catching fireflies

As Grace and I were driving home tonight, I noticed the flickering neon green lights on the side of the road - fireflies.  We had "catch fireflies" on our summer to do list last year, but she never did, so tonight instead of going straight in for books and bed, we grabbed her butterfly net and set off to catch fireflies.

Catching fireflies is a rite of passage.  It is a true sign of summer.

I do believe we will be doing this again, and a little fun was needed after a week that included:

1. pink eye
2.  which led to strep and an ear infection
3.  four straight days of a fever
4.  25 minutes of screaming over taking medicine
5.  said medicine spit out on the couch, on her body, in her hair.
6.  still more crying in the bathtub because of medicine
7.  20 minutes later I managed to get some of the medicine in...the next five days are going to be fun.

so...a little fun catching fireflies was much needed for all of us.

Grateful to Be Mama

Dearest Grace,

    When you were born four years ago, I latched onto the song by Darius Rucker titled "It Won't Be Like This For Long".  I knew the sleepless nights would end.  Thankfully, you only made us zombies for a little over a month.  I knew the things I once cherished when you were itty-bitty would soon be gone as you grew into each stage.  I knew things would change. 

   As Mother's Day rolls around tomorrow, I want you to know that I love everything, every single thing about you.  I love that you still call me Mama, even when you yell for me in a creepy horror flick whisper.  I love that you still call me to get you each and every morning instead of getting out of bed yourself because then I'd know you'd saddle up to my side of the bed and probably scare the daylights out of me.  I love that you stall at bedtime.  Sometimes, for a drink, sometimes to go to the bathroom, but mostly when you call me back upstairs just to tell me you love me one more time.  I love our nightly story time that sometimes becomes the rosary.  I love how you still ask me to sing you bedtime songs.  Your favorites right now are "You are my sunshine", "Father, I Adore You", and "Refiner's Fire".  I love how you still wake me up in the middle of the night if you have to go to the bathroom.  You can do it yourself, but you told me you don't want to be alone.  I love making crafts with you.  I love your kindness, your laughter, your kisses, your snuggles, your hugs.  I love our lunch picnics in the front yard.  I love your sneaky little mind.  I love your gracisms.  I really do love everything.

    And I will continue to find that things won't last like this for long, but until then I'm going to keep on waking up every morning being grateful that she hasn't completely grown up just yet.

funny book

So my little break with a book and a comforter included a cup of coffee too.  It's seven o'clock at night and I'm cup two - I'm turning into my mother.  But I digress.

The book...


is HILARIOUS and TRUE and JUST WHAT I NEEDED BEFORE I START MY WEEK WITH 7TH GRADERS WHO ARE ALREADY COUNTING DOWN UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL.

My favorite section = The Road Trip. 

Waiting

I should be tackling an item on the never ending to-do list of my life.

Instead, I'm just sitting here doing nothing.  Just because I can.  Matt is at a meeting, and Grace is bumming around town with Grandma and Papa.  I keep getting calls from her updating me on what she is doing.  They have gone something like this:

Grace:  Mama, can Grandma and Papa take me to the dog store?
Me:  Did you ask them?
Grace:  I will.

or

Grace:  Mama, can I eat over here (I learned later meant the Chili's at the mall.)
Me:  Did you ask Grandma and Papa?
Grace:  uh huh

Next on my list...curling up on the couch with a comforter and one of new books I just checked out from the public library.

Two Things

1.  Are you open to the gifts from God?  Are you willing to accept what he has in store for you?  God calls on the ordinary.  Are you ready?  Lent begins in three days.  Am I ready?  Just a few snippets taken from today's homily that resonated with me.

2. This summer I attended the funeral for my friend's dad.  I'll never forget what her brother said during his eulogy.  "My dad always had time for us.  Even after a long day at work, he never said no when we asked him to do something."  Wow!  Years from now, I want to make sure I've said YES!  All that other stuff can wait.  It can wait until Grace is grown and on her own.  So tonight when she asked to walk to the park for the second time today, I said

Welcome 2013

We will open the book.

It's pages are blank.

We're going to put

words on them ourselves.

The book is called

Opportunity

and its first chapter is

New Year's Day.

-Edith Lovejoy Pierce

What's in store for you?

We are Blessed

This year we stayed put.  No flights with the possibilities of weather cancellations or getting half way home and then hopping on a bus for a drive that would only get us four hours closer to our destination only to wait for my parents to drive those four hours to get us.  Yes, we stayed put.  It was hard.  It was weird. No, snow on Christmas.  Even Grace didn't understand that there wouldn't be snow.  It was her first without snow too.  

But,

We are blessed.  We had a truly wonderful Christmas.  Candlelight dinner with the "fancy plates and cups" as Grace puts it.  (Note:  We've been using the fancy cups daily now.)  I brought a little of home to Virginia - homemade gnoochi on Christmas Eve.  (With the amount of cooking I did, I felt like my mother.)  Mass at St. Marks's.  Getting our three year old up on Christmas morning.  (Yes, you read that right.  We heard her in the monitor for 20 minutes.  I finally just had to go in.  I couldn't take it any longer.  Her response as to why, "Mama, I was just resting.") Dinner with Matt's parents, Skype with my family, and lots and lots of playing dolls and Headbandz and watching Cinderella.