Theme Thursday: Lights

One of my favorite things about Advent and Christmas is the lights.  Lying on the floor under the Christmas tree watching the lights and the shadows they cast, driving around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights, candles (okay, that's a year-round thing with me), etc.  In fact, tonight I really wanted to bundle us all up and hop in the van for a neighborhood Christmas lights tour.  I would have, too, if it were above zero.  Instead, I'm enjoying the virtual our over at Clan Donaldson tonight!

Alex got me this statue of the Holy Family for Christmas last year, and the infinity candle was a gift from my mother-in-law a couple years ago.  Obviously, great taste in gifts runs in that family (lucky me!).  Please ignore the fingerprints and dust on the glass--was not expecting the camera to pick that up.

So, that's it!  Happy Thursday of the first week of Advent, and head over to Clan Donaldson to look at the lights!

Quick, before it's too late...

Winter is rolling down from the mountains.  According to the local news, we hit a high of 54 (pretty typical for the gorgeous fall with which we've been spoiled) around 11:30, and the temperature has been plummeting ever since.  Depending on whom you ask, we're expecting anywhere from 3 to 24 inches of snow in the next 24 hours.  In addition to that, we're looking for highs (yes, highs) in the low teens through the weekend.  I'm chilled just thinking about it.

So, before winter descends in all its frigidness (frigidity?), here are some last glimpses of our glorious fall.

I don't think Michael is ever happier than when he is "helping" Daddy around the house or yard--be it mowing the lawn, hammering nails, raking leaves, grilling dinner, etc.

Happy birthday, Liam!

Linking up with Cari at Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday: Shaming because I'm waaaay ashamed that it took me almost three weeks to post about Liam's birthday.  I don't even have a good excuse...

I think Liam is ashamed that he has a mother who insisted on stuffing his poor one-year-old head into the same hat
he was forced to wear for Christmas pictures at 7 weeks old

It was a day of profile shots--all the pictures of Liam actually looking at the camera came out blurry

The last in the series.  At this point he finally decided that the playground mulch
looked too delicious to be ignored any longer.  Also, those are "I need a nap" eyes.

Dearest Liam, I can't believe you're already one year (and 2.5 weeks) old.  This time last year your daddy and I were marveling over how you would fall asleep and then stay asleep when we put you down.  Now we're rejoicing that you are (finally) sleeping through the night (somewhat) consistently.  But sleeping or not, you are such a joy.

From the very first months of your life you were the most ticklish baby I had ever seen, and I still can't resist tickling your ribs every time I pull a shirt over your head (mean, I know--I'll be sorry when you're big enough to tickle back).  You have always been such a happy little person, and it is so exciting to see you express your personality more and more every day (even your temper--I know it's hard to wait for food and deal with a brother who is still learning how to share).

Speaking of brothers, Michael absolutely adores you, and I love to see your friendship developing even now.  Including the mini-fights over toys.  I hope you keep that special smile just for Michael forever; and I know you'll have another one for John Paul when you meet him (and thanks for not caring that mama's belly keeps getting bigger and bigger).

I love how you clap and try to say "all done" when you're done eating, and how you raise your arms and say "Dah!" for tada (and how all done and tada sound just about the same).  Your occasional "mama"s and "dada"s melt my heart.  I know I'm not supposed to wish the time away, but I can't wait for you to start talking more!

You are so precious to us, Liam Roderick!  I can't wait for all that God has in store for you.

Birthday cookies turtle

Not quite sure...

Oh, that was pretty good after all!

7 Quick Takes (vol. 33)

--- 1 ---

We're still alive.  We're even all pretty much healthy (I've just come to consider the Colorado-dry-winter-sniffles to be status quo for all four of us).  I just can't manage to keep things going and blog semi-regularly.  I love my job, but commuting to the Springs three times a week is draining me of all ability to do much more than survive the rest of the week.

But last week I did wash, dry, fold, and put away all the laundry (except Liam's--washed, dried, folded, and still in the basket sitting in his closet) within 48 hours.  That's an all-time record for me.  Yep, I'm pretty proud of myself.

--- 2 ---

Speaking of Liam, yes he did turn 1 year old.  Yes, we did celebrate.  Yes, I did take pictures.  Yes, that blog post is still unwritten.  Oops.

two weeks before the birthday... close enough for now

--- 3 ---

Also speaking of Liam, he seems to be waking up from his nap.  Can I get through four more takes before he loses all patience with his bunny and sippy cup all by his lonesome in the crib?  Probably.  Can I do it while Michael incessantly demands to know where I put the little drummer (no idea what he's talking about)?  Not sure.

--- 4 ---

Speaking of Michael, he's in a dumping phase.  As in, the first order of business any time he comes down to the playroom is to dump out his huge bin of MegaBloks and his giant box of Lincoln Logs.  And then to play with something else.  Not my favorite.

Michael making fish (?) soup out of Lincoln Logs in the midst of his dumping aftermath

Note Liam in the background happily chomping away on Percy.  I'm sure Liam thinks that Michael dumps out all the toys for his sole benefit.

--- 5 ---

On the other hand, Michael and Liam playing (more or less) happily together, sharing snacks, and making each other laugh hysterically is absolutely my favorite.  Here's snack time earlier this week (on the dining room floor, because that's where M wanted to eat his snack, and I was well beyond caring--especially since it kept both of them busy and happy for a solid five minutes):

--- 6 ---

Another thing I love: how much Michael enjoys playing dress up.  Whether it's the assortment of awesome costumes at Cici & Papa's house or just a bowl as a hard hat or a blanket for a cloak at our house (we are sadly lacking in the costume department... something I intend to remedy whenever the stars align for motivation, energy, time, and the courage to tackle my new sewing machine [which I have also been meaning to blog about and haven't gotten around to yet]... possibly by Christmas?) he gets pretty excited about it.  Cousins to dress up with are an added bonus.

apparently one of Alex's costumes from when he was little--
I would love to get my hands on that picture to compare side-by-side!

a knight with a sword and a dragon with a gun...
but I was informed they were off to hunt "bad guys" and not each other

--- 7 ---

Well, after that one squawk Liam seems to have fallen back to sleep (or decided his bunny is better company for the moment than his mom and brother).  Guess I better go switch laundry around.  And I had darn well better take Michael--as soon as he saw me with a laundry basket this morning he started following me around "Need help you wif yawndry! Need help you!"  If I leave his line of sight without warning him he frantically starts searching for me to make sure I'm not sneaking away to do "yawndry" without his help.  It's his favorite chore, and it's awfully sweet.  He also loves to help with sweeping and yard work.  I'm hoping this helpful streak lasts a loooooong time.

Go see Jen and the rest for more Quick Takes!  
Happy Friday :)

The Many Words of Michael

best. frown. ever.

"I need ________ to be happy!"  As in, "Need two stories to be happy" when he's told there is only time for one story or "Need honey medicine to be happy" when he's told he isn't sick and doesn't need any medicine.  I have no idea where he got this... maybe I go around telling Alex "I need coffee/ice cream/a nap to be happy!" and I just haven't realized it?

he can generally be tricked into smiling--
only time reverse psychology seems to work on him

"Put moosic on for me?"  Me: "Okay Michael, what kind of music do you want?"  "Need a George song!"  We listen to a lot of George Winston in our house.

"Look Mama!  Mitenal a football boy!"

don't worry Daddy, he still likes soccer!

Me: "I love you, my precious little boy!"
Michael: "Love you, my precious big peoples."

Five Favorites (vol. 3)

1.  When we were starting Michael on solids (oh so long ago, it feels like), I didn't think much about bibs.  We had an assortment from baby shower gifts, and (in hindsight) he was a pretty neat eater.  The cute little ones that came with outfits and the multipacks from Walmart or wherever worked just fine.

Enter the Liam-boy.  Tearing off his bib (because all the velcro is old and useless) is the favorite mealtime activity, following closely by completely pulverizing/liquefying whatever he is supposed to be consuming.  Getting the substance in (or near) his mouth comes in third.  Sometimes.  Getting him out of his high chair generally requires vacuuming off his lap first, unless you want the half of his meal not yet on the floor to end up there as soon as you pick him up.  Not to mention his habit (recently outgrown... mostly...) of consistently spitting out his first swig of whatever is in his sippy cup.  Etc.  Obviously the hand-me-down bibs have not been sufficient.

A good friend has these bibs for her girls, and after months of admiring the bib situation at her house and lamenting the dismal failure of bibs at our house, it finally occurred to me that buying bibs that work and tossing our useless ones would not, actually, be an extravagant waste of money.  Yes, I'm a little bit slow (is it too early to blame pregnancy-brain?).

Bumkins SuperBib

Bumkins Waterproof Junior Bib

I got a 3-pack of the smaller bibs and two of the junior bibs.  M doesn't generally want or use a bib (hello, worthless) anymore, but I know as soon as L has these spiffy new ones that will change.  Disaster averted.

They're supposed to arrive today and I am SO! EXCITED!

2.  French doors.  I was absolutely indifferent to them before we bought our house, but now I can close the doors between the den and the living room and blog work in comparative peace whilst still keeping an eye on the wildmen for about five minutes longer than I would otherwise.  Five minutes is a loooong time around here!

my room with a view

3.  In case you missed it floating around to celebrate Blessed JPII's feast day yesterday, this meme may be may all-time favorite from my favorite meme makers, Catholic Memes:

I'm seriously considering printing out a poster-sized version to hang in the baby's room.

4.  Speaking of babies (sort of), this address by Bishop Conley of Lincoln, NE on "Fulfilling Our Prophetic Mission" was absolutely wonderful (as is just about anything Bishop Conley says/writes).  Here's a snippet:

If we can understand God's love for the least among us--for the poor, the vulnerable, the unborn, or the disabled--we can understand his love for all of us.  If we can witness to the dignity of disabled lives, we're likely to witness deeply to all human dignity.  Our dignity is rooted not in what we can do, but in how much God loves us.

5.  And finally (how has this post taken me all day to write?!), if you are looking for just the right combination of wisdom, insight, and lots of good laughs I highly recommend Simcha Fisher's book:

It's currently only available on Kindle, but the print version is coming soon.  I downloaded the Kindle app for my iPhone just so I could read this book.  My only complaint?  It's too short.  I finished it in two days (albeit while neglecting other minor little tasks, like laundry) and I kind of wish I could go on reading it forever.  Or at least a month.  Fantastic :)

Go see Hallie and the gang for more favorites!

Happy Feast Day to...

... John Paul Charles Crane!

the newest inhabitant of the Corner at 19 weeks

We had our 20(ish) week ultrasound last Wednesday.  Thankfully Alex had a day off from school right smack dab in the middle of the range wherein I was supposed to schedule my ultrasound (sophomores and juniors may not love the PSAT, but I sure do), so we were blessed to continue our tradition of making it a family affair.  It was truly a family affair as we took both Michael and Liam with us to "see the baby" (at the "doctor's house," as Michael informed us when we arrived).

Baby was very squirmy and gave the ultrasound tech a run for her money to get a decent picture of his feet, but he was not the least bit shy about making it abundantly clear that there is no need for pink frilly stuff around the house just yet (none of the boys had even a shred of modesty when it came down to gender-reveal time at the the ultrasound).  Liam was not impressed (it was lunch time), but Michael definitely enjoyed watching the ultrasound and finding out that he is getting a new little brother!

Also, we had the coolest ultrasound tech ever and before we left she printed out a special picture just for Michael:

We're absolutely thrilled to be expanding our pack of wild monkeys boys from two to three.  We're naming the baby John Paul Charles after Blessed John Paul II (can't say that for much longer--so excited to celebrate his canonization less than two months after our little JP will be born!) and two of the patriarchs of our families: Great-grandpa Charles Crane and Great-grandpa Chuck Rappana.  Our new little one is starting out life with quite the heritage--the namesake of three amazing men.  (If you missed the stories behind the other names around here you can catch up on Michael's and Liam's.)  Of course, if we ever send him to Catholic school I'm sure he'll be one of at least a dozen John Pauls in his class, but totally worth it.  I mean, seriously:

Also, I survived being one of at least seven Ashleys in my graduating class, so no big deal.


So happy feast day, little JP!  We can't wait to meet you in March!!!

That thing where I write stuff on the internet sometimes...

You know when you put something off for a little too long, and it becomes kind of overwhelming?  And your mom tries to guilt you into taking care of it (true story), but you just can't find the time?  So you you put it off even longer, and it becomes just too monumental to even contemplate?  So you keep pretending to ignore it?

And then you finally work up the oomph to tackle it, and as soon as you sit down to get started BOTH children wake up from their naps within moments of each other?

And then you finally convince them to play more or less contentedly without you and sit down to start again, and one of them promptly fills his diaper?

And then... and then... wait for it... oh, I guess we can move on!

So, I didn't mean to take an unannounced, two month hiatus from blogging--it kind of just happened.  (Rescue smaller child from pillow he is trying and failing to crawl over.)  So, how to catch up?  Well, I suppose the last two months could be summarized with:
-we bought a house and moved it
-I quit (one of) my job(s)
-we're pregnant (!!!)

You know, just the usual life stuff!  (Break toddler's heart telling him he can't help type the blog post.)  Okay, not really usual at all (except being pregnant, that's feeling pretty normal by this point).  (Rescue smaller child from train table he is trying and failing to crawl under.)  So yeah, it's been a crazy, stressful, wonderful, overwhelming, epic two months for us.

We finally found the house of our dreams (for, like, the third time) and this time everything worked out.  We're all moved in and the frantic, chaotic unpacking of the first week has settled down to a box or two every week or two.  It's home.  It's wonderful.  I'll take and post pictures of it someday (probably).

I quit my job at the Augustine Institute, and so for the first time in three years I'm only working one job, and I'm loving that fact (only one part-time job--there's still the whole motherhood/housewife thing, naturally).  However, that one job does involve teaching three classes a week, each of them an hour's drive away.  So I'm away from the house for five hours at a time three times a week.  This week is the fourth week of classes, and I'm just now starting to feel like maybe it won't kill me.

And we're expecting a new addition to the family in early March.  I was kind of waiting to announce it until I found some cute, clever way that didn't involve time/effort/craftiness/etc.  Well, that search proved fruitless (and by search, I mean I thought about getting on Pinterest and decided it would just be depressing, and nothing else occurred to me  in the grand total of ten minutes I've spent thinking about it).  So no clever announcement (so sorry, baby), just a lack of words to express our joy and excitement.

We are blessed, life is crazy, I'm exhausted, and God is good.  That about sums it up.  I promise not to wait another two months before I blog again.  Seriously.

There Be Giants

This little boy has quite the imagination, and I absolutely love it.  You know what I love even more?  That his blossoming language skills are giving us a priceless window into that active little mind of his!

While we were in the Black Hills last month we were the privileged recipients of multiple stories about giants.  Driving through mile after mile of national forest certainly provided rich fodder for Michael's imagination.  Nearly every car ride involved at least one conversation along these lines:

M (after watching out the window): Mama! Daddy! A monster!

Mama/Daddy: A monster?  Where?!

M: In trees.  Monster!

Mama/Daddy: What kind of monster is it, Michael?

M: Giant monster!

Mama/Daddy: A giant?  Is he friendly?

M: No. Cross.

Mama/Daddy: Oh dear.  What does he want?

M: A giant hungry.

Mama/Daddy: Oh, he's hungry.  What does he like to eat?

M: Fruit 'nacks.  Yeyyow fruit 'nacks.

Mama/Daddy: But we don't have any yellow fruit snacks in the car.

M: Hide! A hide in trees!

And so on, and so forth.

Is it a giant?  No, just a happy Michael playing in the creek.

From the giant's perspective... let's hope he only likes to eat fruit 'nacks.

The giant's tower, or just Mt. Roosevelt outside of Deadwood?  It doesn't much matter--M was thrilled with the "hastle."

Living like I used to dream...

I've been meaning to write this post for over seven months now... I feel like if I don't get it out now I'll never get around to it.  Goodbye, perfectionism.

"Don't Get Comfortable" by Brandon Heath was one of my favorite songs my last couple semesters of college.  My favorite line is, "I am gonna show you what I mean, I am gonna love like you've never seen, you are gonna live like you used to dream, this is your new song."

This was my theme song.  For a good chunk of my senior year of college I knew that I would be moving to Sydney (yes, Australia) after graduation to get my PhD in neuropsychology.  I spent my spring break that year in Sydney visiting a couple schools and scoping out my future life.  I was so sure about this next step that I only applied to my top school.  Backup plan?  Who needs a backup plan?  I had the whole thing planned out, down to what I would post as my Facebook status announcing that I had been accepted to the school and would be moving to Australia: "Ashley is about to live like she used to dream."  Yep--we're talking waaaay back in the day when you had to write your Facebook status in the third person unless you wanted it to just look dumb.

And then my application was rejected.  When I got the rejection letter in the mail I immediately went out and bought an international calling card so I could call the admissions office to see if there had been some mistake.  They said I didn't have enough research experience to be considered for the program.  It sounded like some information might have gotten lost in the translation from American to Australian, because I was pretty sure my semester spent on one research project should be enough to get me in the door.  I said I would send more information, and they said they would take another look when they received it.

A couple weeks later I got another letter.  Nope, still not accepted.

Fast forward a couple months, and I'm planning on moving to Denver to study for my MA in Scripture.  A bit of a paradigm shift, but I had nothing better to do (seriously, that was how I felt about it).  I was excited about the program (learning Greek!!!), but I wasn't sure I was going to like Denver.  I mean, it's not Sydney.  So how could I ever really like it?

Fast forward to the end of my first semester.  I'm ready to move back to Nebraska and finish my degree via distance education.  But I guess I'll finish out this first year.

Fast forward to the end of January.  Some girls I'm in Bible study with are headed out to an Irish pub for some live music with friends from high school/college and invite me to join them.

Fast forward to the next January.  I marry the guy I met in that pub.

Fast forward to the next January.  We have a baby.  Etc.

Fast forward to now.  It sure doesn't look like what I was dreaming about my senior year of college.  Heck, it doesn't look too much like what I dreamed about ever.  I always wanted to get married and have a family.  But I never spent my time dreaming about that year and a half we would live with my husband's parents while dealing with a schizophrenic housing market.  I never dreamed about those last, awful, stubborn 15 pounds of baby weight that just wouldn't come off, even after all most nine months, dang it!  I never dreamed I would have two babies who needed me so desperately multiple times a night every night for months and months.  I dreamed about the beauty and joy of marriage and children--I didn't spend much time dreaming about the pain and the sacrifice and the dying-to-self bits.

But you know what?  I am living like I used to dream--I just didn't know how to dream big enough.  Good thing God doesn't limit us to our own dreams.  Good thing He dreams so much bigger for me than I can dream for myself.  Good thing He didn't give me what my poor little misguided 22 year old heart desired.  Thank you God for unanswered prayers (but not the ones I'm praying right now, because clearly I know better now... right?).

And all the joy and beauty that I did dream about doesn't even begin to compare to the real thing.

So I'll keep dreaming.  And I'll keep praying that God teaches me how to dream.  Because nothing brings more peace in the end than allowing God to conform the desires of my heart to his (but ohmygoodness is it a painful process sometimes).

There, that wasn't so hard.

Family photo out takes

Kinda scraping the bottom here on day 6 of the 7 day challenge... but here you go!


While we were in the beautiful Black Hills we took advantage of the scenery (and Grandpa and his camera) to get an updated family picture.

Somehow I didn't realize it until I saw all three boys smiling in these pictures, but both boys have their daddy's smile.  The way their smiles reach all the way to their eyes is my favorite.  Ever.

So we got a couple great family shots.  We also got some very special treasures, which I thought I'd share with you all tonight.  Enjoy!

Michael's not quite on board with the smiling thing yet...

I know it looks like he's about to punch his brother and I'm blocking him and Alex is scolding him, but that's not what was happening.  I don't think...

Michael hamming it up and Liam done focusing... there were quite a few pictures like this.

I love Liam's expression here.  The shots where he's looking at the camera and smiling are few and far between from this session, but these out takes are priceless in my opinion.

Mr. Michael McMischief Pants

This one wins the prize in my book!