worked our church's Food PANTY that morning.  HAHA!

It was such a fun night.  As always, seeing something through her eyes was just incredible.  I think I watched her more than I did the stage.  (Sorry, Hunter, your show is great but I had a pretty good one going on in the seat next to me.)  :)

Speaking of shows, both girls had their end of year programs.  Part of Keke's was the Christmas program that they didn't get to do in December because of snow days.  Oh the irony that she played an angel. . .   :)  The programs were bittersweet because each girl left her school in May.  Plus Keke graduated!  It's been weird to not take her to preschool--I miss that place!

After a whole year of preparing, Sassy had her First Communion in May.  I was SO proud of her and we had such a fun weekend with family.  I love that our families enjoy each other--it was great to have everyone here to celebrate with her. 

Big Daddy and I squeezed in a few more red-dirt concerts and then it was time for school to be out.  I have to admit, I almost dreaded summer this year because I knew how full it was going to be.  But now that school is back in session and "real life" is in full swing again, I miss the fun we had.  I'm not sure how Big Daddy did it because at least we girls could nap Monday through Friday!  There was more than one occasion where we got home just in time to repack the suitcase for the next adventure.  But what else are summers for?          

Leap of Faith

As a cradle Catholic, I've never thought much about my religion.  It's who I was and what I did.  I can remember following along with the missalette when I could barely read; cleaning the church (grudgingly I admit) with my mom and grandma, the smell of lemon-scented Pledge forever taking me back to those Saturday mornings; wishing I could be a server like my brothers (luckily my girls will get to!)  And then I grew up and fell in love with a Catholic boy.  I guess when it's all you know, it's all you know.  You have no reason to question any of it.

But others have.  Most have been innocent curiosities.  The coworker who asks about purgatory.  A friend who asked why we didn't believe in the Resurrection.  (What?!  She innocently said she had been raised to believe that we have Jesus hanging on the cross because we don't believe he was raised from the dead.  !!!  It was a good discussion though--and a chance to explain the crucifix as a powerful reminder of His ultimate sacrifice.)  But about a year ago, a coworker pointed out that Jesus didn't command us to celebrate Lent--that it's not mentioned at all in the Bible, and to do so was a sacrilegious defiance of His Word.  Ouch.  Despite our discussion, neither of our minds was changed.  You can't argue or prove faith, after all.  Then The Bible mini-series came out and a "friend" on Facebook attacked it saying "What can you expect from Catholics who worship Mary instead of Christ."  That lead to numerous back-and-forth private Facebook messages in which he told me everything we were doing wrong and how he was simply trying to save me from continuing down the wrong path.  I soon took it upon myself to have one less person on my Friend list.  Growing up in a predominantly Protestant community, I knew my sisters had been the object of such ridicule, but I luckily had somehow escaped, or had been too oblivious to notice.  I was appalled that people who called themselves Christians could be so awful.

But then it got me thinking. . . what if they're right?!  What if we have it wrong. . . ?  What if this was God sending me a message???

Coincidentally enough, R and I then began a study at church called Catholicism by Father Robert Barron.  WOW.  I left each week empowered and in awe of my faith.  His sermons are so down-to-earth and inspirational.  We then did his series The Eucharist, and watched The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn.  It was as if everything I had been doubting or questioning was suddenly clear.

Then this past week, my friend's brother passed away from influenza complications.  It hit way too close to home.  At the funeral mass, I nervously sat in the pew with my non-Catholic coworkers.  I felt like all eyes were on me as I crossed myself and knelt down.  I'll admit that some Sundays, the routine of mass is painfully monotonous.  It's easy to go through the motions and say, "And with your spirit" and stand and kneel and sit without really thinking about what I'm doing.  But on this day, it was as if I'd never before heard the words.  I think I was super sensitive that something would be said to offend them or to give them "ammunition."  What if the priest said something about our reverence to Mary?  What if he talked about Lent?  What if his sermon went against what they believe?  All of my fears, of course, were unfounded.  Simply put, it was absolutely beautiful.  When the priest read the Gospel about Martha asking Jesus where He was, and why He didn't save her brother, I sobbed.  I too, have asked the same thing.  And then the priest delivered his sermon and reminded us all that the deceased isn't dead, he's very much alive with Jesus in the life that He promised.  And that anyone who believes in the Resurrection (See? We do believe!) will never die but have eternal life.  Every song, every prayer, every reading was amazing.  I found myself shaking with emotion and my eyes welling up with tears--some from sorrow, some from shame at being nervous, some from an overwhelming love of my faith.  I realized how beautiful the mass is--and how often I take it for granted.  It was truly one of those "out of body experiences" that could only come from the Holy Spirit.

The next day a coworker stopped me in the hall.  She said she had lots of questions for me and that while mass took her breath away, she left the funeral feeling absolutely terrible.  "Why?!" I asked, nervous about what she had seen or heard to make her feel awful.  "I couldn't get over the reverence, the holiness, of your church.  Mine's a dog and pony show, and I just kept thinking, 'Wow, we're missing the boat here.' There's something to be said for that tradition."  I walked away feeling an absolute peace within my soul.

Sassy recently asked what would happen if she marries someone from a different church.  She's making her First Communion soon and starting to realize what our faith means.  We told her that together, the two of them would have to figure out the best fit for their relationship, and decide which feels most like home.  I'm blessed that the decision made for me almost forty years ago is the same decision I would make today. 

As one of my favorite Father Barron quotes states:  "Faith is not having to have all the answers, but trusting in The One who does."  And for now, that's more than enough. 

The Good Life

I'm kinda bad about the compare thing.  I hope it's human nature and normal.  I hope it's easy to get sucked into.  I hope it's not just me.  I recently learned during an adult study at my church that it's a sign of pride.  Pride?!  Whatta what?!  (But that's a post for a different day.)  I think social media has made it worse.  Facebook:  Look at me/my life/my kids/my husband/what we're doing/where we went/who we're friends with.  Pinterest:  Look at what I'm going to do/build/make/create/wear/decorate.  I can sometimes forget what's going on in my own home, with my own family, with my own life.

And as He always does, God sends me a little message just a few days before Valentine's Day:

AMEN.  Such a great reminder--and unfortunately, something that I need more than I want to admit.  And a few days later when the "good" husbands of the world were sending/delivering flowers and planning romantic dinners at fancy/schmancy restaurants, I was able to step back and appreciate the good life in my own house.

R came home and immediately started rolling out some dough for his famous grilled pizza--and battling the cold outside (hey, at least there wasn't snow on the ground.)  We ate dinner with our babies and then sent them on a little scavenger hunt.

Note to self:  make it harder or longer next time. . . they were ALL over it but it was all OVER way too fast.

  

Who knew that finding new jackets would be this exciting?

Kidz Bop and Frozen CDs! 

And R had planned the rest of our night.  While I would like to say that we make time for each other, having kids has made date night a little more difficult.  I know we go out more than my parents ever did, (who could afford a sitter for our brood?!) but living away from family has proven to be tough.  I love our teenage sitters but I hate to pay someone to hang out at the house while the girls sleep.  So needless to say, date night gets pushed to the side way more than I expected or wanted.  We've tried to do something at home after the girls are in bed, but unfortunately we don't always make the effort to carry through.  (Daddy is watching a game on TV--does a season exist when there are NO games?--and Mama is curled up on the couch with her quilt, a book, and her phone.  If that doesn't ooze hot romance, I'm not sure what does. . .)  Anyway, back to Valentine's Day.  R brought home three different kinds of wine and cheese.  Cheese that is not squirted from a can or comes from a yellow cardboard box!  Happy squeal!  AND. . . for those who don't know my husband,  this is HUGE.  He's a Miller High Life guy.  He's a Jim Beam and water guy.  He's NOT a wine guy.  

And of course, it wasn't a fancy/schmancy, sophisticated wine-tasting.  Because that's not us.  We headed to our (still unfinished) basement, played darts like we used to in college, and listened to some red-dirt country (including one inappropriate song thanks to my brother-in-law about pool hall chili that makes me giggle EVERY time.  Thanks, D.)  Did I mention that we were wearing flip flops OVER our socks?  (It's cold, the floor isn't finished and it's just easy to slide the flip flops on.  Again, HOT.)  But we had SO much fun.    

I do think it's easy to try to define our lives by looking at someone else's.  And unfortunately, we miss out on the life that He's given us.  Twenty years ago, I would have never considered the "perfect" Valentine's Day to include darts and flip flops over socks in an unfinished basement.  But having a guy who's willing to try something I love, who makes me laugh like crazy, and whom I enjoy spending time with makes me realize how blessed I am.  (And good news--he discovered that maybe he IS a wine guy!)  I realize that there's no need or room for comparing in my house.  Unless we're talking about another wine tasting night.  And I'm totally off the couch for that!             

Our 2013

So it's March 3 and we're on our 16th (17th?) snow day of the school year.  The actual temp this morning was 2 (2. No, I didn't leave out a number) and this is the view out my back window:

So. Over. It.  But the good news is that I've never gotten around to posting our Top Moments of 2013.  And because I'm wearing three layers of clothing, (I'm also over The Winter of Trying to Conserve Propane) I'm going to pretend that it's really still Christmas break and I'm not three months behind.  :)

I polled my family recently in the car about our past year and simultaneously, three voices echoed in sweet harmony:  "Florida."  Awwww, Florida.  On more than one occasion, we've all gotten homesick for Florida.  We were driving one day a few months ago and out of the blue, Keke asked oh-so-sadly, "When can we go back to Florida?"  I know there will be other vacations and other trips, but there's something about our first one that will always be special.  Some days it feels like it was all a dream.  It was really that good.

August marked the first day of second grade, preschool and Mama's 15th year!  It was also the last first day for Sassy at the elementary (she'll be at the intermediate next year) and Keke's last first day before kindergarten.  I'm not sure if I'm ready for my Cuddle Buddle to be in school but May marks our last daycare bill and I'm definitely ready for that.  :)

Sassy started riding her bike by herself and Keke conquered staying dry overnight.  Most of the time. . . Seriously though, they're both so darn big.  I love it and hate it all at once.  I love that they're both in boosters and can buckle their own seatbelts, I love that R and I can sleep in on Saturdays while they watch TV, I love that they both dress themselves in the mornings and (usually) have their shoes on the right feet.  I got behind a young mom at Walmart the other day who had a sleeping baby and toddler in one cart and her groceries in the other, and it dawned on me that I've become "that" mom.  The oohing and aahing "older" mom who misses the baby days and realizes how fast it goes by.  However, it was short lived as I watched her juggling the carts, her wallet, the waking baby--and my kids were fighting over who could put the most groceries on the conveyor belt.  ("Girls!  Stop it! There's enough for everyone!  Hey, don't forget the stuff on the bottom.  Mommy's just gonna finish reading the tabloid headlines.")  

Luckily our family keeps feeding my baby fix.  Our new niece/cousin JE barely made the list--she made her appearance on December 28!  And our nephew/cousin S celebrated his "rebirth" in May when he was baptized.  We've had so much fun getting new babies!

We also got the news that we're adding yet another family member this year.  No. . . no babies at this point. . . Just Uncle "Turden."  :)  He and Auntie Moni are getting married in August!  And her nieces are SO excited!  They're also moving only two hours away from us (YAY!) so we're excited to have some more family closer.  

We were blessed with lots of weekend/camping trips with friends and family, and Mama was able to get away to St. Louis with two of my best friends from college.  I met them in 1994 when a stranger knocked on my dorm door saying she needed a place to live after a fight with her roommate--would I mind if she moved in?  Sure. .  . why not?  I look back often on this moment and know that our paths were supposed to cross.     

The three of us have been through a lot in nineteen years.  Two marriages, two babies, two step daughters, one accident, too many funerals, lots of moves, several job changes.  We've done road trips to visit each other, a wedding on the beach, and now a vow to do more getaways together.  We had SUCH a fun weekend.  It's hard to believe I've known these girls for almost 20 years (and even harder to believe that my freshman year of college was that long ago. . yikes.)

Another great year.  We're blessed with family, friends, good health, happy (most of the time!) kids and we're ready for the rest of 2014.  I just hope it involves a little less snow.      

43 Things

Resolutions are tough.  On one hand, I love the idea of a new year and a new me.  I love the idea of working on things that I know I need.  But on the other hand, shouldn't every day be a chance to do this?  And honestly. . . how long do those resolutions last?  (Ask the blog I started when I resolved to read a book a week.  I got to Week 30-something. . . ) 

Recently, one of the teachers I work with challenged his students to make a list of "43 Things." (He got the idea here.)  And like every assignment he gives, he also completed it.  And then he challenged ME.  To which I whined:  "I've already done everything."  High school graduation, check.  College, check.  Career, check.  Own a house, check.  Husband, check.  Kids, check.  Master's degree, check.  That's it.  I've done everything I was supposed to.  To which he replied:  "Seriously?"  This teacher is about ten years younger than I am (How old did I feel when we determined he was in eighth grade on 9/11 when I was teaching eighth grade. . . ) and he's very worldly.  He's been everywhere and done everything.  (And might I add, he's single so I'm sure that has something to do with it.)  But he got me thinking.  I've done what I was "supposed" to do. . . what do I WANT to do with my life?  We get ONE.  ONE life.  And the older I get, the shorter it seems.  I hope nothing happens to me any time soon, but lately I've felt reminded of my own mortality.  Maybe it's because I'm getting older.  Maybe it's the month (January is a tough one).  Maybe it's because lately I've seen too many people I know lose loved ones or face death.  And it makes you realize that while we hopefully have eternity after this world, THIS is our only earthly life.  What do YOU want to do?  So. . . challenge accepted.

It was tough.  There were some easy ones: 
Retire on a beach in Key West with my husband, a sailboat, and a beach chair. 

Some felt like cheating because they're on the agenda for this year so if all goes as planned, I'll get to cross them off (you remember that I like that crossing off thing. . .):
Disney
stick my feet in the Pacific Ocean
get rid of the blue toilet (it's sitting in my front yard as we speak.  Yes, really!) 

Some will most likely never happen: 
have my own talk show
star in a musical (hard to do when you lack singing ability. . . )
write a best-selling YA novel
be a famous blogger 

Others are more manageable:
watch Gone with the Wind (never seen it!)
finish a book series (I'm horribly embarrassed that this librarian typically just reads the first book and never gets around to the others because there are SO many new releases!)
organize my digital photos 

It was really good for me to do.  It made me realize that while I've checked a lot off my list, there are still things in life that I hope, dream, and wish for.  And while the degrees, husband, kids, house, and career are a lot to be proud of and grateful for, who are we without dreams?  Somewhere beyond the wife, mom, and librarian is a soul who wants to go ziplining, learn to crochet, cruise the Vegas Strip in a convertible and read the Bible in its entirety.

So what's on your list?  Make it.  And then make it happen.               

Christmas Traditions

I can remember growing up and feeling sorry for my parents on Christmas morning.  No gifts from Santa, socks in their stockings and, I guess on the years when Dad was really good, a can of cashews.  I was so glad I wasn't a parent!  Christmas was awful for them!

Of course, as an adult, my perspective has changed dramatically.  A recent post I saw on Pinterest says it better than I ever could:  


How true is that.  I can't even explain how fun it is to celebrate Christmas with our girls.  Along the way we're creating traditions--some that we never intended to, which in my opinion, are the best ones!

Tradition #1:  Dove From Above
The big fad these days is Elf on the Shelf.  Now I'm not against Elf on the Shelf at all.  Nearly everyone I know has one.  But I'm not one to jump on board (which is why it took me forever to do Facebook and a blog. . . who knows maybe I'll have an Elf at some point too.)  What I don't like about the Elf is how it's become a "one-upping" EVENT every night during December on Facebook.  Whose Elf can do the most outlandish, original, funny, ridiculous stunts.  Honestly, simply remembering to move it would be more than enough for me.  I don't get how some moms have the time, energy and money to do what their Elf does!  And I really don't get why they do naughty stuff!  Aren't they supposed to keep an eye on the kiddos and report to Santa on the children's behavior?!  How are the kids supposed to be good if Elf is tp-ing the Christmas tree or wrapping the entire toilet in Christmas wrapping paper or having a marshmallow snowball fight?  (And honestly, I can't keep up with the normal messes around here let alone ones my Elf creates!)  At any rate, our household--quite by accident--has the Dove From Above (said in a really deep, dramatic voice.)

Last Christmas, we went to an Christmas party where there was an ornament exchange.  This is what I unwrapped:

Frightening.

Later during the car ride home, as I was venting about how ugly it was, a little voice from the backseat reminded me to be grateful for my gift.  Ouch.  Sometimes I forget to model the behavior that I preach and expect from the girls.  :(  Sassy then told me that someone had taken the time to pick it out and that it was beautiful.  Ouch.  Again.  At some point between that moment and the next morning, Ry decided to perch it on the light above Sassy's chair at the kitchen bar.  Pointed so that the little red eyes were shot directly at her when she came out for breakfast that morning.  We then started moving it every (OK, MOST days--I'm telling you, I'd be bad at an Elf!) and it's become a huge laugh in our house.  We've put the dove on the toilet paper holder, in the fridge wrapped around the milk jug, in the toothbrush drawer. . .  wherever the girls will be startled as they start their day.  It's never been a dove that checks on them, or flies on its own.  Just two dorky parents moving it around to scare their children.  Is that so wrong?  We laugh a lot and even funnier is when we're out in public and Keke sees a dove--on a Christmas tree or a lady's coat lapel (yes really!)--and she yells:  "Dove from Above!"

Tradition #2: Christmas Light Hunt
Our Christmas Light Hunt now includes a local park that is decorated and a house in a nearby town that would put Clark Griswald to shame.  But it's so cool.  The guy has set it to music on an FM station and we just sit and watch forever.

Somehow we always eat at a Chinese buffet before (I guess this is how traditions start!) and we end the night with a shopping trip where the girls choose gifts for each other.  This year we also let them shop for a seven year old girl and a three year old girl who needed some help at Christmas.  It was so fun to see the girls pick out what they thought the recipients would want.  Keke was a little young to "get" it.  She kept saying she wanted to meet the little girl so she could go play with all her new stuff.  But Sassy made me tear up in the middle of Walmart.  After she made her final choice and put it in the cart, she turned to me with twinkling eyes and said: "I wish I could see her face when she opens these."  I hope that she continues to know how amazing it is to GIVE.  

Tradition #3: Road Trips
We're fortunate to get to visit both sides of our family in our hometowns for Christmas.  This year we spent the weekend before in Daddy's hometown and while we were there, we got 8+ inches of snow!  What a fun memory to happen at Grandma and Pop's!  The girls and Cousin S got to sled out in the street and there were only a few wrecks.  :)

The weekend after Christmas we headed to my hometown.  It turned out to be a big weekend.  Aunt Moni found a wedding dress and on Saturday, we got a new cousin/niece!  We were so glad that JE arrived safe, healthy and perfect--and what great timing when we were all home to see her.  Especially the CA auntie and uncle!

I hope as the girls get older they have lots of memories of  Christmas with our families.  We've been so blessed with great grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in our lives.

So now that I'm older, I understand the smiles on my parents' faces on Christmas morning.  They were never disappointed at the lack of gifts or the socks in their stockings because they'd already gotten exactly what they wanted.  Who knew that my perfect Christmas would involve packing the car twice for 14 total hours of driving, stuffing myself at a Chinese buffet, and sticking a beady-eyed dove in the silverware drawer?  It's like Santa knew exactly what was on my list.      

Fall Fun

Considering it's now 2014, maybe I should catch up on last FALL.  Holy night.  I used to think that just our summers filled up and the holidays flew because we always travel, but bottom-line, we're busy.  This homebody is adjusting.  Truth be told, I love my couch.  And my pajamas.  And days when I don't have to leave either one.  So much of my life is scheduled that I really like the days that aren't.  But on the flip side, we are SO blessed with friends, family, and experiences that are becoming the girls' childhood memories.

In September, we had the 6th Annual Memorial Softball Tournament for my brother.  It was the first year that we didn't have beautiful weather.  It was rainy, cold, wet, miserable, messy, and amazing.  I keep hearing that God doesn't allow anything bad to happen without something good coming out of it.  This is definitely something good.  Every year we are able to give numerous FFA scholarships to my old high school and I can't even explain the bittersweet support we continue to receive almost six years later.  Even when it was pouring and wet and miserable, not one of the ten teams backed out.  Everyone wanted to play.  And it's not like there's a cash prize at the end or a big-time title.  Everyone there PAID to play softball and support the scholarship fund.  It's a whole other level of dedication when you can't find the bases because they're buried in mud (yours truly) or "grounders" never make it past the pitcher.  I can't even explain what it means to our family.
 

This was the sky by the end of the afternoon. SO symbolic: after the storm, blue skies. 

Love the scary Uni--I mean, Photo--Bomber in the back!

The next weekend we camped with Grandma and Pop and guess what?  It rained.  Luckily we stayed in their camper and it cleared off by Saturday afternoon.  We stayed at a great site on a nearby lake and hopefully Grandma and Pop make a few more visits--Grandma retires soon!  We had a lot of fun--the girls fed the ducks and catfish, Grandma brought a cool skeleton craft, and Mama got in lots of reading by the fire.  Heaven!

Sassy made her debut at our town's annual craft festival parade.  She joined Girl Scouts this year and got to march with her troop.  She LOVES it and is now selling beloved Girl Scout cookies (insert shameless plug here) if you would like to order some!

Because we only had one free weekend night in October we decided to fill it up by taking the girls to see Shepherd of the Hills.  It's a local famous play based on a book that was written here in the Ozarks and performed in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater.  We probably would have waited a few years, but due to finances and health reasons, the owners were shutting down and it was the last weekend for production.  Did I mention that it was outdoor?  Yep, it rained.  The. Whole. Time.  A constant, heavy, not-gonna-let-up rain.  We did pretty well staying as dry as we could, but it was obviously less than ideal.  The girls took a little bit of time understanding the storyline, but then they were really into it and LOVED it.  And I loved hearing their giggles and gasps. It made the rain a little more tolerable!

We also went to our friends' annual pumpkin carving party which became a pumpkin painting party.  :)  Fine by us!  Usually we start carving, the girls are interested for about five minutes, then we're left doing all the work alone.  I kept meaning to get around to carving one here at home but I finally cleared said uncarved pumpkins from the front porch just in time to put up Christmas decorations.  (In my defense, I swear we just went trick or treating last week!)

Daddy and I got to join my siblings at a Kansas State football game at the end of October--and no rain!  In fact, it was gorgeous!  You never know with Kansas weather, but it was perfect for tailgating!  Add in some horribly fattening food and laughs with the sisters and it was a good weekend.

Halloween coincided with the 50th day of school so Sassy got to dress for 50s Day.  That night she was a rock star and after two casualties with Minnie and Merida dresses, Keke was a cupcake this year (thank you, Cousin B!) My favorite part of Halloween this year was going out to eat afterwards at a local Mexican restaurant.  Sitting there in this little restaurant with people who can order their own food and ask for refills made me realize how much I enjoy the PEOPLE my girls are becoming.  We can sit and enjoy a meal and actually talk and laugh with relatively little stress.  Of course, it probably would have been a good idea to remove Cousin B's costume before giving the Honey Badger cheese dip. . .

In November, we had a few visitors.  Aunt B, Uncle S, and Cousin S came and we did a local corn maze.  Going AFTER Halloween was brilliant.  It was dead!  The girls loved reading the clues and figuring out where to go and the weather was beautiful.  We had a really great day.  It's so nice to know they're just a few hours away now.

The next weekend, the W family stopped on their way to Branson.  We tried to do Lambert's. . .   uhhh 1+ hour wait at 3 pm = fail!  But of course, Bass Pro is always a hit.  :)  We had another beautiful weekend so the kids were able to run around outside and they had a blast together.

Finally, Sassy had her First Reconciliation right before Thanksgiving.  After worrying and stressing (again, hello Mini Me!) she did great and had the biggest smile on her face!  Thank you, God, for loving and forgiving us!  Each student had a little sheep pillow to represent God calling His lost sheep.  Afterwards at the reception, Father told R that Sassy was a smart young lady.  :)  I can't believe how big she's getting.  First Communion is right around the corner!

Seriously, I don't think we've had a free weekend since maybe last spring?  But it's all good.  Someday in the not-so-distant future, they won't be trick or treating on Halloween, they'll be the ones tailgating (gulp!) and they'll be catching pop flies at the tournament (hopefully more successfully than this generation. . . )  I keep telling myself I'll have plenty of couch time before I know it.  I wonder if Ry can put one on his sailboat?