Minnesota, Here We Come!

I got the call from Dear Husband late this afternoon. He flew to Washington D.C. last night to do a full day of interviews with the Institute for Justice today.

We are proud and grateful to announce that he is the new staff attorney at the Minneapolis chapter of the Institute for Justice!

FYI: The Institute for Justice is a libertarian public interest law firm that litigates to secure economic liberty, school choice, private property rights, freedom of speech and other individual liberties, and to restore constitutional limits on the power of government.

Here’s a recent article from the Economist that mentions IJ.

And here is a great op-ed from George Will describing a recent IJ case.

Most likely, we'll be moving back to Minnesota in mid-June.

Thanks to everyone who's been praying for us through the ups and downs of this long job search. We are so, so blessed to be given this opportunity, for DH and our family. And we're grateful for this time of growth we've had together in Texas.

Praise be our Lord, Jesus Christ! His mercy endures forever!

Gratuitously Silly Photos of the Week

Yes, we know this is a suffocation hazard. No, we don't let them do this unless we're with them. And yes, they think they are HILARIOUS! (It was X-Man's idea first, of course.)

Easter picnic (after the egg hunt)

Picnicking by, and giving some love to, our church's Marian shrine.

Easter Egg Hunt (after Mass)

Our little egg hunters had a hard time accumulating many eggs; every time they found one, they'd want to stop and look inside! Afterward, they shared some of their bounty with Father.

Easter Finery

Posing with the azaleas in front of our house. Spring, glorious spring!

Jesus Christ is Risen Today!

Christ is risen; He is risen, indeed! ALLELUIA!

And now, for my favorite chant of the entire liturgical year: the exsultet, sung at the Easter Vigil Mass. Sing it, brother! (Hat tip to Godzdogz.)

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Exult now O ye angelic throngs of the heavens:
Exult O ye divine mysteries:
and let the saving trumpet resound for the victory of so great a King.
Let the earthly realm also be joyful, made radiant by such flashings like lightning:
and, made bright with the splendor of the eternal King,
let it perceive that it has dismissed the entire world’s gloom.
Let Mother Church rejoice as well,
adorned with the blazes of so great a light:
and let this royal hall ring with the great voices of the peoples.
Wherefore, most beloved brothers and sisters,
you here present to such a wondrous brightness of this holy light,
I beseech you, together with me
invoke the mercy of Almighty God.
Let Him who deigned to gather me in among the number of the Levites,
by no merits of mine,
while pouring forth the glory of His own light
enable me to bring to fullness the praise of this waxen candle.

Deacon: The Lord be with you!
Response: And with your spirit!
D: Raise your hearts on high!
R: We now have them present to the Lord!
D: Let us then give thanks to the Lord our God!
R: This is worthy and just!

Truly it is worthy and just
to resound forth with the whole of the heart,
disposition of mind,
and by the ministry of the voice,
the invisible God the Father Almighty,
and His Only-begotten Son
our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who, on our behalf, resolved Adam’s debt to the Eternal Father
and cleansed with dutiful bloodshed the bond of the ancient crime.
For these are the Paschal holy days,
in which that true Lamb is slain,
by Whose Blood the doorposts of the faithful are consecrated.
This is the night
in which first of all You caused our forefathers,
the children of Israel brought forth from Egypt,
to pass dry shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night
which purged the darkness of sins by the illumination of the pillar.
This is the night
which today restores to grace and unites in sanctity throughout the world Christ’s believers,
separated from the vices of the world and the darkness of sins.
This is the night
in which, once the chains of death were undone,
Christ the victor arose from the nether realm.
For it would have profited us nothing to have been born,
unless it had been fitting for us to be redeemed.
O wondrous condescension of Your dutiful concern for us!
O inestimable affection of sacrificial love:
You delivered up Your Son that You might redeem the slave!
O truly needful sin of Adam,
that was blotted out by the death of Christ!
O happy fault,
that merited to have such and so great a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night,
that alone deserved to know the time and hour
in which Christ rose again from the nether world!
This is the night about which it was written:
And night shall be made as bright as day:
and night is as my brightness for me.
Therefore the sanctification of this night puts to flight all wickedness, cleanses sins,
and restores innocence to the fallen and gladness to the sorrowful.
It drives away hatreds, procures concord, and makes dominions bend.
Therefore, in this night of grace,
accept, O Holy Father, the evening sacrifice of this praise,
which Holy Church renders to You
in the solemn offering of this waxen candle
by the hands of Your ministers from the work of bees.
We are knowing now the proclamations of this column,
which glowing fire kindles in honor of God.
Which fire, although it is divided into parts,
is knowing no loss from its light being lent out.
For it is nourished by the melting streams of wax,
which the mother of bees produced for the substance of this precious torch.
O truly blessed night,
in which heavenly things are joined to those of earth,
the divine to the human!
Therefore, we beseech You, O Lord,
that this waxen candle, consecrated in honor of Your name,
may continue unfailing to dispel the darkness of this night.
And once it is accepted as a placating sacrifice,
may it be mingled with the heavenly lights.
Let the morning star meet with its flame:
that very star, I say, which knows no setting:
Who, having returned from the nether realm,
broke serene like the dawn upon the human race,
and now lives and reigns forever and ever.

AMEN!

Happy Holy Thursday!

What can be better than Jesus washing the disciples' feet, instituting the Eucharist, celebrating the first Mass and commissioning the apostles? Not much, people! Get thyself to church today to experience the first awesome day of the Triduum, and pray hard for the Church and her present-day apostles.

You also may want to go to ZENIT to see our next interview, timed just right for today (when priests traditionally renew their vows).

Quiet Time Intruder

Every day, when I put X-Man down for a nap, I enforce a quiet time for Boo Boo (who NEVER sleeps in the afternoon now). I've explained to him many times that both he and Mama need their quiet time during the day.

As an introvert (yes, the secret is out!) this is invaluable time for me to be alone, relax and put my head under a pillow if necessary. But lately, I've been getting a visitor during my quiet times.

When I hear him open my door, I pretend to be asleep. (I haven't pulled that one since I used it to get out of chores as a kid!) He used to check on me and then go back out, but now he's decided that he's there to stay. He climbs up on the bed and lays down next to me, and looks at me with his big brown eyes, and say, "Mama, I wove to snuggle with zhou every day during zhour quiet time."


Usually I have no problem telling Boo Boo "no," but who can resist this beautiful, fat-faced bugger, who just wants to be squeezed? I used to get a little frustrated with him about interrupting my personal time, until I asked him why he did it. "I miss zhou during quiet time, Mama. I just want to be with zhou." And that's a good thing, isn't it?

The time will come too soon when he'll wipe off my kisses and not follow me from room to room all day; at some point, he won't let me bury my face in his divinely plump cheeks and squeeze him until he squeals with glee. So I'm taking every chance I can get now -- even during my cherished quiet time.

Heads Up!

You might want to take a look at yesterday's (March 14) edition of ZENIT for our latest journalistic endeavor...

86 Degrees

No, that's not the name of a new boy band. That was the projected high temperature yesterday. In the middle of March. You read that right!

I decided to commemorate this glorious event by taking the boys to the splash pad for the first time this year. Boo Boo shrieked with delight and ran around like crazy. X-Man kept signing "water," and kept smiling at me as if to say, "I can't believe you're really letting me get wet like this!" (He's a major puddle man, and I'm usually wrestling him away from pools of water.)

Just Say No to Crawfish

Take a look at these photos. You might think you know what this is, but it's not. It is not doggie doo doo. No, it's not anything you would ever imagine on your own.

I've noticed these piles everywhere for the last few weeks, and have been horribly curious about what is making and coming out of them.

Finally, while we were walking through a field of them at a nearby city park, I had to ask a woman what they were.

"Oh, those are just crawfish holes," she told me nonchalantly. "CRAWFISH?!" I asked, incredulously. "Like the little crustaceans you order in a restaurant?!" She replied, "Oh, yeah. Some people eat them, but I don't." Me neither, lady!

I'm fine with a crawfish swimming around the water, even being caught in a swamp. But there's no way I'm eating something that burrowed out from the earth and made such a disgusting mess.

So next time you're at a restaurant, pass on the crawfish. You never know where it came from!

Poor Cinderella?

Boo Boo's been watching and reading about Cinderella (especially our favorite adaptation, Adelita, from Tomie de Paola) and quoting the lines from the story. "Poor Cinderella," he'll say. "She had to work all day, and was treated like a servant."

Her labors included cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, tending to family members ... how horrible, huh? Could it get any worse?! ;-) Sounds a lot like what I -- and all other adults -- do every day.

Did Cinderella really have it so bad? Do you think it's possible that all those chores may have helped her grow in character, in virtue, in loving service to others? Perhaps scrubbing floors on her hands and knees may have made her a better person in the long run: more empathetic to others, more convinced of the dignity of every human person, more appreciative when she got to move into the big, fancy castle.

Great rewards can be ours if we stick through the drudgery that can be our everyday lives, and keep our eyes on the ultimate end: heaven. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can help us see the most ordinary things as something beautiful -- like a fairy godmother. And our Prince Charming? It's Jesus, of course: the bridegroom of our soul.

Our Life, in Pictures

This how I spend most of my time during the day -- X-Man just nursed, I'm sorting laundry and Boo Boo is playing with this Texas flag:



This is what Dear Husband spends most of his time at night -- rocking and snuggling our big beautiful cherub and little sweet angel:



We have arms full of boys, and we are blessed for it! =)

Back Again

We've returned from our weekend in Austin, which was just lovely. I've been there twice before, but I really took a liking to it this time. What a great town, with a beautiful landscape (hills!), clean river, gorgeous weather, lots of fun things to do, good food (Mexican Vanilla at Amy's Ice Cream was life-changing) and interesting culture. What a good life it is there!

Over the weekend, we toured the capitol, drove around the UT campus, and watched the kids run around a cool park -- complete with train ride!

We particularly enjoyed the Texas History Museum, where Boo Boo encountered the biggest lone star on earth (that's him on the base of the bottom left point.) The boys and I enjoyed a 3D movie on whales while the adults looked around. (BB actually is quite happy at the movie, of course; this is his "brave strong knight face" that he makes for us every time we ask him to smile. Go figure!)

He's also the proud owner of a small Texas flag, which is now the most-desired-toy at our house.

On the Road Again

We're happy to report that Dear Husband returned late last night. Yay! X-Man looked at him quizzically this morning like, "I feel like I know you from somewhere..."

We've been enjoying Great Aunt D for the last few days, visiting from chilly Minnesota. She's been happily soaking up the sun, even putting her head out the car window while we're driving. When I laughed at her, she said, "I don't care if I look like a puppy dog; I love this sun!" It was 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky yesterday. Perfect! =)

Tonight we're hitting the road to visit another great aunt and great uncle, along with our cousins, for a long weekend. Should be a nice Texas mini-family reunion. Pray for a safe, peaceful and enjoyable trip -- especially with X-Man, strapped down for a few hours in the car at night. Not so much fun for anyone! =(

Gratuitously Cute Photos of the Week

This is Boo Boo, being quintessential Boo Boo:

And this is is X-Man, being quintessential X-Man (on a good day!); he jumped in front of the camera and gave me a perfect smile (you think I take enough photos of him?):

And of course, this is them before X tackled BB's line of blocks and made BB cry in protest. Order! There must be order! =)

Tattoo-Worthy Quote of the Day

“Don’t get upset with your imperfections. It’s a great mistake because it leads nowhere - to get angry because you are angry, upset at being upset, depressed at being depressed, disappointed because you are disappointed. So don’t fool yourself. Simply surrender to the Power of God’s Love, which is always greater than our weakness.” — St. Francis de Sales

(HT: Danielle Bean, of course! =))

Love in the Middle of It All

I've just about had it with X-Man. He has been screeching at me for days, weeks, months it seems. Whatever I do, whatever I don't do, he screeches.

Tonight, I had had enough. Trying to eat dinner. Trying to ignore the screecher clawing at me from the floor. Trying hard not to lose it.

Then, in the middle of my mental anguish, I hear Boo Boo. "Mama, I wove zhou so much. Let's scooch together so we can give wots of hugs and kisses and smooches."

I looked up at him, and smiled, and let my scrunched up shoulders relax in relief. And I happily obliged his request. In the middle of the ongoing screeching.

Thank you, Boo Boo, for that saving moment. God bless your sweet, loving heart! =)