I thought it was interesting that Dan sent me this article today: click here to read it.
~~
It is about a doctor who works on the human genome project and how he believes in God despite his strong scientific background. I thought this was fortuitous at first, but was it, really? Do things happen only by chance? I don't think so, but I do think we don't always see the big picture.
~~
Last week at RCIA, the subject was "Faith and Reason" which was the title of a letter written by Pope John Paul II. You can see the letter in it's entirety here: Fides et Ratio. I think this is a very important topic for the times. It helps me especially as I am teaching my children about God and creation and shaping their faith and beliefs. Dallas is very interested in science, and I feel his vocation may be science related. It is very fitting that it should be coming up so much for me as I am coming so close to my own beginning of sorts.
I have chosen my saint name for this Saturday, St. Monica. She is a patron saint for mothers and for patience, and her story spoke to me. She prayed for 17 years for her son's conversion as he was leading a life of debauchery, and he was sainted also! I aspire to have even a fraction of her patience.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Awaiting Baptism
I am getting baptized Saturday! I am very excited about this and have yearned for it since I was a little girl. I have been attending mass every Sunday (except for illness in the family) and RCIA on Monday evenings since October. Dan and I took the 7 week Marriage Course earlier this year, and we also attended the Trinitarian Faith Experience together. I would recommend both to anyone who wants to revitalize their marriage or Catholic faith (the Marriage Course is non-denominational Christian, although you do not have to be Christian to benefit from it, and offered through many churches worldwide; the couple on the DVD are British). It was really cool because our course was arranged so you got to have a candlelight dinner together at this wonderful local family owned Italian restaurant (Gino's in Round Rock), and then you watch the DVD course. The couple teaching it are engaging orators; you can tell they have an ideal marriage, and the course is laid out well. Throughout, you have some work you do with your partner discussing whatever the topic is, and then of course you have a little homework to complete. The most important thing we took away from the course is that we need to have 2 hours of "marriage time" every week that must be scheduled and protected as it is very important to keep your bond strong - so true when you have 4 kids! But there is so much more good stuff. If you are married, you really should find a course near you, even if you think your marriage is perfect! Nobody's perfect, so there's no way 2 people trying to cohabitate together are perfect! We'll probably take it again in a year or so because I am sure we will need some more reinforcement. Plus, the forced dates are nice! Next Monday, April 9th, we will have our marriage blessed which will be another exciting event.
This has been a tremendous growth period for all of us individually and as a couple and family. The next order of business will be to get each of our children baptized and continue forth in raising our children in the Catholic faith. I thank God for leading me in this direction and for all of the souls who have helped Him along the way. I feel truly blessed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the shawl I am working on to wear at our marriage blessing. I hope I can finish it! It is the Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2004 issue. I wanted to make a shawl to wear at my wedding blessing, so that I would have something special to give to Savanna some day (maybe when she gets married!
Flower Basket Shawl
yarn: Treliske Organic Merino 3 ply in cream (given to me by my wonderful friend Jenny of Tiny Birds Organics) pattern calls for lace weight doubled, but I am using a single strand baby weight
needles: Addi Turbo circulars 4mm (US 6) 24"
photo of finished shawl (after blocking): click here
Sidenote to fellow knitters: This pattern can be very difficult to find- I had a hard time and spent months tracking it down (almost impossible to find a copy of the magazine, even on eBay, as this copy is out of print and highly prized. There were a lot of good patterns inside besides this one. So if you really want to make one of these, email me, and I might be able to help you find it.
Day 1 (3/4/06):
Close up of the lace pattern:
Today (on the 11th repeat so far, pattern calls for 7, but I want a bigger shawl). I have a marker on the center stitch. The bottom in the picture is actually the top of the shawl.
I have a ways to go, so I better hop to it! I don't know if you can tell, but a few rows are a bit felted because I was working on it one night when I was too tired, and I had to keep going back to fix it (there is a lot of counting involved in lace, you work with a graph, sort of like needlepoint). If you know me, you know I have a problem with sweaty hands, and this is not good when you are working with wool fibers and have to keep going back to re-knit a row several times! If you can't tell, then I am glad and don't feel so bad about it. I will post a finished picture when I am done which hopefully will be this weekend!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other knitting news, I finally finished these soaker shorts for Savanna (I started it last year - ever since Bubby has started walking, I just can't knit as much as I would like to). I had a doctor appt. a couple of weeks ago, this was in my diaper bag for times like this when the doctor was an hour behind schedule!
It's a circular pattern (I used size 5 addi turbos 16") knitted all in one piece (no grafting) based on a soaker that my friend Jenny of Tiny Birds Organics designed. I used the no grafting technique for a seamless soaker I learned from the "WHW Trim Soaker Pattern" at Warm Heart Woolies. I used the sports weight version of the same yarn from Treliske that I am using for my shawl. It is the softest wool yarn I have ever worked with, the best in my opinion, for babies. I dyed it in the microwave with soarin' strawberry and berry blue kool-aids. The tie-string looks like I-cord, but is actually crocheted by making a chain and then doing a half single crochet (I think that's what it's called) in each stitch (you just stick the hook in the back of each chain and then pull the yarn through without doing any yarn-overs). For the finishing touch that makes it look feminine, I crocheted shell stitch in the leg openings. Savanna is pretty much potty trained, so this isn't an actual functioning soaker for her, but just some pretty shorts to wear!
This has been a tremendous growth period for all of us individually and as a couple and family. The next order of business will be to get each of our children baptized and continue forth in raising our children in the Catholic faith. I thank God for leading me in this direction and for all of the souls who have helped Him along the way. I feel truly blessed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the shawl I am working on to wear at our marriage blessing. I hope I can finish it! It is the Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2004 issue. I wanted to make a shawl to wear at my wedding blessing, so that I would have something special to give to Savanna some day (maybe when she gets married!
Flower Basket Shawl
yarn: Treliske Organic Merino 3 ply in cream (given to me by my wonderful friend Jenny of Tiny Birds Organics) pattern calls for lace weight doubled, but I am using a single strand baby weight
needles: Addi Turbo circulars 4mm (US 6) 24"
photo of finished shawl (after blocking): click here
Sidenote to fellow knitters: This pattern can be very difficult to find- I had a hard time and spent months tracking it down (almost impossible to find a copy of the magazine, even on eBay, as this copy is out of print and highly prized. There were a lot of good patterns inside besides this one. So if you really want to make one of these, email me, and I might be able to help you find it.
Day 1 (3/4/06):
Close up of the lace pattern:
Today (on the 11th repeat so far, pattern calls for 7, but I want a bigger shawl). I have a marker on the center stitch. The bottom in the picture is actually the top of the shawl.
I have a ways to go, so I better hop to it! I don't know if you can tell, but a few rows are a bit felted because I was working on it one night when I was too tired, and I had to keep going back to fix it (there is a lot of counting involved in lace, you work with a graph, sort of like needlepoint). If you know me, you know I have a problem with sweaty hands, and this is not good when you are working with wool fibers and have to keep going back to re-knit a row several times! If you can't tell, then I am glad and don't feel so bad about it. I will post a finished picture when I am done which hopefully will be this weekend!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other knitting news, I finally finished these soaker shorts for Savanna (I started it last year - ever since Bubby has started walking, I just can't knit as much as I would like to). I had a doctor appt. a couple of weeks ago, this was in my diaper bag for times like this when the doctor was an hour behind schedule!
It's a circular pattern (I used size 5 addi turbos 16") knitted all in one piece (no grafting) based on a soaker that my friend Jenny of Tiny Birds Organics designed. I used the no grafting technique for a seamless soaker I learned from the "WHW Trim Soaker Pattern" at Warm Heart Woolies. I used the sports weight version of the same yarn from Treliske that I am using for my shawl. It is the softest wool yarn I have ever worked with, the best in my opinion, for babies. I dyed it in the microwave with soarin' strawberry and berry blue kool-aids. The tie-string looks like I-cord, but is actually crocheted by making a chain and then doing a half single crochet (I think that's what it's called) in each stitch (you just stick the hook in the back of each chain and then pull the yarn through without doing any yarn-overs). For the finishing touch that makes it look feminine, I crocheted shell stitch in the leg openings. Savanna is pretty much potty trained, so this isn't an actual functioning soaker for her, but just some pretty shorts to wear!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Texas Bluebonnets & Travels with Flat Stanley
Today was a beautiful day to be out and about in central Texas. Here is Dallas, Noah, Savanna, and Bailey in the Bluebonnets after the Palm Sunday service at church. It has been an annual tradition of mine to take snapshots every Spring in the Bluebonnets. I developed a love for wildflowers in the Spring of 1993 when I had to spend many 3-day weekends alone my freshman year at Texas Woman's University in Denton. I bought a book, so I could go out on the university grounds and identify the many wildflowers growing about the campus. It was so much better than being cooped up in the dorm all by myself (I did not have a car). I took pictures of myself for the first time in Spring 1994 with my roommate, Kelly, my sophomore year at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville off of Hwy 19 near Bearkat Blvd. I have pictures of Dan and I (his sister, Monica, was with us taking pictures) in another patch of Bluebonnets down that same highway in 1995 after we had been dating for a year. I try to find a new spot every year. I have only missed a few years in between either because of the weather being bad for blooming or life being too hectic to get out. This is a great year for Bluebonnets! They are blooming beautifully right now. This is a field off Dell Way close to the intersection of Mays:
This is Flat Stanley. He traveled with us everywhere today. Before coming to live with us, he traveled around the United States with a college student from Auburn University named Taylor. It is a project Noah is doing for his 2nd grade class. Taylor made a scrap book of her travels across the United States with Flat Stanley, and Noah has to do the same. He was in several feet of snow in Park City Utah in December, and he was in cactus and Bluebonnets with us in the 80 degree Texas heat! So far he has been to Alabama, South Carolina, Utah, Idaho, and Texas.
Off 2222 in Austin is Mt. Bonnell. Here is the stairway we had to walk up to get to the apex. I carried Bailey on my back in a carrier, Dan carried Savanna part of the way, and Dallas and Noah took turns carrying my diaper bag - they could barely stand it! But the views from the top were worth the exertion!
Savanna and Noah with Flat Stanley at the Mt. Bonnell dedication rock.
Mt. Bonnell overlooks the Colorado River which feeds Lake Austin, Town Lake, and Lake Travis.
Flat Stanley in Austin Cacti off Mt. Bonnell Rd.:
This is Flat Stanley. He traveled with us everywhere today. Before coming to live with us, he traveled around the United States with a college student from Auburn University named Taylor. It is a project Noah is doing for his 2nd grade class. Taylor made a scrap book of her travels across the United States with Flat Stanley, and Noah has to do the same. He was in several feet of snow in Park City Utah in December, and he was in cactus and Bluebonnets with us in the 80 degree Texas heat! So far he has been to Alabama, South Carolina, Utah, Idaho, and Texas.
Off 2222 in Austin is Mt. Bonnell. Here is the stairway we had to walk up to get to the apex. I carried Bailey on my back in a carrier, Dan carried Savanna part of the way, and Dallas and Noah took turns carrying my diaper bag - they could barely stand it! But the views from the top were worth the exertion!
Savanna and Noah with Flat Stanley at the Mt. Bonnell dedication rock.
Mt. Bonnell overlooks the Colorado River which feeds Lake Austin, Town Lake, and Lake Travis.
Flat Stanley in Austin Cacti off Mt. Bonnell Rd.:
Flat Stanley driving up to the capitol down Congress Ave.:
The state capitol building of Texas:
Dallas, Noah, and Savanna at the front doors of the capitol.
Dallas, Noah, and Savanna at the front doors of the capitol.
Looking up into the dome from the center of the building. It says "TEXAS" around the star at the top.
Flat Stanley "shaking hands" with president George W. Bush.
Flat Stanley "shaking hands" with president George W. Bush.
I am on level E2, which is an extension of the capitol building, taking this picture of Dan and the kids who are on level E1 which is the lowermost level of the building. Dallas and Noah are laying on a picture of the Alamo.
Here I am taking a rest on one of the benches in the center of the building just before we left. We had been taking some pictures of Bailey, so he is squinting his eyes in anticipation of the flash. Isn't he so cute?
Savanna digging in the dirt:
Dallas, Noah, and Flat Stanley in front of one of the statues on the capitol grounds:
We made this quick stop on the way back home from the capitol just for Flat Stanley. Here he is "standing" on the Round Rock in Brushy Creek right off Chisholm Trail Rd. (that's I35 in the background). The city of Round Rock got its name from this rock which was a landmark for the wagons that traveled on the Chisholm Trail. This signaled to them whether the water was low enough for the wagons to travel across the creek. If the Round Rock was under water, it was a no go! There are ruts in the rock creek bed from the wagons that are over 100 years old.
After we left the Round Rock, we headed over to the the Hawaiian shaved ice stand on Mays St. for some cooling refreshments, and then we went home. Savanna was glad to be back home and reunited with her "meenie." Whew! What a day...
Savanna digging in the dirt:
Dallas, Noah, and Flat Stanley in front of one of the statues on the capitol grounds:
We made this quick stop on the way back home from the capitol just for Flat Stanley. Here he is "standing" on the Round Rock in Brushy Creek right off Chisholm Trail Rd. (that's I35 in the background). The city of Round Rock got its name from this rock which was a landmark for the wagons that traveled on the Chisholm Trail. This signaled to them whether the water was low enough for the wagons to travel across the creek. If the Round Rock was under water, it was a no go! There are ruts in the rock creek bed from the wagons that are over 100 years old.
After we left the Round Rock, we headed over to the the Hawaiian shaved ice stand on Mays St. for some cooling refreshments, and then we went home. Savanna was glad to be back home and reunited with her "meenie." Whew! What a day...
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Oh, No! Boom!
Oh, No, Boom!
This is a very funny video of Savanna (3 min) from a very stormy day in January. Savanna is a little afraid of thunder; the older she gets the better she understands what it is and the lesser her fear, but it is entertaining to watch and listen to small children as they grapple with things like thunder. Savanna tells you she does not like something by saying, for example, "Don't want it, boom." She talks about a "go-go" also which is one of the characters from the movie "Cars" that she is holding. The lights go out while I am taping, and her reaction is priceless. Something else surprising happens if you watch the video.
~~
These are cute, too, from the same day: 2 are of the hail storm and Noah, Savanna, and Dallas with their hands out of the window trying to feel the rain and hail (about 3.5min total), and another of Dallas and Savanna outside on the front porch (about 2 min) so she can see the booms are not so scary after all...
Thunder on the Porch
Ice
Little Hands, Rain, & Hail
TTFN - Carrie
This is a very funny video of Savanna (3 min) from a very stormy day in January. Savanna is a little afraid of thunder; the older she gets the better she understands what it is and the lesser her fear, but it is entertaining to watch and listen to small children as they grapple with things like thunder. Savanna tells you she does not like something by saying, for example, "Don't want it, boom." She talks about a "go-go" also which is one of the characters from the movie "Cars" that she is holding. The lights go out while I am taping, and her reaction is priceless. Something else surprising happens if you watch the video.
~~
These are cute, too, from the same day: 2 are of the hail storm and Noah, Savanna, and Dallas with their hands out of the window trying to feel the rain and hail (about 3.5min total), and another of Dallas and Savanna outside on the front porch (about 2 min) so she can see the booms are not so scary after all...
Thunder on the Porch
Ice
Little Hands, Rain, & Hail
TTFN - Carrie
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
We are ringing in the new year with the Mays family tradition of toasting each other with a glass of sparkling grape juice (never liked champagne) after the ball drops on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. This was Savanna's first year, and she absolutely loved it. She had 2 glasses!
Many well wishes to everyone for 2007 from the Mays family!
We are ringing in the new year with the Mays family tradition of toasting each other with a glass of sparkling grape juice (never liked champagne) after the ball drops on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. This was Savanna's first year, and she absolutely loved it. She had 2 glasses!
Many well wishes to everyone for 2007 from the Mays family!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Bears Earn their Rank
I am very excited and proud of this achievement. Most packs wait until the Blue & Gold Banquet to earn rank, but a lot of boys in our pack also take part in sports in the spring. So I tried to schedule the curriculum with us finishing rank by the Holiday Party in December. It worked out pretty well since all but one scout earned rank (the other is VERY close). The theme for the meeting was "stars", so I cut out a star and put each scout's name on it along with a quote or saying that matched the theme glued on the front. On the back, I taped a piece of paper in the shape of a pocket to hide away the rank patch in. The idea was to have parents and scouts together and give the star to the parents, saying that the parents, rather than the children, were the stars, and that our children were our moons because they reflect back everything that we shine upon them. I am sure I am not the best orator, so I hope they understood what I was trying to say in such a short time. We only had a short time as the main focus of the night is on the crossover ceremony from the Webelos 2, which was an awesome event. My friend Jennifer's son became a boy scout tonight!
Here are some Bears and parents very proud of their achievement!
Here is my den, from left, Will, Zachary, Kurt, Konrad (in front), Dallas, and Bryan. (not pictured: Jonathan, Marshall, & Hayden - they were all there but left before I could get this picture).
And here is Dallas holding his star:
Since I was busy facilitating the awards ceremony and Dan was busy with Savanna & Bailey, despite having a camera with us, I did not take any pictures. These were generously passed along to me, and I think there are some that have Dallas in the frame and hopefully of Noah's ceremony also. I sometimes feel like a horrible mom not capturing these precious moments on film, but I get to experience a lot more being the den leader and in the thick of things. It is not really natural to have the camera and make them all pose in the middle of the ceremony. I am thankful to all of those who can sit in the audience and take pictures and share them with us. God Bless you!
Here is a picture from the back of the Webelos 2 crossover ceremony; they actually "cross over" a bridge:
I will add more soon if I get them! I hope to get pictures from other parents that will hopefully have my kids in them.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Bailey Turns One
Bailey's birthday is December 10th. We had a party for him Saturday. He is officially a toddler now that he is walking. It has been a tradition since Dallas for us to get a cake especially for the baby turing one (and another cake for the rest of the family) since it is a milestone for them: their first honest to goodness sugar attack! I never let them have candy or cake other than maybe some small tastes, so this is truly the first time they are allowed to go crazy and have as much sugar as they want. You can see the progression from cute calm baby to full fledged sugar rush and finally to the quiet calm from having a belly full of cake.
Bailey opening presents with Mama, Savanna helping:
Say cheese!
Happy Birthday to you! He's shaking a glowstick:
Hmmm. What is this stuff?
Still testing the waters. But it's looking really good!
Oh, yeah, this is great! Sugar rush! My sister-in-law Monica is enjoying the show, and her son, our nephew Alex, is sticking his tongue out at Bailey. Bailey is a very good copycat!
One of Dan's family traditions. Cake somebody! Noah was a good sport about it.
Bailey is caking himself!
Okay. I'm getting full now, but i can't bring myself to stop putting my hands into the cake. It beckons me!
So now I will feed mama! I must keep attacking the cake!
Alex gets caked:
Hee hee hee. This is vintage Bailey. He makes the funniest little faces as he loves to entertain. I think, however, here it is a reaction to so much sugar in his blood!
Cake anyone? I've had plenty, but there's lots more here to go around.
Sister Savanna has had her fill:
And me, too. Just sucking my fingers now. Stop me, somebody, please!
If you have time to watch a few cute videos, here are some from the party. Savanna Helps Herself to Cake, so funny because she decides to take matters in her own hands while I am ignoring her to watch and tape the Bubby show. In Savanna Cleans Up we see her need for clean, she is an obsessive clean freak for someone who can make a pretty good mess herself! And finally, Bathing Bubby is the perfect end to a perfect day as we clean away all the sugar and macaroni. Bailey can sure party hardy! He slept very well that evening...
~~
Happy Birthday, Bailey!!!
Bailey opening presents with Mama, Savanna helping:
Say cheese!
Happy Birthday to you! He's shaking a glowstick:
Hmmm. What is this stuff?
Still testing the waters. But it's looking really good!
Oh, yeah, this is great! Sugar rush! My sister-in-law Monica is enjoying the show, and her son, our nephew Alex, is sticking his tongue out at Bailey. Bailey is a very good copycat!
One of Dan's family traditions. Cake somebody! Noah was a good sport about it.
Bailey is caking himself!
Okay. I'm getting full now, but i can't bring myself to stop putting my hands into the cake. It beckons me!
So now I will feed mama! I must keep attacking the cake!
Alex gets caked:
Hee hee hee. This is vintage Bailey. He makes the funniest little faces as he loves to entertain. I think, however, here it is a reaction to so much sugar in his blood!
Cake anyone? I've had plenty, but there's lots more here to go around.
Sister Savanna has had her fill:
And me, too. Just sucking my fingers now. Stop me, somebody, please!
If you have time to watch a few cute videos, here are some from the party. Savanna Helps Herself to Cake, so funny because she decides to take matters in her own hands while I am ignoring her to watch and tape the Bubby show. In Savanna Cleans Up we see her need for clean, she is an obsessive clean freak for someone who can make a pretty good mess herself! And finally, Bathing Bubby is the perfect end to a perfect day as we clean away all the sugar and macaroni. Bailey can sure party hardy! He slept very well that evening...
~~
Happy Birthday, Bailey!!!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Breakfast With Santa
Dan took the kids to Breakfast with Santa at the school so they could get pictures with Santa. It was not all that spectacular, just muffins, juice, and waiting in line, but as you can see from the pictures, they managed to find a way to have some fun roaming around the empty school. Here is some cute shots of Savanna and Noah outside the school before they went in:
Savanna dragging her bubba around - she's the boss, you know...
Look at us! We're so strong!
Savanna running to PaPa (Dan's dad):
Hugging PaPa:
Hugging Noah:
Hugging Dallas:
Dragging Dallas around - Savanna's the boss, you Know!
Reading in the Library:
Waiting in line for Santa:
Getting their picture taken with Santa (Savanna doesn't look too thrilled! You have to click on the picture to see the larger version to see her face):
Savanna dragging her bubba around - she's the boss, you know...
Look at us! We're so strong!
Savanna running to PaPa (Dan's dad):
Hugging PaPa:
Hugging Noah:
Hugging Dallas:
Dragging Dallas around - Savanna's the boss, you Know!
Reading in the Library:
Waiting in line for Santa:
Getting their picture taken with Santa (Savanna doesn't look too thrilled! You have to click on the picture to see the larger version to see her face):
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