Just another

This picture reminds me of a lecture in nursing school in mental health nursing. In this photo Ella perfectly fits the description of someone in a manic phase of bipolar disorder. Maggie P. and Ella: Little buddies. So cute.

I Love this picture that Reece did tracing all of our hands. I have been looking for a piece of art to put up behind the couch. This may do it.

We all had a great day today and said a special prayer for all of out Aunties and Uncles. For new cousins on the way ,and Savie and Baby Georgia. We didn't forget Grandma's and Grandpa's either. We miss you guys.

Revisiting the Minnesota State Fair

We pretty much love the Minnesota State Fair. Pretty much. Just a few pictures from our trip there this summer with Reece. I just remember holding her hand, Mark on one side and I on the other. A beautiful summer night and feeling our little girl was growing up too fast. What I wouldn't give for a corndog right now......

The Wicked Witch of the West

I love the fact that I just got an email from my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Kottich; AKA: "TBTITWWW" (the best teacher in the whole wide world). She is apparently reading this blog and I am sure is dissappointed in my spelling. What can I say....

LIttle House Pics

Little House on the Prarie Bergeron Style. I guess this poor male barbie is "Garbanzo"!

We had a great day yesterday. I laughed at the girls alot. I was able to take Ella to a coffee for the moms in Reece's class at a beautiful home and she ran around and had run until a little boy hit her and she was bummed.

At breakfast Reece (Mary) said 'Mom, did you know that Laura (Ella) has a boyfriend?". I replied "Really, who?" . "Garbanzo." she said (In actuality this is Almonzo). In our house from here on out Almonzo Wilder is now called"Garbanzo."

Reece also told me that someday she is going to write a book called, "Having a Little Sister Can Be Painful." Having three little sisters of my own, I can relate. Sorry girls....I'm just sayin'.

Last night we watched "Mamma Mia" as a family. I was a little leary given the PG-13 warning on the box. The only iffy stuff was the sexual inuendo that flew over the girls heads, but Mark and I found funny. The ABBA music was so fun and at one point Reece, Ella and Maggie were all dancing to Dancing Queen (Ella was sans clothing). There was a tender part in the movie where the daughter is getting married and the mom is helping her do her hair for the wedding and it is touching and a little sad as you can tell the mother is having such mixed emotions over her daughter having grown up. Reece crawled up on our lap and BURST into tears, sobbing, big crocodile tears. She got what was happening. She hates any movie or song about growing up and going away. So tenderhearted. Just like her mom and just like her dad. She must having liked the movie overall because she thanked God for making the prople who made the movie during nighttime prayers.

We just got back from iceskating and I have gotten over the fear of my daughter losing an eye or finger. We are both progressing well.

CatholicVote.org

With tomorrow being the inauguration of the next President of the United States of America, I received this link today (http://CatholicVote.org). I did not vote for Barack Obama (but that....is another story). Tomorrow he has my admiration, but not for his politics. He is the first African American President, and that is a.....new, neat, interesting..... thing for this country. More that admiration, he has my prayers. So, here I am President Obama, praying for you. I pray that you do not pass the Freedon of Choice Act (FOCA) as you pledged to do during your campaign. Your mother chose life, and because of that, you are going to be the first black president on our country's history. Please recognize that every life is sacred, every life has amazing potential and life begins at conception.

From the mouths of babes

Tonight while getting ready to go to a "Faith Lift" Retreat at Holy Spirit, Reece asked where I was going. I said I was going to try and learn some things to be a better mommy. She replied, "But mommy, you can't be any better than you already are." to which Mark replied..."Oh Reece, don't say that". Ha!

Special Time

Reece and I had special time after school today. This is a day that I have a sitter home with the little girls and get to pick Reece up and we go to our favorite little bakery La Patisserie. I love opening up her backpack and looking at the treasures inside. I love getting the low-down on school...who she say by at lunch, who got in trouble, how hot lunch was that day. The quiet time with her is so special and as my mom always reminds me, there will come a time where she may not enjoy this time with me as much as she does now (i.e. teen years). I'll soak it up as long as I can.

The bakery is connected to the catholic book store. After after our snack (chocolate cupcake for Reece and biscotti and coffee for me) we always head over on her request to check out the treasures over at St. Patricks Guild. We were walking by the statues and there was this statue of these kids playing football and Jesus was in the middle of the game, catching one of their passes. Reece was just staring at it and I asked what she thought it meant......."That Jesus likes football and is with us everywhere". Not bad.

Mom used to take me out for special time. All 4 of us girls would get special time with her on our designated saturday. For me, this usually entailed going to Shopko to pick out a new pair of dangly circa 1983 earrings (if they passed her approoval...not TOO dangly). Afterwards we would grab a plate of nachos and head home. I always loved that time with her.

Mark takes the girls to the St. Clair Broiler for Daddy time. Lunch is ate and a milkshake is shared with 2 straws. SO sweet.

Christmastime

So this pretty much sums up playtime at our house. Not so much the nakedness (although Ella has been known to shed her clothes and streak through the house leaving me to play the game "find the diaper"). But the creative use of toys. These 4 are watching a Christmas special . I like to think that God finds this amusing.

Let me introduce you to our family....I am Ma, Mark is Pa, Reece is Mary, Ella is Laura and Maggie is Baby Carrie. That is right people we are the Ingalls family. Walnut Grove....the whole bit. Today I tried to avoid looking Ella directly in the eyes. If I did she would say"OK, You are Pa" (since Mark was at work!). I would be stuck playing Little house on the Prarie with Barbie's. But it gets interesting. Like the Ingalls family going to the St. Clair Broiler for dinner. You never know what Ella will come up with. That is one of the reasons why we love her. Tonight the whole family watched the first episode of Little House together. Somehow living in MN makes me feel kin of these characters. How the heck did they survive in -11 degree weather conditions like we have today? My Lord, they didn't even have a coffee maker.

Today felt like the Little House book "The Long Winter". It was a long,cold day. But I was snug with my warm girls. Mary, Laura and Carrie. WHo could ask for more.

Ice Skating 101

Reece had her first ice skating lesson today up the block at the Charles Schultz Ice Arena (F.Y.I Charlie Brown's creator grew up here!.) I have to admit to being a little intimidated by walking into an arena full of "hockey moms" . I have no idea if she really wants to skate. I have kind of gotten the feeling that you pretty much have to know how to ice skate if your state of residence is Minnesota. So, in we go. We get her little skates all laced up...we walk over to the edge of the rink where 15 kiddos are stepping onto the ice and, oh so gingerly taking baby skating steps about 15 yards to where the group is gathered. on the ice. So, there was pretty much no way I was letting her step onto the ice given this was her MAIDEN voyage onto the ice. So a strapping young man (yes, I did use the word strapping) came over and took Reece from my hands. "FIRST TIME ON THE ICE" I told him...giving him a stare that read "If she falls right now and loses a tooth, gets a concussion, severs a finger from another 4 year old skater, or breaks her arm, I am blaming you." He picked her up under her armpits in front of him, and skated off with her. At this point I made the sign of the Cross.

She did great. Great for a maiden voyage. She has all 10 fingers and her teeth, is using both arms and suffered no head trauma. However, I think I took a year off of my life watching her. Proud of you Reecie!

Why am I blogging?!?

Why am I blogging.... I should be journaling, putting pen to paper, writing down these quips and memories of my 3 girls to have for all times sake. Somehow, I can never find the time to journal and I feel guilty. This very much resembles the guilt I feel about how I should be flossing my teeth everynight and everynight I tell myself, "You should really floss" but I rarely do it (sorry mom). Everynight I think, "I should journal" and I rarely do. I journaled for years, through highschool, off and on in college, post college, post wedding. I would write things down so not to forget. So 40 years from now I would have something to hold in my hand and say, "In here are the good times, the hard times, this is my life, these are the thoughts I had on love and daughters and marriage and food".

I used to think that blogging was a little too self important for me. (Sorry all you bloggers out there). How could these "bloggers" think that their day to day life, their sense of humor, their family life was anything that other people would actually enjoy reading? But I think blogging does more for the blogger than the reader.