Papa!

What a day yesterday.  We had a friend over for a play date. I got a pope alarm text on my phone and we turned on the television to watch and wait for Papa to appear!  It was such fun.  The children were dancing around and we had a little ice cream party to celebrate Pope Francis I!  It was so powerful to pray with our WHOLE Church an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.  Our big universal Church, against which the gates of Hell can not prevail.

The day is beautiful again.  We went to the Zoo on Tuesday with lots of friends. My sweet friend Kelly was in town for the last few days and sadly she ended up sick and laying on my couch.  She barley mustered up the strength to drive home today. 

Last night was a little party for N's basketball team.  I got to have some nice chats with Mommies there and enjoy their company.  The Moms that I hung out with send their children to school They were talking about how they will only have one home next year.  It really made me feel a little envious.  I offer that to God and I know he will lead us to exactly what we are suppose to do.  I love having the children home and honestly if pressed, even if I was offered free tuition at a good Catholic school, I don't know that I feel like it's God's will for our family right now to have the children go to a conventional school.  The thought of having only L at home next year is such a temptation. Ugh...

Mondays and other light burdens

   It's that breathing time of day for me.  All the older children have finished their assignments and baby is sleeping and the little messes have been righted.  The kids are now outside "building a robot" which sprung from my attempt at getting Ike to enjoy writing.  We brainstormed a topic, he picked robots.  We researched.  We organized thoughts and ended on that note.  My boy though, of course,  would rather go build the robot so as soon as school ended.   Out he went equipped with the tools he got for Christmas and some scrap wood from a household project.  I am excited to see what he will build.  It also helped me to reflect on how no matter how i try to make the perfect situation for him to be a good writer, he is who he is.  It is a blessing that I can embrace that.   I'm just not sure how to sneak essentials in like, writing, spelling, and reading among the very important boy stuff that naturally goes on around here. I want to teach him the value of glorifying God though his weekends.  *sigh*
   So blah, it is January, it's gray outside, and the next big thing to look forward to is the sacrifices of lent.  (I mean that is good, but ya know...sacrifice is hard!)  I need a shower, I've already had plenty of coffee... so I just need to stick the smile on and find joy in the moment.  I can do that.  So can you.

  They made an airplane on which they drew each member of our family looking out the windows and an airport too :)