A Weekend With Grandkids :o)

Nolan ran out of gas after swimming. Cora baked another "Cora Creation" and we had ourselves some before the pic.

Studious granddaughters doing their homework.

Look up and smile, girls!

Sometimes children see how things should be....I have this little bird nest, momma and baby bird sitting on a table. The grandkids come and by weekend's end.....

Momma bird and Baby bird are not next to the nest. That makes no sense. They are IN the nest. I'm not sure who put them there. Could be any one of the three kids, 'cause they all know where those birds should be! :o)

A sign of how Carrie and Tony nurture their kids....before the kids went to bed Friday night, they made a little sleep pallet for their American girl and boy? dolls. (Nolan has one too that Hannah bought him with her birthday money.) Complete with puppy sleeping at their feet. :o)

My prayer for Holy Week this year is "Help me, Lord, to talk less and listen more." I got the idea a few days ago from a little prayer card, and I have been thinking about making this my Holy Week gift to others and to God, in case there is anything He is trying to get through to me.

The weekend could not have been better. Cora, Hannah, and Nolan were here from Friday afternoon til today after mass. They were so well-behaved. I cannot believe how grown-up Cora has become in the last few weeks. She is about to finish 6th grade, and I think I am ready now to think of her at Jr. High next year with those 500 kids and doing alright in that big old building!

Our big outing was for swimming at the Y on Saturday afternoon. All three of them get around well in the water, and I was able to have a little swim/exercise myself. I have stayed out of pools for awhile, thinking the chlorine was an irritant for me. It usually shows up by now if I have a reaction, hyperreactive airway is what they call it. Only a little coughing today, so I hope to go back with them again soon.

Today I accompanied Hannah to a preparation meeting for First Communion. The children baked unleavened bread while the parents listened to Fr. John, Martha, and Mrs. Bick go over all the necessary info for the big day, May 2. Fr. John made me smile when he told about the last time the Bishop was at our parish for Confirmation and he'd made the remark before it began that the crowd sounded more like a ballpark than a church preparing for mass. So we got a little instruction on preparing our hearts and minds by being still and quiet and having the children do the same. Good luck! There are so many people who call themselves Catholic who don't come to mass any more, and when they do, they seem to forget what we used to call "reverent" behavior in church. I am not good at silence myself, but I know I don't act like I'm at the ballpark! Then we listened to a review of what the "Real Presence" in the Eucharist is. Seems we are losing many Catholics to other denominations, particularly evangelical types of worship, and I wonder if these folks ever really learned what the sacraments are and what they mean in our faith lives. I truly enjoyed being there with Hannah.

Blake's team won their game today, but they didn't qualify for the championship of the soccer tournament in Kansas City, so everyone was back home by late afternoon. Time to recuperate and get ready for whatever Monday brings. For me, it will include an hour at our Adoration Chapel. And I will begin to talk less, listen more. Wish me well!

I hope Holy Week is a blessed one for all.

Friday night

WOW this week flew by. Cora, Hannah, and Nolan are here for the weekend while Carrie, Tony, and Blake are in Kansas City for a soccer tournament. Tomorrow I am taking them to the Y pool, so we have some fun to look forward to. I am one spent Grandma tonight, so I am heading to the tub for some bubbles, then sleep. Have to get Cora up for band contest at 6 AM. Actually, I think that will be a grandpa Mario job. But I did want to post a quick Nolan saying. He was telling me about numbers while I was fixing supper tonight. I guess numbers are one of the big topics in preschool right now. At least they were on his mind at suppertime. As I listened to him ramble on, one of the lines struck me as funny: "3 is catching up to 4." I guess that makes total sense in the mind of a 4 yr. old. Good weekend everyone. :o)

The verse fits today

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn...
God's in His heaven--
All's right with the world!

(Robert Browning)


That is the verse I was trying to remember when I wrote on the blog earlier today. :o)

A Glorious Monday

I might get in trouble with some for saying it's glorious in Lent, but I will say this....there is no finer moment than being outdoors in the sunshine with my puppy and my kitty. All is well with the world of my front yard today.

The retreat for our church leadership was wonderful. (Photos above of the deacon who presented the retreat, Mario and a prospective fishing friend, and one of the table discussions)Good speaker, good materials to read and reflect upon, good discussions, GREAT food....and I believe we all left with an increased understanding of stewardship as discipleship. Now on to the next part of the process. Our small but devoted group, which will most likely grow, will be meeting this week to make more plans. I love this work! It isn't really work. It is a joy to serve in this way. Mario enjoyed the retreat too.

The DEDE gang had a jam-packed weekend and I didn't get to see them at all. Missing you....but glad you all had a great time.

I took a little time to get the taxes ready today. Our wonderful tax-preparer Judy and I had a few tears, then on to work. Judy's youngest daughter Michele passed this year after a valient struggle to live. I didn't have all the info Judy needed, so I have to get a few more things together. Donating a car adds some complications to our otherwise rather simple filing.

As usual, we don't get anything back. Have to pay. But not too much. :o)

Now I am off to get the lessons ready for our Why Catholic group tonight. And I am going to make a special dessert of some kind for the group. And get in some rest too. What I am hoping for the most today is that the sunshine and warm air will help my health. There is no end to the stuff that keeps coming out from my respiratory system. I am going to visit the Arizona Camachos for a few days in April. Maybe that will dry all this out!

Happy day everyone.

Happy Birthday, Sista!

One of my nine little sisters and me

Run Run Run. It took about ten tosses of the ball for me to get this picture. Chico is the fastest little fluffball I've ever seen!

Spring has sprung here, and the boys are lovin' it. Spent the afternoon hanging out by the open deck door. We went outside several times, Chico on the leash and Kitty in my arms. Gotta figure out something different, 'cause Kitty is getting huge and hard to hold when I am walking. When I put a leash on him, he thinks he is supposed to lay down and be dragged. (old memories of early days when Chico dragged him around by his collar 'til I finally took it off him)

I can say it for sure....Mario and I love this little guy. I now understand people and their dogs.

Wearin' and Eatin' of the Green....Happy St. Paddy's Day

I so wished I'd had my camera today when I stopped by Carrie's. I walk in, it's lunchtime at the daycare, and all the kids are sitting on stools or in high chairs in the kitchen with their green shirts on. And all their plates are covered with green food. I hear, "Grandma Ginny, we're eating green eggs and ham!" I look more closely at their plates, and sure enough, green eggs, green ham, green, green, everything. Nolan adds that the applesauce is green too. Carrie tells the kids that they should tell their moms that they will probably poop green tonight, and that's all Nolan and his sidekick need to get going. Green poop. Every 4 year old boy's dream!

I am looking forward to our Friday evening, Saturday retreat at St. Peter's. 116 parish leaders have said YES, and that is a great response. Our stewardship group, small but devoted, has pulled together to make the plans, and now we get to enjoy it also. We have hired Catholic Stewardship Consultants, and the future looks bright for our parish. I like the song "Don't stop believin' " for this too!

Chico and Kitty had a fantastic day sitting by the open deck door, listening to the birds and wildlife in the field behind our house. And we went outside several times. Tomorrow it is going to be 65 degrees. I am psyched. I've already got my summer clothes ready to go. Did somebody whisper snow is in the forecast for the weekend? Please tell me I heard wrong.

Chris has been in Washington, DC this week, and I am anxious to hear how his trip went. They are coming for a quick visit to St. Louis in mid-May. YEAH! I have been watching for a low Southwest fare to get out there for a few days. Gotta keep that connection with Mak. She is now commanding an I-Touch. Two years old. I still can't get my MP3 player to play what I want to hear, and she can scroll to the programs and songs she likes on an I-Touch.

Looking forward to the new Idol season and the new Dancing With the Stars season that begins next week. Let's see if Tony can work his miracles with Kate.

Winter Dancing

These are photos from Cora and Hannah's winter dance recital. Every year, their dance company raises money for Camp Callahan for special needs children. One of the older boys who benefits from their recital always comes onstage and does his renditon of Michael Jackson, and it is wonderfully entertaining for everyone. As you can see in the pics, the 2nd grade class is in unison, and the 6th grade class is looking postively cool. All three grandmas and grandpas love to watch them! Not to mention little brother, Mom and Dad. Now Blake....that is a completely different story. He's there, but only because it is required of him. Payback for all those soccer games his sibs have had to sit through! Life does have its way of evening out.

Day of Rest

It's Friday, and I have stayed home today so I can be rested for tomorrow's trip with Carrie and Tony to Springfield. I spent a lot of time on the computer today, and since it is in the toy room, you can see Chico and Kitty hanging out with me. I brought the grandkids' cardtable and chairs from downstairs, as Cora isn't doing much of her artsy stuff down there these days. However, Hannah and Nolan loaded up all the chairs and little stool with dolls and stuffed animals, and the tables had toys on them that they don't usually play with. So little kids need their own pint-size table and chairs to do their stuff on. Now what am I thinking??? I bought some play dough yesterday. I found an old rolling pin-type toy that you can make shapes on flattened play dough with. The lady stocking the toy section of the Crossing thrift store told me it was a favorite from her days in day care. For 50 cents, I will see if it gets the grandkids' creative sides going. Just put an old sheet under them before I open the play dough. I am not going through picking it out of the carpet again. Been there, done that!
At St. Peter's last night, our stewardship committee made final plans for our parish leadership retreat next weekend. Over 100 parishoners will attend, and I believe it is going to be a rewarding time. It is good to get all the giving people together and let them just receive the gift of this retreat without asking for anything from them. It's a small but sincere and dedicated group that I am working with, and our pastor and our pastoral associate are two of the most contemplative people I know. What's also good about them is they are just like you and me. Easy to talk with, appreciative of everyone's work, and all-around good to hang with. I truly like this work. And Mario is going to the retreat with me. YEAH!!!
Prayers for Randy's recovery today....another knee surgery with a long recovery period. We ask for healing and restoration of his knee, Jesus.
Have a good weekend everyone.

All caught up posting photos from our family Christmas '09

These photos are the last of our family's Christmas '09. Chris, Maria, and Makenna arrived on Dec. 27, and we wasted no time getting right to the fun. We also had a great time at our new Japanese restaurant where they cook your food on the grill as you watch and are entertained by the chef. And before the Arizona Camachos went home, four cousins went down McDonald's slide together.
from back to front, Nolan, 4, Hannah, 7, Cora, 11, and Makenna, 2