Birthday Celebrations

I wanted to share a few pictures of our combined birthday celebration last Sunday.

I'm sure she'll love this story when she's sixteen

Do you know what my dear, sweet, darling, potty training, third child did?

She tinkled on the floor!

I know you are thinking she did this because she is just learning to control these bodily functions. You may think I am overreacting, little ones often have accidents when learning to use a toilet. The thing is, she did it on purpose-- on purpose.

Not because she was curious, not because she didn't know better, not because it seemed fun. She did it because she was upset her sister was using her bathroom (there are three of them in this house). Where she got the notion that my conveniently located downstairs bathroom was hers is beyond me.

Talk about sibling rivalry...

On a more serious note, please continue to pray for my little sister. She has been diagnosed with heart failure. She expected to hear she had pneumonia and this has completely floored our family. We are now waiting to see how she will respond to the medications.

Happy Third Birthday Bophie

It's hard to believe you are no longer a baby, how quickly you have become such a sweet girl. It has been such fun to watch you grow, to hear the new things you say, to see your personality shine! Many blessings to you this year.

Prayer Request

Please keep my sister in your prayers. She went yesterday for a heart stress test, she was unable to take the test and the results were not good. Her heart is currently only pumping at about 15%. She has a difficult road ahead and our family would really appreciate any prayers.

My Lenten Reading

Recently I blogged about my "Sisyphus Syndrome". I mentioned in that post a friend who recommended a prayer of "Thank you, Jesus, for everything." I have really taken to this one-line prayer. For me, it works better than counting to ten or taking a few deep breaths. Sometimes I do that as well, but this little prayer really puts whatever has arisen in perspective.

The prayer came from a book entitled He Leadeth Me by Fr. Walter Ciszek. He was a Jesuit priest who spent more than two decades in a Russian prison after going to serve as a missionary in Poland during the war. He first wrote the book With God in Russia, which details his time in Russia (I will hopefully read this in the future). He Leadeth Me is not about giving an account of his time, but rather to show how his faith carried him through the ordeal. It is truly an amazing book and certainly what I needed to shed a new light on my Sisyphus syndrome.

In the following excerpt I read earlier this week, he talks of how often we try to tell God what His will is. I think this is the root of my Sisyphus problem. I forget my vocation in life will often seem monotonous and overwhelming. I feel over-qualified for dealing with endless mounds of laundry, piles of dishes, dirty diapers, and runny noses. I want to educate and train my children in virtue, but I didn't realize how that would mean the bulk of my day would often be spent in what I considered menial and endless tasks. Often it is hard to see success in these tasks. And yet, it is precisely these tasks that lead to my salvation. These tasks are part of God's will for my life. I should accept and bear them as such.

Ultimately, we come to expect God to accept our understanding of what his will ought to be and to help us to fulfill that, instead of learning to see and accept his will in the real situations in which he places us daily. The simple soul who each day makes a morning offering of "all the prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day" -- and who then acts upon it by accepting unquestioningly and responding lovingly to all the situations of the day as truly sent by God -- has perceived with an almost childlike faith the profound truth about the will of God. To predict what God's will is going to be, to rationalize about what his will must be, is at once a work of human folly and yet the subtlest of all temptations. The plain and simple truth is that his will is what he actually wills to send us each day, in the way of circumstances, places, people, and problems. The trick is to learn to see that-- not just in theory, or not just occasionally in a flash of insight granted by God's grace, but every day...
From He Leadeth Me by Fr. Walter Ciszek.

I want to keep typing more of this book. It is just amazing. I am only a few chapters into the book, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are future posts. If anyone decides to read this, I would love to try to do an online discussion.

New Horizons

Does this face sum up the pride felt in a new accomplishment?
I will not show you a picture of my face, hers is much cuter. I can say it is not as content as little Juliana. It is rather frazzled, there are bags under my eyes, and the pigtail just doesn't hide the fact I have had no time today for any sort of appearance maintenance. Now when I turn my back I have to worry where the little one has climbed!

It is amazing how quickly she is gaining new skills. It is hard to believe only two months ago she was barely sitting up. Now she is crawling, pulling herself to a standing position, and even climbing.

OK, there is a little pride in my eyes-- it will be easier to recognize when she learns how to come down the stairs...

Lion or Lamb?

I am hoping the cold weather today means March has come in like a lion. While it was sunny and looked nice outside, the temperature had dropped. Or maybe it is just that we have all been couped up inside a little too long with all the sickness we have had lately.These are some photos of my middle children (we do still remember to take pictures of them occasionally). They just had to go outside, even if it was just to walk the poor dog around the house. Poor Bella was shivering in spite of the down jacket she was wearing.

The coat was a gift. In my opinion, no dog should ever wear such a frilly thing. However, I happen to live in a house full of darling little girls who think bundling up a dog and doing laps around the house is tremendous fun. On a cold, rather dull Sunday, I was happy to oblige them in hopes a little activity after all our sickness would do them some good.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of little Bophie with her ribbons in her hair (they looked much nicer before her nap and romp out in the wind). Look at that cute face. She is still all about the jellybeans and keeps asking me when it will be Easter. Since it was Sunday, and she is just too sweet, I let her have a few today. I am sure I will pay for that tomorrow!