Hello again, and pickles

Last night Dave put a bug in my ear about resurrecting this blog. I grumbled about Instagram and all the new platforms for documenting life in the 2020s, making blogs obsolete. But it hit me that the nice thing about the antiquated blog is the relative privacy and slower pace (and, unlike Photo Stream, the space for pontificating and extended commentary). An Instagram or Twitter post is instantly seen by anyone and everyone who wants to see it. Only you, dear family readers, are given this instant access to our family blog, because I put you on my email list. The pressure is substantially less.

I won't try to fill you in on the past three years. Instead, I'll pick things up now, today, in our kitchen. It's a rainy day, so several children are taking on culinary projects. Rose is making banana cream pie, and David got some Ball jars with lids for his birthday is tackling pickles. 

"Homeade"!

In other news, Gabriel had his first dental appointment (during COVID no less...quite a milestone). He was a bright-eyed and cooperative patient.

Waiting expectantly for his prize.

Happy gloomy day!

The March and a trip

Hilary, Anna, Maria, Gracie, Julia, Jackson (taking the picture) with friends at Union Station gearing up for the March for Life.  You guys rock.

On their way! Pictures of the crowds are amazing- half a million people by many counts. Must have been exhilarating to be there! We supported the March in spirit this year- hoping one of these years soon to get out there with the littles.

The Mr. and Mrs. enjoying a chilly luncheon outdoors. 

I love it when I hear *silence*, walk quickly to see what everyone is up to, and find this.

Dave, Jeff and Lolo's view this weekend from an Orlando golf course. Lucky ducks!


Dave left this weekend, along with Jeff and Lolo, for a golf trip to Orlando. It came a good time in a way: after a crazy week of work preparing Queen of Apostles for the big groups coming through for the March for Life.  Even though they started out exhausted (Jeff taking a red-eye flight the night before with a dislocated thumb!), it sounds like it ended up being a relaxing trip. They came home with sunburns... a nice thing to see in the dead of winter! Grandmommy and Aunt Hilary came over to help me over the weekend, for which I'm so grateful...thank you both!!

Snow Day

Snow day for David and Rose, that is. We were shocked to find that school for Frankie and Teresa wasn't even delayed, much less cancelled! (We tend to be wimps about snow in this neck of the country) Here they are romping and waving "HI!" to passing cars. 

Whew! This took about 30 minutes to accomplish. Finally ready to roll.

"Can I take off my hat?"

It's a big, white world for a little fat. 

This month's recap

We could spot Rose a mile away walking around with this bubble umbrella at a little friend's birthday party.

David and Dave bond over a nap.

It's that time of year again. 3-0, baby. Go Irish!

Remember the Elmo incident last year? It is a thing of the past. David finds this costume and dons it on his own now. He just needed a year to mature into Elmo.

Our hopes for homegrown jack-o-lanterns were dashed after getting many, many stalks and flowers, but no pumpkins. Then one day late this summer... pop! This sweet little guy appears. He's such a character.

She's sweet, sharp, and she's not afraid to tell you what you should be doing. You're not a close friend or family member? Doesn't matter. Rose is rife with commands for all of humanity. She recently told a little boy at the park to stop being so loud, and she frequently approaches strangers with "What's your name?" or "Hi!".  She's our first choleric child....parenting advice welcome :)

Birthday boy

Little guy turned 4 yesterday. We went to a fun park with a carousel, received delicious Georgetown cupcakes in the mail from Lolo and Lola, and capped off the day with some more yummy homemade confections. You only turn 4 once, right?

You'll notice someone lost another tooth, too. It was an exciting day all around.

Goings on

Fourth of July party with the Queen of Apostles St. Joseph's Group. Our pastor is doing pin the tail on the donkey...what a good sport he is :)

David belongs to a family of girls, no way around it.  I couldn't stop laughing when they came upstairs from our coat closet like this.

It's been an eventful month. Dave has formally changed jobs from the organization he began working for right out of college to our local parish, of all places! We've become close to our pastor, Fr. Leopoldo Vives, since he and two other Disciples of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary arrived at Queen of Apostles last year, and since Dave organized a ministry for fathers in the parish called the St. Joseph's Group. Fr. Leopoldo asked Dave to help out interviewing candidates for a new job opportunity at the parish. Everyone involved in the interview process soon discerned that really Dave was the ideal candidate for the job. After some quick and intense discernment, Dave and I both came to see the job as very attractive on many levels: it would employ everything Dave had learned at YLF and business school, it would be an eight minute commute from our house, the salary and benefits are more than what we previously had, and the girls would be able to attend the parish school in the fall at no cost to us. It was dawning on us that this unforeseen job offer was God's answer to years of earnest prayer. No doubt this new job will present its own challenges and crosses, but all in all it looks like a beautiful fit for now!

In the meantime, Frankie and Teresa are excited about the prospect of school this fall, and I'm looking forward to a break from the pressure of homeschool for a season. We may very well return to homeschooling, which in theory I find preferable, but life the past year provided some significant obstacles to what I consider ideal execution.  Thank goodness Frankie is such a bright self-starter; I know she absorbed much despite our very basic curriculum. 

We've put moving on hold for now, since Dave's new commute is simply too good to be true, but we've still got our eye out for a neighborhood where car windows remain intact (we like to dream big around here). Two nights ago, for the second time in a year, someone bashed in a window of our minivan. Despite six years sprinkled with arrests, theft and vandalism, we've decided to stay on our street for another year or so (yeah, we're tough). Nonetheless, feel free to share any news of houses for sale in the Annandale area!

David before and after

I said a while back I'd post before/after surgery photos of David to show you how his eyes have healed. So without further ado...

Little guy. Here's a rare shot of his right eye "floating". Usually it was his left.

Ta da! Pretty darn straight if you ask me. 

David's first portrait! Before the eyes, nose and extremities were added he asked me, "What do you think this is?"  I guessed, "A banana?" I was wrong. "It's a monster!" Of course. He seems to have had a breakthrough moment rendering eyes, nose, mouth (actually, it's the monster's tummy says David), arms and legs. 

Goings on

Yesterday David learned to ride a 2-wheeler, admittedly to my surprise. Dave had confidence he was ready, and apparently he was right. Now to start working on Rose...

Our little absent-minded professor

Frankie continues expanding her rainbow-loom skills.

The most exciting 15 minutes of David's life: watching a bulldozer at work from 20 feet away. He followed it, sitting down cross-legged at times, around the perimeter of the playground as it planted trees. This park is pretty cool!

Our bird family

We decided to name the sweet cardinal family living on our back porch. The dad is Charles, the mom is Caroline, and the baby is Carrie. (Recognize them from Little House on the Prairie?)  It's fascinating to watch the teamwork between the parents; they have a system down. The father knows when the mother is leaving the nest and comes to feed the baby while she's away. Sometimes the father comes to pass some food on directly to the mother, and it looks like they're kissing. Needless to say, Charles, Caroline and Carrie have won our hearts.

Baby Carrie (who could be a Charles, we don't know...) growing feathers on her wings and taking up more space.

Taken a week or so later. She's getting all the nutrients her brother and sister would have gotten- perhaps she's growing faster than she might have. She's filling out the nest, and when she stretches out for feedings, it looks like she could topple out sometimes. Her little chirp is precious!

Rose likes to alternate between baby dolls and cars. A healthy balance I'm sure. David sure enjoys having a car buddy.

Eyes, cake and crocheting (kind of a gross title...sorry)

It's been a busy week. David's surgery Friday went very well, and everything has happened just as the doctor predicted. His eyes, though still red and swollen, are clearly straightening out. It's pretty incredible that after a 3 hour surgery he could leave the hospital the same day and have newly minted eyes! Modern medicine is amazing. Thank you all who prayed (and continue to pray) for him (and me!)- it looks like a very good outcome for his eyes, and I couldn't have asked for more calm, peace and positive energy (i.e. grace) during that long day in the hospital.

Celebrating friend Katrina's birthday. I love that Rhett is the only one smiling for the camera.

Guarding the birthday cake.

You can see his eyes, though still red and puffy, look straight! I'll have to do a before/after picture once the redness has cleared.

"That was a hard row!" Did you know that Dave and Frankie crochet now? The past three nights I've found Dave on the couch crocheting.  He taught me how last night. We joked that I'll get him nice crochet needles for Father's Day, but I don't think it's a joke anymore. Thanks for a new hobby, Lola!

Men at work

These guys can change tires, kill bugs, remove rodents, protect the house, lift heavy items, and perhaps most importantly of all: make breakfast.

Cheek update (forgive the pun)

David has cheerfully embraced the potty in record timing (after one day of "training"). I don't recall Frankie and Teresa using the transitional potty with such zest, on their own initiative. He's more mature than we give him credit for, little guy!

Training day. 

This is David's blankie, his warmth and security during an important transition. I should probably wash it...

T 

Rosie's cheek is looking almost back to normal! Still bruised, but not swollen.

This girl is tough. At the ER she was her usual mischievous self, squirming out of my arms, cackling and attempting to run out the door of our room. Don't think this resilience is from my gene pool...