A new beginning

There are moments in our lives we remember. Moments that impact us in some way and change us forever. For me, some of those include moving to California after college, meeting my husband, our wedding day, the birth of our children, Kate's first broken bone...and so on. With each, I remember where I was, how I felt, and many, many random details of the moment. On March 23, Conor was diagnosed with a severe case of Apraxia, a neurological speech disorder requiring an hour of speech therapy daily. Like so many moments before, I will remember where we were, and how I felt. I will remember that after leaving Hershey Medical Center's Pediatric Pavilion we shared many smiles over chicken nuggets and french fries at Wendy's and then spent the next couple of hours exploring the sweet smells of Hershey's Chocolate World...just the two of us. It was special. He is special. I have so much hope for this little guy, and am anxious to witness his progress in the months to come. To be sure we can celebrate and share it with him in the years ahead, this is the first entry on his journey. This is Conor two weeks shy of his third birthday.

Irish Blessings

May the blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow

and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

~Irish Blessing

Football

It is a story we have heard a dozen or so times, usually surfacing between September and January. My husband was eleven years old, the sun was setting on the city of Baltimore, and he sat on his parent's bed watching the Mayflower trucks pull out of the city. The Baltimore Colts were moving to Indianapolis. He was in shock. Everyone was.

Some 28 years later, his support of the Baltimore Colts remains just as strong. The black and white pictures of Johnny Unitas still flank our basement walls, the pennants are proudly displayed in our son's room, and the tradition of football greats is carried on.

Lucky Number Seven

The year before we were married, we sat in crowded mission with 30+ other Catholic couples listening to testimony from married couples about what it meant to share the sacrament of marriage. It was our Catholic Engagement Encounter (CEE) weekend.

We remember one couple in particular, their names were Joe and Jill. They had been married for eleven years, and had three kids. For thirty minutes or so, they talked about "making it to year seven". The first seven years were supposed to be the toughest. They told stories of how the "honeymoon" would end, kids would challenge the relationship, and it would be hard to find time for one another.

Today, March 6, is our seventh wedding anniversary. Like a good cheese or wine, I think our marriage just gets better with age. It may not always be a party, but it's always a good time.

Happy Anniversary, Dear! There is no place I would rather be than right next to you.

A late Valentine memory

It's been busy. I have no excuses for this late posting which I started almost one week ago. Joe was away at a trade show for the Valentine weekend, and the kids and I were home alone! The madness of it sometimes scares me. Two against one. Them against me.

Anyhow, with it being Valentine's Day, I took a tip from my good friend over at Put Together Mom for how to keep their busy bodies entertained. We started with the homemade Valentine's.



We began by cutting out heart shapes out of construction paper.

Then, little Kate punched holes for the lollipops.

Conor helped by inserting the sweet little treat.

What a cute and fun idea!

Next, we moved onto baking.


We made brownies for Katie's classroom friends,


and rice crispy treats for Daddy and all their neighborhood friends,

and cookies...just for us! We like cookies!

When Daddy got home, there were no fish to be had. But, plenty of smiles all around. Having Daddy home was the only Valentine they needed.

High Heels

She says, "They are perfect for paddle ball. See?"

I see we are in trouble.

I love you

It must be fitting that it's Valentine's Day weekend, because all I can think of tonight as I sit in the dim light of my office is how much I love our children. It's funny to think how different they are, yet so perfectly matched. They know just how to make me laugh, and unknowingly make me cry. Tonight...I did both at the same time watching our son talk.

This is our little man. He will be three years old in April. You wouldn't know he is any different from other 3 year old boys by looking at this photo. His smile speaks volumes, no?

He tells me he likes my hat.

And that he would like to do a puzzle.

The one with the fish (Nemo) is his favorite.

And the turtle.

The one with the tree is fun too.

And the duck (Donald).

He also likes to read books.

He is three feet tall, a mere thirty pounds, and has taught me more about patience, committment, and strength than I have ever known. Most importantly, he has taught me how to say "I love you" without saying it at all.