Happy Memorial Day

What a difference a year makes

Gemma in her pool, June 2009
Gemma in her pool today (May 2010)
HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE!!!

Hahahahahaha

This just makes me laugh.
He did this to himself by the way, it is not posed.

Corn Bread and Bacon-Stuffed Pork Chops

This is a recipe I've modified - ever so slightly - from the Betty Crocker cookbook we got for our wedding. Wanted to be sure and give credit where credit is due, but I'm going to write it up the way I do it.

Corn Bread and Bacon-Stuffed Pork Chops
Saute together in a pan:
4 or so slices of bacon, chopped
1 small to medium onion, chopped
1 small to medium green pepper, chopped
6-8 fresh mushrooms, sliced

In a bowl, mix together:
about 1/2 box of cornbread stuffing
1/2 or so cup of water
about 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar/cheddar blend cheese
add sauted items from above and stir together

Butterfly slice 5-6 pork chops (we just use the pork loins we get from Sams). Stuff stuffing mixture into pork chops, sprinkle with seasoned salt, pepper and dried marjoram leaves, and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes covered with foil, and another 10-15 uncovered to crisp them up a bit. (The cook time always seems to vary a bit, just make sure the meat is done).

And there you have it. We typically serve ours with a steamed green veggie and some applesauce. ENJOY!

Playtime, sibling style

Lately I've been laying Kolbe on the floor more to play. He's started holding toys and putting them to his mouth, and really seems to get a kick out of it. And Gemma absolutely LOVES playing with him. She'll lay his blanket out all flat, straightening the corners like only she can, and go get his basket of toys or her blocks (as pictured) and just talk and share and show him things. It just melts my heart. And it's actually quite helpful to me, as she's done this several times while I've been cooking dinner and it's kept both of them happy and entertained (the kitchen/dining is adjacent to our living area, so I'm able to keep an eye on them) sometimes for 20-30 minutes. And I realize it won't always be like this. As nice as it is to look through rose-colored glasses, I'm sure once he gets mobile she will be in for quite the awakening and there will certainly be squabbles and unpleasant moments, and that's cool. She'll learn and grow, he'll learn and grow, and they'll both be better children for it. But right now, it just makes me smile watching them together.
I love these kiddos.

To Live with the Spirit

I'd like to share another poem by Jessica Powers (Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit) and also some of my own reflections on the Feast of Pentecost.

To Live with the Spirit
To live with the Spirit of God is to be a listener.
It is to keep the vigil of mystery,
earthless and still.
One leans to catch the stirring of the Spirit,
strange as the wind's will.

The soul that walks where the wind of the Spirit blows
turns like a wandering weather-vane toward love.
It may lament like Job or Jeremiah.
echo the wounded hart, the mateless dove.
It may rejoice in spaciousness of meadow
that emulates the freedom of the sky.
Always it walks in waylessness, unknowing;
it has cast down forever from its hand
the compass of the whither and the why.

To live with the Spirit of God is to be a lover.
It is becoming love, and like to Him
toward Whom we strain with metaphors of creatures;
fire-sweep and water-rush and the wind's whim.
The soul is all activity, all silence;
and though it surges Godward to its goal,
it holds, as moving earth holds sleeping noonday,
the peace that is the listening of the soul.

The Feast of Pentecost is such a beautiful, and often (in my opinion) over-looked feast. I truly believe that if one were to "rank" feasts of the Church, then Pentecost would fall in line soon after Christmas and Easter. What a blessed, blessed day. The Holy Spirit, the essence of the Trinity, has been breathed upon us, to be our help, our teacher, our guide. To renew us. To renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30) I love the verse in this poem that says, "The soul that walks where the wind of the Spirit blows turns like a wandering weather-vane toward love." So powerful. Reflect, for a moment, upon the soul as a "wandering weather-vane". Are we "lean[ing] to catch the stirring of the spirit", or are we letting other outside influences permeate our souls. To whom are we listening? In this day and age we have media thrown at us from ever which way...television, cell phones, the Internet, Facebook, blogs, twitter, online news sources, the latest polls and the like, celebrities, TV news, magazines, radio commentary, the list goes on and on and on. These tools - which certainly help form our opinions about everything from what brand of mayonaisse one should buy to how one defines him or herself as a person - are merely that. Tools. To whom are we really truly listening? Are we always walking where the Spirit blows, or are we walking the road of public opinion? Whatever the majority says, then okey-dokey. Sign me up. Heaven forbid I think for myself, or listen with the "ears" of my soul. And I'm not trying to come across as preachy, I struggle with these questions, these influences, this search - day in and day out just the same. Life is a journey. Linear it is not. Ever. For every high mountain we ascend, there is promised a valley below. But God gives us those valleys, those areas of green pastures and days free of turmoil, not so we can become complacent, but so we can gather strength for the journey, for heaven knows another mountain is bound to appear on our horizon. Have we done well to gather the strength to climb it, or have we sat comfortably enjoying the time of greener pastures meanwhile letting our convictions and beliefs slowly slip from our grasp? I think complacency and luke-warmness are a huge reason why we are failing as a society, and when I see this same attitude creep into the Church, it saddens me deeply. God didn't send us His Spirit so we could just hang out during life and enjoy the ride. When Jesus promised us the Spirit, He said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Are we really living that call? Really?? Each and everyone of us??! Are we living in this Spirit by being His witnesses not only in our homes and our families and our churches, but to the ends of the earth? Are we allowing the Spirit to permeate our very lives? To blow us evermore towards Love? This "witnessing" of which Jesus speaks is the polar opposite of the luke-warmness that plagues our society today. The "anything goes" approach. The moral relativism that is being taught to our children, and propagated by the godless society in which we live. As Catholics, yes, we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. And we can do this, but not without the help of this Spirit who was long prophesied, who was sent to us by a gracious and loving God at Pentecost.

May this spirit of Love, of Peace, of Truth, breathe upon us, and may we all, as wandering weather-vanes, ever surge Godward towards He who is Love.

Randomness

Hey, just thought I'd check in with a few pics and random updates. I added this pic to my sidebar, I am very excited about it. I think it's the first picture I've taken where both kiddos are sitting together, looking at the camera and smiling happily. Success!!
This is one of Gemma's latest favorite activities. Hanging all of her links on the laundry basket. It is strangely entertaining to her.
Kolbe seems to be a bit of a finger sucker. Definitely more-so than Gemma, whom I believe has never ever put any finger or thumb in her mouth. He takes a binky some, too, so we'll see what he ends up liking long term. Here he is after his bath last night. This is one of my favorite hooded towels that the kids have.
Sleeping peacefully (wearing my latest favorite jammies/onesie).
He's developing a bit more of a routine when it comes to sleep. Typically he falls asleep for the night between 8-9pm and sleeps for about a 4-6 hour stretch then, after that nursing on and off until he wakes for the day around 7, give or take. Aaron used to always put him to sleep at night by laying him on his tummy and rubbing his head, lately though he has preferred nursing to sleep. He usually naps a fairly long stretch in the mornings, then just naps on and off throughout the day, some days for longer and more regularly than others. It's so interesting watching them consolidate their sleep. I stressed a lot about sleep with Gemma and am trying to be more relaxed about it this go around.

We have been enjoying the nice weather immensely. I do believe it doesn't get much nicer than the spring evenings in May. We've had lots of meals on the deck, and also enjoyed several evening walks and trips to the park of late.

And while I have your attention, I got a free bumGenius 3.0 diaper from a coupon in Mothering Magazine a few weeks ago and I really like it for Gemma at night. She is doing great in her underpants during the day, rarely even wetting at naptime, but she still wets most nights and I'm really wanting to get away from disposables all together. If you or anyone you knows has any bumGenius dipes (gently used or new) you are looking to sell, please let me know. I'd love to get a handful to use with her and certainly with Kolbe in the future. And as much as I love my prefolds, the BG's are sure handy and absorbent (especially when paired with a doubler) for nighttimes. THANKS!!

Thanks for checking in. Happy weekend to all!

From the mouth of Gemma

My daughter never ceases to crack me up. Seriously, the girl is too funny. The things that come out of her mouth... For instance, the other night I was putting her to bed and Aaron happened to be out of the house, but had said that he sure would like to tell Gemma goodnight when he got home if she was awake. So, as I was getting ready to leave the room the following conversation ensued:

Mommy: Goodnight Gemma, if daddy gets home soon he will stick his head in and say goodnight.

Gemma: Daddy's going to stick his head? Why is daddy going to stick his head??!

Mommy: It's a figure of speech, Gemma (like she knows what that means), daddy will come and see you and say 'goodnight' if he gets home soon.

Gemma: Okay (etc. etc.)

Aaron did arrive home not long after this, and went in to tell her goodnight. He came out chuckling and I asked him what was so funny. Apparently as soon as he went in she had expressed her concern over why he was going to stick his head and if he was OK, and that was pretty much the only thing she could talk about.

My goofy, goofy girl.

Kolbe's 4 month stats

Kolbe James at four months is...
14 pounds 7 ounces (50th %ile)
26 inches long (90th %ile)
15.75 inch head circumference (5th %ile)

So apparently he has a very small head. He is growing and changing each and every day and we love him so much.

I Will Rejoice

I took Gemma to the library for the first time about a month ago, and we checked out a nice handful of books. Our favorite was probably I Will Rejoice by Karma Wilson ill. by Amy June Bates, based upon Psalm 118. I think Catholics often get a bad rap (and often rightfully so) for their lack of knowledge when it comes to Scripture, and I think this is sad. I want my children to grow up with a love for their Church AND Sacred Scripture, for the two go hand in hand. I digress (I do that a lot). This was a very sweet and beautifully illustrated story about a day in the life of a little girl who always -- whether she was running about with her friend and playing with her teddy, eating lunch, napping or having some special time with daddy in the evening -- returned to the simple verse, "this is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it," demonstrating very clearly, and much on a two-year-old's level of understanding, that we should rejoice always in the Lord as we go about our ordinary daily activities. What a wonderful lesson for young and old alike. Plus, the repetition throughout the story did a great job at teaching the memorization of this particular Scripture verse. I have a feeling we'll check this one out again, and it may even make its way to permanent residency on our bookshelf (meaning I intend to buy it at some point, not steal it from the library). Check it out if you have a chance (we just returned it), and may you REJOICE always!

Diaper covers

Thirsties has long been my favorite diaper cover. I've dabbled some in wool, and also tried a handful of other covers, but I keep coming back to the Thirsties as my main "go-to". Here is Kolbe, modeling one of their new striped patterns (and chewing on his hands, a recent favorite activity of his!).

Four month old boy

My sweet Kolbe turned four months yesterday. It is hard for me to believe that he's been living with us (on the outside) for a third of a year now. Goodness! He is such a sweet little guy. He loves riding in the mei tai carrier (now with his legs dangling out) and is very snuggly when he sleeps, although now he is starting to sleep more and longer stretches in his bassinet. He is so smiley and you can tell by the way he looks at Gemma that he just loves her so much. He has started to squeal and giggle and enjoys playing on the floor with his toys, often putting them in his mouth to "gum". He likes being outdoors and is very easy-going. I am so glad that God decided we were the best family for such a sweet little boy, because Kolbe is certainly the perfect baby for us.

I've lost count

Recently (about 10 minutes ago, actually) I've finished up another set of four diapers for Kolbe. He has grown into the mediums now (holy cow!) and I only had 4 homemade mediums from Gemma, so decided to make several more for him. Between these and our prefolds we should be good for the time being. I plan to get started on some larges, though, as I know he'll need them eventually, and I never made any for Gemma. Anyways, I think I have officially lost count of how many diapers I've made now. Between gifts, some trade I did with a friend, and what I've done for my babies, I'd really have to sit down and think about it to come up with how many I've made since I started in March of 2009. Here are two of the four from this batch.
And below is an interesting comparison. The diaper on the left is one of the first ones I made, and it has been through numerous diaperings, hot water washings and dryings from both my kiddos. The diaper on the right (same print) has never been worn. They do wear for sure (and shrink a bit), but they still work just the same, so I can't complain! These really have been great diapers, and I'm incredibly grateful to Erin for teaching me how to make them in the first place.
And here is a bassinet set I made for a friend's baby shower. She is expecting a baby girl in early July. Receiving blanket, changing pad, and two burp cloths.
Wrapping job with pink ribbon.

Four corners

Gemma has always been very obsessed with the corners of her beloved blankie. Lately she has had a fascination with numbers and counting things. For instance, the other night I was holding Kolbe and standing by her in the bathroom while she brushed her teeth and she looked in the mirror then at me and said, "it's two Kolbes and two mommies." I digress. Yesterday after her nap she very proudly showed me that she had "all four corners" of her blankie. And there you have it!

Monthly pictures

Our monthly couch pics have definitely gotten more interesting now with two kiddos...one of whom is a sweet yet silly and independent two year old. See for yourself.
I think I'll put this one in the album though. (Gemma 28 months, Kolbe almost 4 months)

New activities

Gemma and I have been doing "school" several mornings a week while Kolbe is sleeping. It gives us a chance to have some uninterrupted time together, and she's having fun and learning at the same time. I've been reading about montessori lately, and really think it could be a positive approach to preschool "education" in our home. Here are some of the things we've worked on lately.

Folding - these are the wipes we use with our cloth diapers.
Playdough - this was a new texture for her. It was a really simple recipe, and stores well in the fridge. Yeeeeeeeeah, that's a knife. I know, I know. I was right there watching, and it was a blunt table knife, and she was very careful with it. Okay, shame on me. Truth is, I was too lazy to find a plastic one. ;-/
Stringing beads - she got these for her birthday and we've just recently gotten them out for her to use.
She also is still really enjoying the counting bears, and sorted them all, all by herself the other night while I was in the shower.

And sometimes she just puts a bucket on her head.
So hopefully this can continue to be a good outlet for her and me, and an opportunity for us to work and learn together. Sweet Gemma and I - I am finding - are very very alike, which causes us to butt heads at times. You'd think I'd have all the patience in the world for her, since I can identify so easily with how she is (a mini-me) but not so much. Oh how I yearn to always use sweet, patient, kind and gentle tones with her. And OHHHHH how that doesn't happen. Seriously, I awaken in the mornings with such good resolve, and things start out well, and then, I don't know, it's just this or that or some dumb little thing, and I find myself acting totally exasperated. Then I try to start all over, and that lasts awhile, and then we're back at square one. I know it's good for me to be challenged, it's helping me grow as a person and as a mother and wife. And the old cliche 'no one ever said it would be easy' and all that business. But WHEW!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again, but for the grace of God go I...

Well, it's naptime, so I think I'll regroup a bit, and try to put the house back together some more (things are still a bit awry from the weekend kitchen project), and I hereby resolve to make it a great afternoon and evening. CHEERS!

...and so as not to leave Mr. Kolbe out, here he is doing one of his all-time favorite activities!!

Kitchen preview

My Mother's Day present from my dear, sweet, hard-working hubby was getting the kitchen painted!!! We've been talking about doing this for years, (really since we moved into the house), and this seemed as good a time as any. It was one of those projects that was very easy to put off, simply because, well, it wasn't a whole lot of fun to do...even though the results are AWESOME (if I do say so myself)!!

I'll post more later (and there are actually a few more pics over on my Facebook page), but here's a little sneak peek...

BEFORE
AFTER

Climbing girl and Oompa-Loompa boy

Nah, she didn't really climb there, daddy put her up. But she still thought it was pretty stinkin' cool!
And here is our dear Kolbe in his nighttime diaper. Aaron says he looks a bit like an Oompa-Loompa. TeeHee. Even though he doesn't sleep through the night, he does fine in the same diaper through the night, it just needs some thickness to it. This is a Green Mountain small doubled with a medium prefold with a Thirsties size Medium cover. Gemma was wearing these covers about 3 months ago. AGH!!
And while we're on the subject of potty...Gemma is on her third day in a row of underpants today, and the only accident she's had was in her diaper after naptime on Thursday (plus her dipe is wet in the mornings). BUT, she's going all day in her panties and even more importantly, telling me when she needs to potty. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOOOOOO proud of her!!!!!!!!!

Sibling love

Gemma absolutely loves holding Kolbe. The feeling, however, is not always mutual. Observe.

Gemma: I've got you bubby.
Kolbe: Whyyyyyyyyyyy??????????
Gemma: I love you bubby.
Kolbe: Next time can you tell me that from across the room? Please??!
Gemma: Let's turn this way. See, mommy has the camera.
Kolbe: AAaaaaaaHHHhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Easy there!
Shell-shocked.
Kolbe: Seriously, guys, whose idea was this anyways?!!

Seeds

In celebration of spring, Arbor day and a new month, Gemma planted some seeds last week. We planted sunflower and apple seeds (the apple ones didn't work out so well, I think I should have dried them first). We also sprouted some beans on a wet napkin in a ziploc bag, and that worked out splendidly. We transfered them to a cup of dirt a few days later. It has been fun watching our seeds grow, and they are now living on the back deck in some terra-cotta pots we had sitting around.

Planting.
Watering (the sippy-cup worked really well to water with, as the water didn't come out too fast).
"Watching" them grow!
Our growing seeds and our seed poem.
Getting bigger, catching some afternoon sun.
Transplanting on the deck. Puppy wanted to help!
Gemma also learned a little "Plant Your Seeds" song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". She has enjoyed singing it and watching our seeds grow.

Teething toy

One more post...I decided today instead of doing one big post, I'd break them up by topic. Yeah, I'm an organization nerd, I admit it. Anyways, Kolbe has begun showing an interest in little toys he can hold, especially those of the teething variety. How can it be?!! I just can't believe how quickly he is growing and changing! He just gets sweeter every day!!

Bathtime

Gemma and Kolbe had their first bath together last night. Gemma typically showers with me, so we switched things up a bit and she enjoyed helping out with her "bubby".
Kolbe always smells so sweet fresh out of the bath, I just love it!
Here he is giggling at daddy. I think it's safe to say we've heard his first "meaningful" giggles, and they are pretty sweet!