Elizabeth over seven months ago

So I suddenly remembered that I started a list a while ago, before the blog, about things that I didn't want to forget about Elizabeth. I made it on July 18th. Reading through it a few minutes ago, I was amazed by how much she has changed since then. It is amazing the difference... I wanted to put them here so I have them online in case the computer randomly breaks. (It happened with my last one.)

Little Things I Never Want to Forget About Elizabeth

The way she shrugs her shoulders, puts her hand out, and bends her head when she is telling you something.

The way she always wants me to “play her.” She also occasionally wants me to “holda her.”

The way she says “Dee dee Momma” (Thank you, Momma)

The way she sings things like the Alphabet song and Twinkle twinkle little star in rounds because she can’t quite tell where they end. (She does it to the Alphabet because she gets confused at the end.)

The way she says the “Hail Mary.”

The way she likes to take off her daddy’s socks and wear them up to her knees. (See picture... which was taken about a year or so ago.)

The way she sings “Immaculate Mary” at the top of her lungs… and sometimes harmonizes with me. (I use the term, harmonize, loosely.)

The way she says “Cheese” for pictures and gives a ridiculous smile.

The way she patters into our room around 6:30 with a cheerful “Morning.”

The ways she mixes up her words and sounds like Yoda sometimes or puts the negative at the end of the sentence. (I want to eat that no.)

The way she will walk over with a handful of toys that belong to someone else and claim proudly that she is sharing.

The way she calls “Mommy, blanket me!” if she wakes up in the middle of the night uncovered.

The way she loves to sleep with the big pink body pillow, a regular pillow, blankets and stuffed animals, her water and sometimes little mommy or little daddy (the little people)

The way she says “Jesus coming” when she hears the bells at Mass.

The ways she blows a kiss and says, “I love you, Jesus” when we pass a Catholic Church.

The way she learned the “Agnus Dei” all by herself.

The way she thinks she needs a donut every time we pray the “Hail Holy Queen” because it gets said after Mass before we go downstairs to get donuts.

The way she says “I E” when she wants to draw even though she can say draw and write.

The way she says things are “Cute, dorable.”

The way she says she is “laughin’ too hard.”

A Sunday

We got up and went to Mass... normally at 8AM, but 10AM this week to see Patrick's family because his little brother has Confirmation prep after Mass. See how cute E is in her striped tights and bear coat?

We went for a family walk where we pray our Rosary. Sometimes we go to the playground in our apartment complex, but we didn't this time.

We let Elizabeth get out a walk after a while, and she looked so tiny walking through the field of high grass with her monkey hat on. 

I realize that this is a post about nothing much, but I want to have posts about everyday life sometimes so I remember it... because I know I won't remember the normal days, but I want to. I really do.

Painted Thank Yous

A couple of times recently, our girls have received gifts from people at church. A man brought Elizabeth a dress and Adelaide some onesies. An older couple brought the girls both dolls for Christmas. I think that it is so sweet that people we don't really know think of my girls when they are out and about and see something they may like.

We painted pictures outside to bring to people as a thank you. The couple very much appreciated their painting and we have yet to give the other man his. 

It is important to me that my girls learn to appreciate what others do for them. I like Elizabeth to paint pictures rather than just give a card, because it is something that she can do. These people didn't bring me gifts, they brought them to the girls, so I find it only fitting that Elizabeth give them her own thank you. (Adelaide is still a little young... I am afraid she would eat the paint/paper) PS: I do write a little thank you note on the painting in case people don't understand the gesture, but I try to get E to think of what to say.

Twenty-five

So we celebrated my wonderful husband's 25th birthday over the weekend. I threw a tiny surprise party for him with just a few close friends and our families. It was so much fun!! I have never thrown a surprise part, and I suggest planning it more than about 5 days in advance, but it was still great. 

When Patrick walked in, the only people he could see were me, Elizabeth and Adelaide. Elizabeth looked around like she didn't know what to do and then yelled surprise. My sister-in-law, Anne, had warned me that the actual yelling surprise never works, but I still wanted us to try. It failed, but was very cute. Patrick looked confused, then alarmed for a second, then pleasantly surprised. 

The picture above is Adelaide with Papa (and my arm). We all played Catch phrase which was so much fun. I wanted to make this birthday special for him... as did his family. I am glad we did this. He had absolutely no idea. I want to keep throwing surprise parties, but I'm afraid it can't really work like that.

Happy birthday to my favorite husband. I love you more than my awesome surprise party could show. Here is to many many many more birthdays together that are a great as this one. 

Overwhelmed with the weight of it all

Do you ever look at your kids and think, "Woah... I have a freaking huge responsibility in the form of an adorable child." I usually think this when I look at them sleeping like little lambs. (These pictures are from a few months ago.)

I think about how blessed I am that God allowed me to mother these precious gifts. Then I think that I hope I don't screw them up for the rest of their lives. Children come to us beautiful and pure (aside from that whole original sin thing) and we get to teach them how to live. It is amazing and terrifying rolled into one. I want my girls to know love every moment of their lives. That is not to say that they should never know pain or be punished because those are also part of life. I mean, however, that I want them to know even when they totally feel like they messed everything up that I love them, that their father loves them, and that their Father in Heaven loves them most of all.  I want them to know and love the Catholic Church the way I didn't when I was growing up. I hope to lead by example there and not just push them into religion. I want them to care about others and each other. I want so much for them, it is no wonder I feel overwhelmed with the weight of it all.

Playing together

Look at the love.

Elizabeth loves her sister and often wants to hold her. She squeezes too hard sometimes, but I like to think it is because she can't contain her excitement and love for Adelaide.

Elizabeth likes to sit under our table sometimes. She occasionally eats food under there or often brings toys with her. Now, Adelaide has started following her under there. It is so sweet to find them together laughing and having fun. I hope it is just the beginning and that we have many more years of friendship and playing ahead of us. I love seeing a glimpse of what it may be like when Adelaide can actually play with Elizabeth. 

It's going to be awesome.

The Circus came to town

Elizabeth had a great time at the circus a few weeks ago. My in-laws took the whole family and it was a lot of fun. She ate all my cotton candy though-- not cool. 

This is before it started when the kids could come down on the floor and see everything.

Adelaide also had a great time. It was fun to watch, but I didn't even think about animal issues before we went. When we were walking in, there were people holding signs of an elephant being trained with tasers or something. They also claimed that the circus had to pay tons of fines for mistreatment of animals. I don't know if it's true, but the idea of it definitely bummed me out a bit. I was distracted by these thoughts while watching the circus. I felt especially bad for the big cats. They looked afraid of the tamer. Anyway... the motorcycles in the big steel ball thing were incredible... they kept bringing out more and more... we couldn't believe it. Patrick was on the edge of his seat.

 Elizabeth keeps asking us to go the circus again. She doesn't get that it comes only once a year. We tell her that we can't go now as it's not here but that does not stop her from asking a few days later.