1
Have I mentioned that the hubby is enrolled in a Master’s
degree program online? He has been
steadily working towards a theology degree from Holy Apostles Seminary. This summer he is finishing up the work for
his final three courses (yay!) and in
a few weeks he will be taking his exams.
Please pray for him! Considering
the intensity of his teaching duties during the regular school year, the amount
of reading and writing required for his graduate classes, and oh yes, the
craziness of our home with four under four….life has been a tad busy for
us. But the end is in sight! Prayers are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
2
Swim lesson update (short version): Elisabeth went in the
water on her own this week, and no
screaming! I was so
relieved/proud/happy for her. No child
in that pool had a bigger smile. I am
not sure where her sudden courage came from, but thank God!
Here is the longer version: Elisabeth has a plastic dinosaur
that she received from the town library during one of the weekly story hours,
and she had asked if she could take it along to the pool. She wanted to show her dinosaur how she can
kick, since her dinosaur is apparently a terrific swimmer. Anyway, there I sat on the bleachers at the
pool, plastic dinosaur in hand, while Elisabeth splashed with her classmates,
practiced her flutter kicks at the wall, and even floated on her back for a few
seconds. She often checked in to make
sure the dinosaur was watching, and of course she had to remind me more than a
couple times that the dinosaur is a she, Mama. Hey, whatever works to get her comfortable in
the water. Mrs. T Rex, I salute you.
3
Even though my husband is completely stressed out diligently
plugging away at his grad school work, he has taken some time to add on to our
homemade swing set.
He has really proven himself as a skilled handyman and
carpenter the past couple of years.
Where did he learn? Many years in
the Boy Scouts, but also YouTube. There
are plenty of tutorials there, folks.
4
Can I take a minute to complain about bunk beds? More precisely, changing the sheets on bunk
beds? The twins have one in their room
(it’s actually the same one my sister had when we were kids), and it has been
great for them. When our boys are big
enough, we will most likely have a similar set-up in their room. The problem is, the twins occasionally have
accidents at night (part of the learning process, I know), which means beaucoup
de laundry for moi, and a crazy balancing maneuver to get the fitted sheet over
that darn mattress on the top bunk. Total pain in the neck. And of course, I usually remember that the
mattress is bare right in the middle of our bedtime routine.
Then I read this little gem this week: Give Me
Gratitude or Give Me Debt
It was a great
reminder to simply be grateful that all my kids have beds and sheets to sleep
in.
5
Our son Gregory’s (just turned 2) vocabulary is exploding. His mispronunciations and the effort he puts
forth in forming a multi-syllabic word is so precious. There are times, however, when I wish I had a
toddler interpreter.
Tonight, for example.
I had just put him in his crib despite his protests, when he started
sobbing “Taxi, bus.” I should point out
that Gregory sleeps with matchbox cars.
No soft, cuddly teddy bear for him.
Nope, he prefers small, metallic models of anything that has
wheels. In any case, I went searching
for his little yellow taxi and a school
bus. When I brought the items to him, he
waved his hand at me and protested even louder, “NOOO! BUS!!!!!”
as I confusedly stared at the yellow school bus in my hand. Eventually I figured out that “BUS” did not
refer to the big yellow school bus, but the blue airport shuttle bus. I mean, that’s obvious, right?
6
Our homebrewing hobby is back in action. We got a batch of pale ale fermenting. This is our first attempt at something other
than Hefeweizen. We’ll have to see how
it turns out in a few weeks.
Fortunately, beer brewing is relatively foolproof. This is where we acquired our supplies and
the ingredients, if anyone is interested:
http://homebrew4less.com
7
On a serious note, the persecution of our brothers and
sisters in Iraq has been in the forefront of my mind this week. A former colleague of mine posted this
startling video on Facebook of Iraqis being rescued from Mt. Sinjar, and
the images of young families scrambling onto the helicopter constantly
interrupts my petty worries and frustrations.
My husband interviewed Mother Olga, a nun originally from
Ninevah and now serving in the Boston area for his own blog post at Dead
Philosophers' Society. Take some
time to read it. She is a beautiful
person whom I have had the pleasure of hearing speak, and her story is
captivating.
Keep praying. Keep
raising awareness. Shove it in everyone’s
face. And keep praying.
Thanks to Jennifer Fulwiler for hosting 7 Quick Takes at conversiondiary.com
Thanks to Jennifer Fulwiler for hosting 7 Quick Takes at conversiondiary.com
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