Recently in Kids Category

Andrew had a really hard time waiting for this birthday and prayed several times to "please not let me be sad until my Birthday."  Two nights ago, he announced that his birthday was so close that he did not need to pray about being sad - the end was in sight!! 

Happy Birthday, blue eyes!

2 weeks:

After his shower tonight, Matthew came to me with a list of supplies in his head.  He needed my help getting everything and then wanted to work privately in the bee room to prepare some presents for Andrew's birthday tomorrow.  He spent at least an hour and came back down with these two beauties:
 


(Judging by the supplies Matthew had me get, Andrew is receiving a box of Origami and electronic parts. He is also getting Matthew's Lowe's semi. I know only because I can tell by the shape of the wrapping paper.)  

After he was done, Matthew was really concerned that he had run out of time to make anything for the guys' stockings.  Kevin assured him that he would have time in the morning. (Matthew is always awake by 5:30, if not earlier!)

What a beautiful example of generosity from one of God's precious souls!

....that make it all worthwhile.  This year, we are celebrating Christmas in it's fullness - as a season and not just a day.  I knew, by the end of Advent, that I wanted to celebrate this way, but I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do it. 

Enter: Matthew. Christmas evening, Matthew secretly put some of his electronics parts (He has a large bucket of these that he has been collecting since summer.) into baggies and slipped them into the guys' stockings. He also prepared a program listing the numbers of the Christmas songs from our Hymnal that we would sing in front of the fire that evening.

Every day, he comes up with new ideas as a way for us to celebrate.  He has been making Origami figures (with the paper he received from his Aunt as a birthday present) and slipping them into our stockings.  Sometimes, they even have electronic parts hidden in them! 

One evening, he spent about an hour making us this beautiful card and many Origami figures:

At supper tonight -

Matthew: I don't want any cheese.  I'm getting tired of cheese.

Andrew: I'm getting tired of cheese, too.

Matthew (excitedly):  Andrew, I could eat your cheese for you!  Wow!  Wasn't that generous of Andrew to give me all of his cheese?

(Parents are too perplexed to respond.)

We celebrated Gregory's baptism today on the Feast of Christ the King!

The kids were really excited and kept telling me how excited Gregory was.  I decided we had better still walk to church to use up some of this emotional energy.  So, Kevin ran the errands of picking up sandwiches and salads from 9th Street Deli and the boys and I mosied over to church.

The ceremony was really beautiful!  All the kids did really well and loved seeing Father pour water over Gregory's head.  I love the way our parish makes such a big deal out of baptisms! Blessings and songs abound and Father processes around the church to introduce the baby to the congregation.  Thanks to my Aunt Corinne, I can share a few pictures of our celebration. (We used a disposable, so they are not as crisp as digital!)

Kevin lowers Gregory into the baptismal font:

 


Father and Gregory process through the congregation: