20 moods of Peter

I could be clever and caption each picture with an emotion...but these pictures really speak for themselves and this way you can make up your own captions. :)

And I'm tired. It takes me way too long to reformat pictures. And now I would like to finish and go lay in bed for 30 minutes before my little friend wakes up. :)

Enjoy.

How, I ask you, could a person not fall head-over-heals for that face?! Impossible.

In Memory of Kim

I am home. Home after a whirlwind trip to Boise to say goodbye to a beautiful person and give condolences to her dear family. Seattle to Boise one day, Boise to Seattle the next. It was worth every mile to be there.

Believe it or not (likely you'll believe it), I am not very good with words. As clumsy as I am with the written word...usually many times edited...I am much more inept when it comes to the spoken word. I rehearse in my head and even out loud sometimes, but when the time comes to say something important I always manage to mess it up. It either comes out with "ums" and "uhs" or just doesn't even come close to conveying the emotion or feeling that I intend.

Today's post is for my friend's family. For her husband, daughter, son, mother, father and brothers. These are the words I wanted to say.

It had been 20 years since I'd had the privilege of seeing Kim. I wish we'd stayed in better contact as adults, Christmas cards and occasional emails weren't enough. Even so, from our correspondence, I could tell that Kim was the same person that I'd known all of those years ago. It's impossible to encapsulate a person in only a few words, but there are definitely some that come to mind. Kim was one of those pure souls, she lived joyfully. She had an innocence and light about her and was always smiling...even when she wasn't necessarily happy. :) She was a ray of sunshine. One of the things that I remember most about Kim is her laugh. It was contagious and just a little bit goofy. Time spent with Kim was fun and silly. With Kim there was no facade or pretense, I never felt like I had to be cool or anything but myself. Even as girls Kim seemed comfortable embracing her femininity and looked forward to the day when she would be married and have a family. It was her dream while other girls our age thought of growing up to be famous or have some other career. I think God placed her vocational desire in her heart early to prepare her for the next few years when she would begin living it out.

In our catching up Kim told me the story of how she met Donnie, their courtship and marriage. It was obvious to me how in love Kim was, even after 13 years. :) She wrote about her kids, the difficulty that she had in carrying them and how they were her world. Kim loved her vocation as wife and mother, it was very clear that she was right where God wanted her to be.

In making the journey to Boise I wanted to say goodbye to Kim and to honor her memory, to pay my condolences to her family and to show them that Kim's legacy extends farther than this stage of her life. Certainly, the last 14 years, raising her family, has been her most important work, but she left an indelible mark on those of us who knew her even all those years ago.

To Donnie, Aurora and Justis, my heart aches for you. Please know that there are so many people in this world...people who you've never met and likely never will on this earth...that are praying for you right now. It is unimaginable that there is a recovery from such grief, but God is with you all. He is holding you close to His most sacred heart. And you have your own personal saint and intercessor in heaven. Your mom will be mothering you in heaven just as she did on earth.

To Pat and Diane, you raised a wonderful person. She changed this world in her own way in the relationships that she had and the example that she was to anyone who knew her. I think that Jesus allowed her to suffer to prepare her to come straight to Him. As parents it is our whole goal in life to help our spouse and children get to heaven. I think that you have been successful. I believe that Kim is enjoying the unimaginable peace and joy of eternally seeing Jesus face-to-face. I have no doubt that Kim heard to words, "well done, good and faithful servant."

I will miss Kim, knowing that she is no longer here to reach out to. I will look forward to seeing her again someday, God willing. Kim will join our family litany in our daily prayers and will stay there always. Farewell, sweet Kim.

Things we learned while dog/house sitting

This weekend we stayed over at my sil's house and watched their, rather precocious, dog. It's a lot of work to cart two kids and all of the stuff that they need/are used to. Here are some take-aways from our stay.

*When at it's full height (being used as a side table) the center "screw" of a piano stool is very accessible to little hands

*Piano stools are heavily greased

*Regular hand soap does not get grease off of little hands

*Grease under the fingernails of an 18-month-old is extremely hard to remove

*Cabrini can play the harmonica while nodding and twirling

*Peter will happily watch Cabrini crazily play for around 40 minutes...from a safe distance

*Cabrini knows how to play the kazoo

*Kazoo is a funny word

*Toy trumpets are hard to play, but tambourines and maracas are not

*The Johnsons have a lot of musical instruments

*Doggy water dishes are just as alluring away from home

*Never underestimate the power of a cat-themed keyboard with a microphone to entertain a child and annoy an adult

*You can't count on a child sleeping or napping well away from home, even if she's slept and napped there before

*Never assume that someone else's pantry contains the same spices that yours does

*Decent red wine can compensate for a host of missing ingredients in a sauce

Cababy and Louisa, BFFs

We all had a play date the other day! We escaped the heat in Kayleen and Louisa's air-conditioned apartment and had a really fun afternoon!

Thanks to Kayleen, Louisa, Mike and baby-girl-on-the-way for hosting us!

If you're into this...

Then you should try whipping up your own yummy, spicy hot cocoa! Here's a little recipe that I've been playing with after drinking Dagoba's Xocalatl drinking chocolate.

1 c milk

2-3 T sugar

2-3 T cocoa

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 dash salt

1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3-4 T chocolate chips

Slowly heat milk to the point where it just starts to steam. Remove from heat, add all of the ingredients and whisk. Pour into mug and fall in love!

You'll never be able to drink Ibara again. Just a warning. :)

Happy Memorial Day!

suggestion...please take note

I'd like to suggest that "having all of the laundry done" should be an option at spas. I'm just saying, it feels pretty darned good.

Since it's all done today I've moved on to some of the kids' stuffed toys. Let's just say that a certain 15-month-old enjoys both open-mouth kisses and some aggressive nose biting...luckily only with her stuffed friends. They get pretty icky.

So, here's to clean clothes, folded and put away!

I'd like to start being a little more consistent about blogging and to help me do that I'm employing a little template that I saw at another blog (Danielle Bean). So, here goes. :)

Outside my window … is a beautiful, blue sky day. I love our Japanese Maples, their leaves are such a bright green in the spring and will be a firey red in the fall.

I am thinking … that I could really use a nap...but Peter doesn't agree.

I am thankful for … my hard-working husband who makes it possible for me to be at home with our babies.

I am hoping … that we get lots of projects done this weekend. We have some helpers coming over to help. There's the yard work (never-ending really), a fence for the chickens (time to reclaim the yard for the sake of the kids) and, if I'm lucky, my very first raised bed to start planting veggies.

On my mind … I need to seal the bins of kid's clothes that are in the crawl space...now that it's warmer I'm worried about creepy-crawlies getting in them.

Noticing that … I need to start taking better care of myself. I've been sick-ish off and on for two weeks!

A few plans for the week(end) … well Ed and company will be in the yard. My plan is to make sure they are all fed and watered while managing to entertain my two tiny dictators.

From the kitchen … it's time to clean out the fridge...I'm talking a good old scrubbing.

Around the house … we need some de-cluttering. I feel like we don't have any space left and everything always seems messy. If we had half of the stuff that we do just think how much calmer each room would feel.

One of my favorite things … is getting Cabrini up from sleeping (both morning and nap). Never have I known such a happy waker-upper.

A picture I am sharing …

so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

So long luxuriously thick pregnancy hair.

Farewell effortlessly clear and luminously bright complexion.

I'll miss you most, lack of body consciousness.

In your place I now have hand-fulls and brush-fulls of hair; my first post-Peter pimple (alliteration!!); a palid complexion dimmed further by unbelievably deep dark under-eye circles; and last, but certainly not least, a new rotundness far jigglier than any jiggly bits I've ever before had on my person.

Looking at my little Peter Pan makes all of this a trifle, of course...but there it is anyway.

I need to suck it up and get to exercising more...the gym/pool membership promise in my mother's day card was for real. I have waaaay less wardrobe options post-partum because now I don't want anything tight or clingy at all on this body. When I was pregnant trying to find billowy clothes was like trying to cover the Epcot Center (or Spaceship Earth if we're being technical) with a post-it note. Therefore I stretched all kinds of pre-pregnancy garments on while in the midst of cooking Mr. Peter. Now...not so much. My goal is to be at a respectable place by October. Cousin Ben is getting married so I'll need a dress. It's a goal anyway...I'll be almost 9 months post-partum, so it's doable.

Also, can anyone explain to me why I have no ill feelings toward hair strands while they are securely attached to a head; but the moment they are free to cling to clothes and skin or float in the tub or get stuck in the drain they become disgusting and repulsive? Could it be due to all of the time spent in my youth at public swimming pools and locker rooms? I dunno.

Crabby...I mean Happy...Tuesday.

excitement at the QFC

Whilst at the QFC to obtain my previously mentioned dozen eggs for free, I saw a curious thing.

Now this raises at least one question in my mind. If you look closely at the ground the flour hose is just laying on the ground and it was, presumably, filling underground tanks accessed through the opened manhole covers. How sanitary is this? Really. I might think twice about purchasing the in-store baked goods in the future.

Also I bet it looked awesome when it happened. Man, I wish I could have seen the flour cloud...I don't suppose it "mushroomed" but how cool would that have been? Oh and I bet some people had a nice dusting on their cars...and it was starting to rain too. Ha! Driving around with dough on your car...nice.

thanks to the rain...

...it was an easy decision. No walk. No eggs. No pancakes. Not today anyway. We'll have them tomorrow morning though. :)

Now I need to find a sitter for tomorrow afternoon to watch Cababy. My two go-to-girls can't do it!

Oh, and there was a whopping 1 egg this morning. Boo.

UPDATE: We got some QFC coupons in the mail the other day and, get this, there was one for a free dozen eggs. So, I'll still have to make something eggy...maybe this...but at least I can still say I've only bought eggs once since the chicks started laying in full force.

would you believe it?

BREAKING NEWS

I, proud owner of 4 chickens, who has only bought eggs once in the last year and a half...am OUT of eggs! :(

I need 4 for the yummiest buttermilk pancakes eva (Martha Stewart's). But a girl can't be upset about this since it is because she had a delicious scramble this morning courtesy of one hubba-hubba hubby. I also made a from scratch yellow cake last night that took 5. Again, nothing to hate about a yummy, buttery, yellow cake.

*sigh* It is a conundrum though because Cababy LOVES some buttermilk pancakes. Oh, and trying to be the organized mommy, I have everything else measured out and ready to go...including the buttermilk, which is in the fridge, but needs to be used asap. I was all set...that hardly ever happens!

The issue is, do I walk down to the market (tomorrow morning with both kids), which is a lovely place and only about .8 miles from my door, to buy 12 eggs when all I need are 4? Further, there will likely be 3 eggs in the box and 3 more tomorrow and the day after that, etc. An acquisition of 12 eggs will create a glut that will necessitate making a quiche or a bread pudding or some other eggy thing.

Maybe there will be four in the box tomorrow. Come on girls, is it really too much to ask that you all get on board here and lay me some nice eggs in the morning?

Well, I'll know in just a few hours...which is my cue to go to bed. :)

xoxo

p.s. I am so in love with this being the big problem of my evening. Thanks to God for taking care of everything in our lives so that these are the issues of the day. We are very blessed in this house!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies that we know!!

I got a card from each of the kids this morning along with the only version of Pride and Prejudice that I didn't already own (ironically the Collin Firth version). (Oh, it's ironic because of how gorgeous he is as Mr. Darcy.)

Even waking up with a horrible sore throat...these cards made my Mother's Day. The cards were exactly the same except for the inscription, they read:

Cover: "Happy Mother's Day from your FAVORITE!"

Inside: "Oh, Please. It's so obvious."

From Cabrini:

(It's okay - you don't have to tell Peter...it'll be our little secret.)

Mommy - Thanks for being the best mommy in the entire universe! I've met lots of other mommies in my life, and you are much better than all of them at making me happy. Daddy is the luckiest daddy in the entire universe to have you as his wife! He better have gotten you a nice Mommy's day gift - like a gym or pool membership or something. Mommy, I love you! Cabrini

From Peter:

(It's okay - you don't have to tell Cabrini...it'll be our little secret.)

Mommy, I may not show it all the time (especially between 7:30 and 8:30 in the evening) but I love you! When I cry it means I just want you more. Nobody makes me smile like you do (when I smile for anyone else - even Daddy - ti's my fake-cheesy smile. With you it's the real deal). Daddy says you're the most beautiful mommy and wife out there and he's right! I love you Mommy! Peter

Adele on Sound Insight

Dr. Tom Curran is an awesome Catholic speaker who lives in our area. We are very lucky because Tom has a daily radio program on Sacred Heart Radio (AM 1050) called Sound Insight. On Monday's show he talked about the Ritter family and how little Adele brought them closer to God through her short life.

Take a listen here. If you listen to the whole show you'll hear Tom Ritter give the Catholic Financial Minute early in the program and Tom Curran's reflections on Adele begin around minute 33.

hello old friend

Ah, Running Mix, it's been so long (14 months to be exact). I finally decided there's nothin' to it but to do it.

Were we running together like we used to?

Not really.

Was my warm up/cool down pace my max today?

Yes, yes it was.

Would you classify what we did as a wog?

You betcha.

But did it feel great to be moving again.

Yeah, jiggly, but great.

Highlights that I've missed:

• Yellow - Coldplay
• You Picked Me - A Fine Frenzy
• Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
• Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
• Viva la Vida - Coldplay
• I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

Now I just need to keep this post-workout feeling in the front of my mind to help with motivation. It'll be easier when I can put Petey in the jogger...a few more months.

home is where strangers don't ask you inappropriate questions

Most of the time we stay home. I am, after all, a "stay-at-home mom." A SAHM, if you will. There are lots of reasons why we are home most of the time. For instance, Ed drives the car to work (this is a big reason), we avoid colds, flu and nasty germs in general, 1 mommy + 2 babies = very inefficient, etc. However, I'm beginning to realize there is another reason to add to the list. The questions and comments. I know a lot of my friends out there will relate. I never thought 2 kids would garner these rather rude and personal comments...but they do when they're so close in age.

So, maybe I can just put the answers out there on the big old internet and hope that everyone in the Greater Seattle area reads my bloggy thoughts and stops asking the questions. I won't hold my breath...but a girl can dream.

Yes, they are close in age.

No, they are not twins. (yes, people actually ask that.)

They are 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day apart.

They are 350 days apart.

They are 8,397.5 hours apart.

They are 503,850 minutes apart.

They are 30,231,000 seconds apart.

Yes, my hands are full.

Yes, I am very busy.

Yes, I do know how "this" happens. But I'd bet a big bag of money that you do not know how we were blessed with our children.

No, God willing, we are not "done."

Yes, God willing, we do want more.

I know there are more, but these are the ones that we get the most. Granted, the majority of people say very nice things...but there are always the "bad apples" that spoil the bunch.

So, good people of Seattle, please turn on the little censor in your head before you leave the house. Please realize that a lot of people do not see children as burdens to be grudgingly accepted or sterilely planned. A great many families understand that the capacity to love increases with each miraculous addition and that God wants to give parents everything they need to do their jobs with love and patience...you just have to be willing to ask and receive.

Saint Adele Marie, pray for us.

Sweet Adele Marie has gone to her eternal reward. This tiny life touched so many and spoke so powerfully of the love of God. Every life is worthwhile. Every baby is a blessing to be cherished. Please keep the Ritter family and their intentions in your prayers. Please also ask Adele to intercede on your behalf. As her Papa said, there's no way Jesus could say no to that sweet face.

(On the joyous day of Adele's confirmation)

Thank you, Ritter family, for being such a blessing to all of us who know you.

This family joyfully welcomed their newest member knowing that the world would view their perfect baby as "broken". They shared their joy and their suffering with us all. Their walk with Christ through His passion, death and, ultimately, His Resurrection. We are confident that sweet baby Adele, with the grace of her baptism and confirmation, is enjoying the glory of the Beatific Vision. She has taken her place in the Heavenly Kingdom and will be continually unpacking her 2 suitcases of intentions at the feet of Jesus. The Ritters are an extraordinary family and I thank God for them.

Adele's story can be read here.

can't ever have enough Peter

Grandma Carol love.

Flowers from Fulcrum!

Pictures from week 1:

Chillaxin with O, Ro, and Aunt Kerry:

The next few are from Peter's baptism.

Scrumptious cheeks!
Yum-O!

Peter's godmother, Sara:

and godfather, Brian:
Thanks Deacon Jack!

Just snoozing:

Tummy time:

How we spend most of our time...
Um, can you say tired momma?