Date night

Date night. How amazing are those two words? I'll tell you: SO AMAZING! we had our first date night... maybe ever- in July. My in-laws came over to watch the girls, and we went to dinner at Outback and to the movies to see The Amazing Spiderman (which was awesome). 

It is soooooooo nice to go to a restaurant and be able to sit and eat and talk and take as long you want. It's nice to go to a movie and not have to worry about keeping a baby or toddler quiet. It's nice to be able to give my undivided attention to my husband for a little while and talk and joke and laugh. It's nice to help remember why I chose him to be with for the rest of my life. 

More often, I say! More date nights! Luckily, we have no shortage of people willing to watch our little boogers. My mom or my husbands parents or siblings... maybe we should call someone up this weekend...

Friends and godparents

In the middle of July, we had two extra children for a few days. We were asked to be godparents for our close friends' new baby. Oh so much excitement! While they were in the hospital, we watched their older boys, so for a couple of days, I had a 5-year-old, 4-year-old, 3-year-old, and 1-year-old. It was busy, but fun. In some ways, having more is easier because they entertain each other really well. In other ways, like the mess-oh the mess, it's harder. We went to the zoo while they stayed with us because I wanted them to have fun and they really missed their parents. Don't worry, I brought my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to help me. It was good though, and the boys told their parents they had fun with us. They also told them that they were left here too long!

A couple of close calls

I was reading a story about a pit bull attacking another pit bull today. The mean dog went for the other's throat and caused some damage. It wanted to fight. It could have killed the other dog had someone not stepped in.

Last week, Elizabeth and I went outside to water her plants that we planted when my mom stayed with us for a week while Patrick was out of town. I ran back in to fill up the watering can again and heard Elizabeth screaming out of terror. I can see from the kitchen all the way past the patio into outside but our couch is right in front of the sliding glass door. I ran outside to find a pit bull in her face. All over her face. I grabbed her and brought her onto the (closed in) patio where I realized that there was no blood, no marks, no pain. The dog had been licking her. Praise God. I don't generally see dogs without leashes in our neighborhood. Pit bulls aren't even allowed here. This one had chewed through his rope and I don't know where he was from. Since it was so hot out and he didn't eat my daughter, I gave him some water. I had to water the plants for a few days by myself. Now, she will do it, but if the water has to be refilled, she waits on the patio.

But I'm not done. This post is called, "A couple of close calls."

We went to a new friend's house to go swimming with some other friends as a last hurrah before the one friend went back to teaching this fall. I could not go swimming for girly reasons, but I let Elizabeth go in with everyone wearing her puddle jumper floaty. She was having fun and doing fine. We all got out to eat some lunch. I took her floaty off so she could eat comfortably. When she was done, she kept walking over to the pool. She was wearing her crocs and thought it was fun to walk along the edge just in the water. I kept telling her that she needed to stay away from the pool because there was no one in it and we weren't paying enough attention for her to go swimming. She came back every time I asked her to, but she kept making her way to the water. I was sitting in a chair with a sleeping Adelaide on my lap when I noticed it. Her head bobbing up and down in the water. Thankfully, I had read a post on what drowning looks like, so I recognized it. (Although I would have gotten her out of the water regardless, because she wasn't supposed to be in it.) I got up, fully clothed and carrying poor sleeping Adelaide and walked into the water to pluck Elizabeth out. She was fine. She wasn't even coughing because she had been holding her breath. It was terrifying. The other moms were freaked out too. I am so grateful that I was sitting in the chair I was. So thankful that I looked up and into the pool. So glad that I had prayed that very morning for help keeping my girls safe because I have heard too often how dangerous pools can be.

The next morning Elizabeth apologized for going into the water alone. I think she realized, at least a tiny bit, how serious it was. We are starting swimming lessons on Thursday. I know they won't be magic, but I figure that they can't hurt. I was talking to Patrick who wasn't very freaked out, presumably because he didn't see it. I told him that I realize there are a ton of ways that your child could die any day... but that day I saw a specific way. I saw the potential... I don't want to see it again.

Dress Up

Isn't she gorgeous?

A couple of months ago, Elizabeth and I went through the costume jewelry collection my godmother passed down to me when it became clear that she would be the mother to a son and not a daughter. Most of it is awesome earrings that Elizabeth can't wear without pierced ears. But we managed to put on mostly everything else. 

I love how interested she was in every little ziploc bag I opened. I love knowing that I did this when I was little with my godmother. I love that my daughter and I dressed up with the same jewelry. 

A sweet girl

We try to go to Mass daily.
The other day, we were taking our car into the shop early, and we weren't going to Mass. When Elizabeth found out, she was not pleased.
She told me, "Jesus will be sad if I don't go to Mass."
"Oh, I'm sure He will be sad."
"And I will be sad, too."
With that... my heart melted.

Another Birthday

We have another baby. She is our first baby, and her birthday just passed. To celebrate it and mark the occasion, we brought flowers to her grave. We lost her at 9 weeks 2 days. It was a miscarriage early in our marriage. We were renting a condo and didn't know what we were going to do with her little body. My in-laws knew of a cemetery where they have a garden of innocence for any baby lost before 2 years old. They buried Felicity there, and we just recently got her a stone.

It is important to us that the girls know about their sister in heaven.

There was another family there whose daughter had the same birthday. Her name is Maggie. They took our picture all together. This is the first one we have like this of all of us.

The other family also brought cupcakes and balloons. They gave Elizabeth a cupcake and a balloon. We left the balloon for Felicity. Their daughter had only been gone a year... I was very touched that they went out of their way to give to us. I appreciate it.

Happy birthday Felicity. We love you.

She is one!!

It happened today... sooner than anyone expected. Our little Adelaide turned one. One year ago... I was in pain, I was in labor, I was exhausted, I was ready to meet my baby. One year ago... I held her for the first time, I told her she was funny looking (I will only say this because she is beautiful... if I still thought it, I would keep it to myself), I nursed her, I snuggled her, I loved her face to face.

This is the same dress that Elizabeth wore for her first birthday. (see below)

She got a big kick out of the tissue paper... it took a while to get her to move past it into the present.

We are going to have a small party on Saturday to celebrate our Adelaide... but it was important that today be just a little special.

Patrick took the day off and we went to Mass this morning together. Happy feast of St. Thomas, by the way. We opened her present from us. We decorated the house with streamers and a banner. In the afternoon, we went swimming in the pool by the pond. We made dinner and prayed the rosary. We gave the girls a bath and now our precious one year old is sleeping: worn out after a hopefully wonderful birthday.