He Likes It

Catherine: "Mommy, Joseph likes it when I kick him."

Mommy: "What??!! Don't kick the baby!"

Catherine: "Do you hear him crying?"

Mommy: "Uhhhh... no."

Catherine: "He likes it."

Okay.

Who's In Charge?

It has been quite exciting watching all of the Papal events on EWTN the last few days. How I would love to be there to see him in person, but I wouldn't get to see everything like I do on TV. My parents and my brother, the priest, get to go to the Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Lucky them!! (You had better pray for us while you are there!)

Today I sat down to watch the Papal Mass at the stadium in New York City. The kids were in high gear, tumbling all over each other like little puppies, and occasionally stopping to yell, "The POPE!" Or, out of the blue, Dominic would start singing, "Happy Birtday to you, Pope!"

Partway through the Mass, I started to wonder who on earth was in charge of the music selection. A glorious occasion, Pope Benedict is here, let's bring out the best music! What do we get? Mediocre stuff, at best. Quite a mishmash, too. It seemed more like a big variety show than a solemn Papal Mass.

However, they almost redeemed themselves after communion. Placido Domingo came out to sing "Panis Angelicus" and it was wonderful. The Pope thought so, too.

I guess there were a few other songs that were fine but they were overshadowed by the goofy stuff. So much for Pope Benedict's call for liturgical music reform.

*By the way, this is our 100th post! Wow!

Celebrating the Pope's Birthday

Yesterday we were watching the Papal event at the White House and talking about how it was Pope Benedict's 81st birthday (or as Anne calls him "Pope Benidit"). Then we decided to make him a birthday cake. Here it is, our own little zucchetto cake.

More Springtime Fun!

Joseph comes to visit Mary. (Yes, that is his first black eye.) Then Anne gives her a hug.
Catherine decides she wants to be a clown. Look at that pasty face!

Dominic joins in with blue chalk.

Springtime fun!

Catherine has made up a new game: Coloring sticks with chalk. (Ignore the dirty car behind.) Domini decides to join in the new game.
Meanwhile, Anne pushes Joseph in the stroller.
Dominic loves the new "hole" in the yard (He hasn't found out yet that the city came and filled it in.).

Making Pancakes

This is the latest "game" at our house and it usually goes on while Mommy is making dinner. And usually it involves a little fighting over who gets to do the mixing. We have been practicing taking turns.

Notice that Catherine is wearing Mommy's slippers.

A Darn Cute Picture

Of course, I am not biased or anything.

Princess or Cowgirl?

Who says you can't be a princess and a cowgirl?

You can even carry a skunk at the same time!

Murphy's Law for Moms, #10

All the kids want to "help" Mom when she is making cookies.

Better Than Coffee

Yesterday morning I was moving through a fog after being up with Joseph about every hour during the night. (He's terribly teething three teeth, poor boy.) I was sitting with the kids eating breakfast, feeling grumpy, chugging some coffee, trying to clear the haze.

Then, out of the blue, Catherine said, "I love you, Mommy!"

Wow, what a difference 4 little words can make. I felt myself waking up a bit and my mood definitely brightened and the day wasn't so bad after all!

I'm Too Big

The kids love to push Joseph in his baby swing and he loves it, too! The other day they all got on the swingset and I was in charge of making sure that they were not all going the same direction at the same time. I don't know if the thing would tip over, but I don't want to find out.
I said to the kids: "Hey, we have room for one more kid on here." The kids said: "Mommy, you can't ride, you are too big!" Well, thank you very much.

Conversations With Anne

Late this morning, it was down to just Mommy, Anne, and Joseph in the house. So, Anne and I decided to make cookies. She was so excited to stand on the stepstool and watch all by herself, and when I gave her the beater to lick, oh, heaven! She was quite a chatterbox and here is a small sampling:

Licking the beater: "Mommy, I'm getting all that tasty stuff."

"I see Jesus on the twoss." Where? She points and I see the crucifix/holy water font by the back door. "He's trying to get away from the bad guys." (Where did that come from?)

"I'm a big girl now." Are you going to go pee-pee in the potty like a big girl? (She's a little resistant to that.) "I go pee-pee in potty tomorrow."

A little later: "I'm going to make some pancakes." And she proceeds to mix and stir on the floor with Joseph.

Then, eating lunch while I'm finishing the cookies, "I like peandut buttah."

And finally, to reinforce the post below: "Mommy, I stand on one foot last night."

So, I got to experience life for a little while with only 2 small children and I have to say, it was much easier to make cookies, fix lunch, take care of Joseph, and getting them in bed for a nap was a cinch. Anne was so sweet and there was no fighting, crying, or temper tantrums. I had patience to spare and even Joseph getting fussy did not bother me. BUT, even though it was a nice break and an interesting revelation, I still would not change my life of chaos with 4 littles for the world!

Last Night

At our house, everything happens "last night." Every day the kids say things like:

"We went to church last night." (We always go in the morning.)

"Mommy went to the grocery store last night." (Apparently I go every night of the week!)

"I puked in my bed last night." (Months ago. I guess it made a strong impression.)

"Mommy toot my tempachure and gave me mecidine." When? "Last night."

"I heard Joseph crying last night." (That one is probably true.)

We'll have to work on a few more times of the day.

Peeps

Am I weird, or does anyone else like Peeps better when they get a little hard and chewy?

Murphy's Law for Moms, #9

The less sleep the Mom gets at night, the less willpower she has the next day to resist the Easter candy.