All Hallows Eve

This Halloween was the first time we had Boo-Boo dress up and go out trick-or-treating. We have an All Saints get-together tomorrow (Nov. 1), so I thought we could do double duty with his costume. Presenting ... St. Michael the Archangel! What other time can a crazy Catholic boy wear armor and angel wings?

Boo-Boo headed out with Dear Husband early this evening, then came back for a lollipop I had ready for him. He's allergic to most of the candy he was given tonight, of course, so I had reserves on hand. Guess who got to eat all the goodies -- his lucky parents! =)

It was a good time had by all.

+++

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

+++

St. Michael, pray for us!

Welcome Home, Cleo!

We've been promising for the last month to get Boo-Boo a fish for his birthday. (He's pretty crazy about all animals, but he's allergic to most, of course!) So, every time we went to the Wal Mart two blocks from our house, he'd insist on going by the fish tanks.

Last night we all made a special trip to those tanks for Boo-Boo to choose a fish. He was determined previously to get a black one, but waffled a little when it came down to making a final decision. I helped him choose a "Black Moor" -- a fluttery-finned, googly-eyed big black "gold" fish.

Boo-Boo was just thrilled. He kept begging to hold the fish, but I couldn't let him until we got home. There I had him sit with the fish bag while I prepped the bowl. Boo-Boo informed me that the fish was blowing him kisses and kissing his hand; he hugged and kissed the bag several times and said, "Oh, I wove this cute wittle fishy!"

Once I got the fish in the bowl, I asked Boo-Boo what we wanted to name it. (Isn't it always fascinating to see what these little buggers come up with?!) He said "Sea Gull." I asked him, "Like the bird?" He nodded. "Well, how about a different name -- it's not a bird; it's a fish." So he thought a second and said, "Cweo." Of course, he's named the fish after my old cat, but I think it's a fine name for a black lady fish. Cleo, it is! Now let's just hope she made it through the night...

Happy Birthday, Boo-Boo!

I think this video perfectly illustrates a 3-year-old on his birthday. I had accidentally deleted a clip of him singing "Happy Birthday" to himself, and asked him to do it again. And asked. And asked again. This was his response! LOL!

(The video cuts off him saying that he's going to get a black (which he signs across his forehead) fish for his birthday.)

Oh well; we love him anyway!

Home and Back Again

The boys and I are back on Texas soil after a fairly uneventful flight; what a relief! X-Man slept for an hour (praise God!) and Boo-Boo watched Signing Time on the DVD player. All that teething medicine saved the day!

We had such a wonderful, wonderful week with our family and friends. It hardly could have been better (except that I never made it to Cosetta's =( ). Boo-Boo got to see lots of his little friends, with which he had a memorable wrestle and a sword fight; we got the annual portraits taken of the boys; we went to both zoos; BB got to go on a carriage ride and choose a pumpkin for carving; my parents braved taking BB to a brass band concert; and we celebrated all three of our birthdays.

But the entire trip was pretty surreal for many reasons.

* It is so, so strange to visit a place you've lived for 30 years -- and not know when you were going to live there again.

* I felt like I was caught in a time warp. When I left the Cities in August, it was as if a door had closed in my mind and time stood still. How surprising -- and surprising that it was surprising! -- to get off the plane and see that the world was still turning in Minnesota!

* We saw many of our friends and their children while in the Cities, and I was shocked by how much the children had all changed -- some dramatically, some subtly. Even the moms -- with a different haircut, pregnancy or weight loss -- looked very, very different to me. I wondered how the boys and I must have appeared different to everyone else.

So much can happen in three short months!

Has It Been a Week Already?!

Yes, it's that time again -- time to board another plane, alone with the boys.

Please pray for X-Man, as I finally figured out that he has a big front tooth coming in on the top. (Don't you feel the worst when it takes you however-long to figure out what's bothering/hurting your poor child?) We're armed with Tylenol, Orajel and teething tablets (a new tactic, recommended by a mom on the flight to Minnesota).

I'm hoping Boo-Boo will continue his stellar traveling record, but throw a few prayers his way.

And let's just hope I keep my cool this time, too. It's all in the Lord's hands! =)

Autumn Splendor

It Takes a Village

Well, we made it. We're here. But it took everything in me -- and lots of other people -- to transport the boys across the country. And now, I'd like to thank everyone who made this trip possible...

* God bless the taxi driver who helped Boo-Boo out of his seat and to the skycab.

* God bless the man who held X-Man while I had to unpack our entire backpack looking for suspicious liquids.

* God bless the woman in security who grabbed BB as he ran through the scanner and down the hallway as I was fumbling with the backpack.

* God bless the man who grabbed BB (as I had to fold up the stroller) before he ran into the plane without me.

* God bless the passengers behind and in front of us who played peek-a-boo with X, even though he was crying for half the flight.

* God bless the miraculous, God-sent, phenomenal woman who sat next to us on the plane; her first words to me were, "I think children are such blessings from God." She was the epitome of patience, gentleness and love while X was inconsolable and Boo-Boo stunk up his Pull-Up.

And lastly, thank you, Lord, for the moment when the plane first broke through the clouds and Boo-Boo turned to me and said, "Mama! It wooks wike angels outside!"

Lord, Have Mercy

As I am attempting to spiritually, mentally and physically prepare for my solo airplane ride with the boys tomorrow, I can't help but hear the old Mr. Mister song in my head -- but with alternative lyrics:

Kyrie eleison down the runway we must travel
Kyrie eleison through the darkness of this flight
Kyrie eleison where we're flying you will follow
Kyrie eleison on a mother in her fright

Pray for me. Pray for us. Lots. Hard. For all 170 minutes of this flight. May I be pleasantly surprised by the grace the Lord provides!

St. Christopher, pray for us!

An Orchard By Any Other Name

Last fall in Minnesota, we had an incredibly idyllic autumn experience at Pine Tree Apple Orchard. As Texas is not typically known for its apples, I knew we had to find some sort of alternative this year.

But who'd have thought persimmons? That's right: Asian persimmons, "the apple of the Orient."

We drove out (and saw our first live long-horn cattle!) to the orchard this morning, and the first sound we heard were cows mooing when we opened the car doors. Then, we noticed we were the only non-Asians there to pick the fruit. Makes sense, huh?

As we walked through the rows of trees, we could hear our fellow pickers chattering in their native tongue, cell phones jangling, and see them hauling wagon-loads of persimmons back to their cars. Quite a cultural experience for the middle-of-nowhere in Texas!

Boo-Boo "helped" his dad cut some persimmons down for us, but I think he enjoyed playing on the pumpkin pile the most. He'd lay his head down on them and say that he was snuggling them. Only Boo-Boo!

His Father's Son

This is how Boo-Boo colors. He takes one crayon at a time from his right side, draws one line with it on the paper, and neatly places it in a line on his left side. Then he turns to a new page, and takes a crayon from the left side, colors and lines them up on the right. Every time. Every day.

I've been told that when Dear Husband was a little boy, he'd line up his toys and just look at them. His little brother, though, would actually play with his toys.

Often I come across lines of toys that Boo-Boo has made, and I have to stifle laughter as X-Man tackles the neatly ordered toys (while BB shrieks). History seems to be repeating itself.

Under the Weather

All four of us have been ailing this week: sinus infections for Dear Husband and me, mysterious colds for the boys. We're not sure where we caught it, or if it's just a seasonal thing. Please pray for us, though. DH had to stay home from the office yesterday and his work is piling up, and the boys and I have a plane trip next week -- scary even without colds. Eek!

P.S. We're still in the throes of potty training with Boo Boo, though I've been tempted to throw in the Thomas the Train undies and go back to Pull-Ups full time. We've got #1 down; #2 is plaguing us. Ick!

Happy Birthday, Little Dumpling!

Gratuitously Cute Photo of the Week

The boys waiting for their Daddy to come home.

Friday Night Lights

What could be more Texan than having a bowl of chili -- and cornbread! -- and heading to the hometown high school football game on a Friday night? That's just what we did with my cousin's family. I knew that Texans were serious about football, but this game even exceeded my expectations.

The stadium had permanent stands for the home and visitors sections, faux-grass asphalt, a big screen for replays, and even a blow-up wildcat head -- complete with smoke machine -- for the Wildcat players to run through onto the field. At halftime, the incredibly impressive marching bands and enormous (and surprisingly dignified!) dance teams from both the home and visiting schools performed.

Our university didn't even have it this good! I felt like I was at a Big 10 game.

What more, Boo-Boo thoroughly enjoyed his first live sporting event. He sat spellbound through most of the game, even clapping for touchdowns. He was particularly thrilled with the bands; when we left after halftime, he marched out of the stands -- to the amusement of onlookers, as usual!

The Rise and Fall of Boo-Boo

It has finally "cooled" off here -- highs in the low 80s today -- so we went to the zoo with a friend.

Lately, Boo-Boo has been afraid of the carousel and wouldn't agree to go on it the first time I asked. As we were passing by it a second time, he actually wanted to take a ride. After the first ride, he begged me for another. I said it would be the last, as I knew I'd go broke fueling his new habit.

But, of course, when the second ride ended, he wouldn't get off. I had to carry him literally kicking and screaming to a nearby bench to recover.

How mean of a mom am I? I couldn't resist taking a photo of him crying his eyes out. Such a drama king!

Where I'm Supposed to Be

Every once in a while, when I'm involved in some very mundane task of motherhood, a little thought creeps into my head: Shouldn't you be doing something else? Something exciting, something productive, something visible to the rest of the world? If only they could see you now...

This thought popped into my head today, after lunch. I was sitting on the bathroom floor -- at the foot of the toilet, back against the tub -- with a desperate, crying, teething baby clawing at me in my lap, and a toddler balanced on the potty asking me the name of every single unpronounceable dinosaur in a 239-page book. I pondered the thought for a second, and concluded quickly, "No. This is important. This means something. This will amount to something, someday. I'm supposed to be right here, right now. Nowhere else."

And, extraordinarily, I felt completely at peace with myself and my role as a stay-at-home mom, serving two small children who can hardly do anything for themselves. Thank you, Lord, for that moment of consolation and affirmation. Please help me hold onto it! =)

So, How's It Going?

Our potty-training efforts -- and our day-to-day lives -- can be summed up by sharing the contents of the three loads of laundry I did today, back-to-back.

Load 1: Six pairs of toddler undies Boo-Boo soiled in various ways yesterday and today, and the accompanying soiled clothes.

Load 2: X-Man's clothes, my clothes and the cover to the high chair, thanks to X's lunchtime code brown explosion.

Load 3: BB's sleep clothes, sheets and pillow from his "quiet time" leaking Pull-Up mishap

Interspersed among those was two baths, and the temptation to run away from the house screaming. ;-)

I'll stop now, as I'm sure that's edging close to TMI. Aren't you glad you checked on our "progress"?! LOL! =)

Before and After

The day is finally here. We've put Boo-Boo in big-boy underpants. It's been a long time in coming, but it's now or never.

This is Boo-Boo before. I was trying to take a photo of him in front of his first rainbow, but he was preoccupied with yanking at the back of his diaper in discomfort, poor thing.

This evening, he was tearing at his uncomfortable diaper as usual, and his sweaty skin wasn't able to breathe because of the plastic.

Providentially, this moment coincided with the arrival of the spring horse and BB's obsession with St. George, St. Michael, St. Francis of Assisi, or any other knight who fights evil creatures. Cue the toy armor we've been saving for a special occasion.

So now, we're on a barter system. He sits on the potty when asked and doesn't wet his underpants, he gets to keep the armor. He won't cooperate or has an "accident," we take the armor away. (Thanks to our dear friend for this strategy!)

We got through the evening successfully and put him to bed with Pull-Ups. Pray for us. All of us. We'll let you know how it goes.

Opa!

We got to pretend that we were fun-loving Greeks for a few hours today at the colossal Greek festival in town. It seems this is one of the largest Greek communities in the U.S.; so many people attend this event that there are shuttle buses!

Dear Husband was given free entrance and food tickets at work, so we headed over late this morning. First, we hit the Athenian kids' area, where an incredibly generous man let Boo-Boo play for free; he had the time of his life on the big slide. DH was in nirvana at the gift shop, and we couldn't help but walk away with three icons. (You never can have too many, right?) We enjoyed a home-cooked meal for lunch, during which we got many kind comments on our "cute kids."

It was wonderful to be around people who so naturally and obviously love children. And it was a gift to enjoy a day together as a family. God bless the Greeks! =)

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

The other day we got a huge package delivered to our front door. It was a new spring horse from Grandma and Grandpa, for Boo-Boo's birthday at the end of the month. Usually I don't get into gifts too much, but I could hardly wait to call Grandma and get permission to put this one together!

I'm proud to report that I constructed the spring horse in less time than I expected, and Boo-Boo was in love at first sight, of course. He's riding it hard from morning until night. X-Man beholds him in complete awe, amazed by his sheer force and bravado. I think it will be awhile until little brother will be about to mount BB's former rocking horse.

A Gentle Reminder

Today I had one of those moments -- the ones that make me wonder, "Why is it that I am doing this?"

I had been a real grouchball to Dear Husband last night and this morning, so by mid-morning I decided to do something nice for him. I decided to bring the boys to his office for lunch, as we would be downtown anyway.

I parked in an underground ramp nearby, dragged out the double stroller and started hauling the boys, their bag and our lunch out of the minivan. I was already anxious (what's more vulnerable than a mom and two small children with no cell phone reception in a parking ramp?), weary and sweating; Boo-Boo was being his obstinate self and X-Man was on the edge due to hunger and teething.

I got us to the only elevator ... and it was out of order. Of course! As I stood there, trying to figure out what to do, two gallant businessmen passed by and offered to carry the boys and stroller up the stairs. Unfortunately, I didn't know how I'd get everything down again afterward. I had no alternative but to go back to the minivan, give up on the stroller, and schlep the boys and gear up the stairs myself.

Despite X's wigglings and BB fighting my grip on his arm all the way, I got them across a busy street to the office building safely. Now for the security check. I tried to keep an eye on BB while fishing out my ID, holding X so he wouldn't launch himself out of my arms and loading the backpack on the conveyor belt. I walked with X through the scan and had to ask BB sternly three times to follow me through. He ran behind me and began scampering about the lobby, delighting the guards.

I was desperately trying to balance X, grab our bag, not forget anything and prevent BB from running into any poor unsuspecting person when I heard a guard say, "Ma'am." I was so preoccupied, I didn't answer. "Ma'am," he said again. I thought to myself, "Now what?!" Then I finally looked up at him. "You have two beautiful boys," he said to me very slowly, with a big smile.

And I had to stop. And take a breath. And remember. There is a reason I'm doing this. I have two beautiful boys. And my boys love and miss their Daddy. And my husband loves and misses his boys. I am blessed to have them all, and I I love them dearly.

What We're Doing Now

I think I've figured out a way to tire out Boo-Boo enough so he'll take an afternoon nap again. (He's all but given them up! =() We've been hanging out at our neighborhood's splash pad in the mornings, and he's yawning by lunchtime. Of course, we're the only people there, as I'm getting the impression that most of our neighbors don't stay home with their kids. But even though he has no playmates, BB still runs around and plays quite a bit. Even X-Man is exploring some of the puddles. And I get to sit in the sun (one of the things I like best about Texas). Everyone wins! =)

Two Months Down

I'm due for another early morning reflection -- not only because I can't fall back asleep again, but it's been almost two months since we arrived in Texas. (Fascinating how time can go so slow and so fast!) So here's an update on our lives here.

* Dear Husband seems to be doing the best of all of us and is thoroughly enjoying the challenges and highlights of his new position. He has been blessed with wonderful co-workers and is able to attend daily Mass downtown. DH is still putting in some long hours, but overall things are looking quite good.

* I've joined Familia (a mothers-with-young-children study group that is reading papal encyclicals on the family this year) in a neighboring suburb, and a mom's group with our parish downtown, so I'm making some acquaintances. But I still long for a nearby friend with boys who are a good match for mine. I've found that even when you meet others of like mind, or with kids of like ages, it doesn't mean that everything is going to work out! =(

* Boo-Boo is still concerning us, so please pray for him! He continues to wake me up in the middle of the night a few times a week for various reasons: hunger, nose wiping and "hurting" diaper. (The tabs irritate his skin; we've switched to Pull-Ups now.) We're not sure why this is happening. And he is showing a lack of interest in making friends or even playing on playgrounds, which is not at all like him. Transitions are still hard for him (leaving the house, leaving the library, one of us going out without him) and his moodiness is increasing. We can't figure out of it's the move, the age or just ... who he is?

* Mercifully, X-Man seems to be thriving and continues to be the embodiment of joy for all of us. And he sleeps through the night more often than his big brother! =P He's standing by himself for a few seconds at a time, can go up stairs and can climb onto Boo-Boo's bed. What's next?! We'll keep you posted.

Thanks for caring! =)