Hmm.

Francesca picks up words and phrases like a sponge. Every now and then she'll repeat something that I've said maybe *once* before- which can be scary enough- like when she informed me, "You're driving me nuts!" after I prodded her to get dressed one morning. But the following really has me baffled, and I'm being honest- these words haven't come out of my or Dave's mouth *ever* to my knowledge. In the car, commenting on the traffic lights, my mom informed Frankie, "Red means stop. Green means go!" A small voice from the back of the car asked, "Go to hell?"
We're consoling ourselves with the thought that perhaps she picked up the H-E-double hockey sticks at some point during the liturgy at Mass. Is it possible? Otherwise, family and friends are out of the equation, and I haven't heard that phrase on Lady and the Tramp or Elmo to date. Thankfully she hasn't repeated it since.

BFFs

Lola and Frankie sharing a special moment in the kitchen.

Teresa the body builder

"Yo, the red-head's wit me."

I stand corrected

Francesca indicated that she wanted to listen to Blueberries for Sal on audiobook. I said, "Ok, let's put in Blueberries for Sal." She responded with a corrective tone, "Mom, by Robert McCloskey."

Something different

There's something different about me today.

You guessed it. My first ponytail!

Delicious Thai marinade

I use it on pork tenderloin, but you could do chicken too. Actually, this marinade would make dirty socks taste delicious. From my mother-in-law's store of delectable Asian recipes:

5 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I like creamy)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all together in a sauce pan over low heat until smooth. Let cool slightly, then pour over meat. Let marinade as long as possible, then either grill, broil, or bake on high. Great with Jasmine rice!

The power of a dream

Me: "Why'd you get up so early this morning Frankie?" (she came into our room around 6:30 a.m.)
F: "Well... cuz I was dreaming about a cookie."

Four Years Gone By...

It feels longer, only because we've been a couple for 9 years now. It was (holy) fate that first orientation weekend at Notre Dame; little did we know we'd have a house, three little ones (one in heaven), and one on the way 9 years down the line. It snowed on February 11, 2006, creating a beautiful white blanket to dazzle our wedding guests behind the huge windows of our reception hall. The snow mirrored the fresh, mystical start to our vocation, which God has filled with graces for the taking from day 1. And Notre Dame continues to mother us.

Tickled pink

"Look, Daddy, they're so pretty!"

Snopocalypse 2010

So Dave, driven by that mysterious engineering strain that runs in his blood, took it upon himself to build an igloo. There are no snow bricks in this structure, making it a tad less safe than the original Inuit abode, but it's no less an impressive work of art with enough room for 4-5 people inside.






Some friends from the neighborhood joined Frankie for some hot chocolate inside.

A couple of my favorite things

It's amazing how plant life can boost one's spirits in the dead of winter. Every morning I look at these paper whites, grown from bulbs, with such satisfaction. They brighten my day.


Teresa brightens my day too.