Fabulous FORTY Festivities!

Despite my mixed emotions about turning 40, I did have a great time celebrating this landmark birthday.

I already mentioned the pre-birthday festivities of a party with my dad and some of his family and then a fun day out with my pal Susan. By the time my birthday arrived on Sunday I felt like I had already been celebrating for weeks!

As soon as I woke up that morning, the boys were very excited for me to open the presents and cards they had for me. I had asked them to pick out earrings for me, so I was shocked to see a WHOLE STACK of wrapped boxes. The first boxes I opened were indeed beautiful earrings. As I was opening Adam's, he dramatically assured me that he picked out the most beautiful ones in the store. I love them! Then I opened an anti-virus program, a wireless router, a wireless card, and a monitor. The boys were going crazy as I reacted to each one and told them they'd have to take them back because I don't have a new computer to go with them.

Of course, the big surprise was in the last box..... a new computer! I've been wanting a second computer for a long time so that I can be online and do other computer tasks downstairs, without having to come up to our office. I was so shocked that Jon and the boys pulled this off!


Here's Ray's photo documentation of the great big kiss and hug I gave Jon after opening the computer!

Several months ago my sisters and my mom asked me how I'd like to celebrate my 40th birthday and I joked that I wanted to have a disco dance. Well, that's exactly what we decided to do. Maybe it's because I was born in 1970.... It's not so much disco music that I love, but rather disco balls, glitter, sequins, sparkle! I am a GREAT disco dancer too! ;) (I really would love to find a disco ball header for this blog! Maybe I'll do a post about my "theology of the disco ball" someday soon.) Anyway, we invited family and friends to "get their sparkle on" and come for an afternoon of dancing and fun!

We gave everyone some "sparkle" as they arrived! We had lots of fun dancing. Hokey Pokey.... Chicken Dance.... Electric Slide....
Mikey was definitely the dance champion of the day, especially when we played some Michael Jackson songs!We enjoyed yummy cupcakes made by a friend of my sister. A family friend also brought a popcorn machine that was a big hit! EVERYONE had fun playing BINGO! (Such an old lady... and Catholic... thing to do!) Jon did a great job as the caller. We had fabulous prizes for all ages!We even had Confessions under the disco ball decoration! JUST KIDDING... but it totally looks like it! I was so happy to have my friends Father Leo and Mary Lou and Dan among the guests.Adam and his buddy Ryan... Party Animals!My mom and me. I'm so thankful for forty years of love and support.Jon and me. Check out all of our "bling!"Some sweet young friends, Maggie and Libby.My sister Reenie and her husband Mike. (I don't know how I didn't get a picture of my other sister Colleen! She was there, even though her son Carter was sick and missed the fun.)My niece Ava, Billy, Ethel, MikeHere's the sparkliest gift I received! Love it! Although I asked guests not to bring gifts, I did receive my fair share of "old lady gag gifts" .... including this game of "Old Maid" which I've had to play 642 times with Ray this week. My mom got me the awesome Vera Bradley purse!
Thanks so much to everyone who made this such a fun and memorable celebration! So far, 40 is pretty great!

No Wonder I'm Tired!

Besides the fact that I'm old now..... we've been really busy! Here's a peek at ten things we did in ten days. (These were the days leading up to all the birthday hoopla --- more on that later this week.)

1. Swim lessons - For two weeks we spent most evenings at the pool. The boys really enjoyed their lessons and they learned a lot. Ray absolutely loves jumping off the diving board now. He even does tricks. He passed to level three for next year and is eager to join the swim team. Adam loves to swim and does very well also, but he refused to go off the diving board. Maybe next year!
2. Parish Festival - Although it was about 600 degrees outside, we had a wonderful time at our parish festival. We met up with friends and spent the evening riding rides, playing games, eating ice cream, and having fun! As you'll see in the pictures, Adam even had his hair painted with red stripes!

3. New Lawn Mower. Well, last month we were thrilled to reach the point of having both cars paid off. Since then, we've had to replace BOTH car batteries AND purchase a new lawn mower. When a wheel snapped off of the mower that Jon had been nursing along all summer, he finally had to let it rest in peace and get a new one. The past month has been full of trips to Lowe's. An extra bonus that came with this purchase --- the mower box! It has provided HOURS of entertainment, especially for Adam who has decorated it inside and out with drawings and hundreds of stickers.

4. Christmas in July - Last week's Pray and Play Date was at our place again. This time we had great weather! We had more than thirty children come to celebrate Christmas in July! It was so much fun! I hauled out a bunch of Christmas decorations to set the scene. We started by decorating the fence.Next we gathered for prayer. After that the children dressed up and acted out the Christmas story. Here are Angel Gabriel and Mary:I took down my swing and used its support/awning to make a "stable." Here are Joseph and Mary and Baby Jesus:We had a choir of beautiful angels!Ray was our only shepherd... and sadly, he had no sheep. Here he is with his friend Thomas, who loved being a king so much that he took the costume home and wore it all day. At the end of the re-enactment, all of the children gathered around "Baby Jesus." I asked them what song we could sing, and someone suggested "You Are My Sunshine." So we sang that and "Silent Night" and very sweetly offered our love and prayers to Jesus. Of course after all that praying we needed snacks! Some of the moms baked Christmas cookies and a Christmas tree cake. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and enjoyed delicious treats!
The back porch was transformed into our craft studio and we painted wooden Christmas ornaments.One of the moms even gave everyone a Christmas tattoo! What an awesome morning!
5. Dreamcatchers - Adam has been having bad dreams. So we made dream catchers. We talked about the Native American tradition that holds that if a dream catcher is placed above a child's bed, bad dreams will be kept away and good dreams will remain. We talked about our dream catchers as symbols that will remind us that God helps us keep the good and push out the bad. (That explanation and the directions for making these came from The Big Book of Ideas for Children's Faith Formation.)Ray actually said a prayer every time he put a bead on his. Here's his dream catcher --
Here's Adam's dream catcher ---

6. Ongoing bedroom renovations - Ray's room renovation has dragged on more slowly than I'd hoped. We are ALMOST ready to unveil the new look. The paint is finished. Today he put up the wall stickers. We still need to hang blinds and curtains and move the bed back. Stay tuned for the great unveiling.We told Adam we aren't going to re-do his room until he turns five, but in the meantime he got to order some wall stickers too. So now he has a jungle / robot room!

7. Solar System learning and projects - The outer space room renovation has sparked renewed interested in all things planetary. So, we've been reading about space and working on some cool projects.
8. Summer Reading Program - Both boys completed our library's summer reading program and earned some cool prizes. We also have attended several story times and a special music program at the library. Our Columbus Metropolitan Library System has been ranked number one in the nation again. We are so grateful to have such an awesome resource.

9. Special visitors! We have had a wonderful time visiting with my best friend Susan, who has been in town from San Antonio. We have talked and played and gone out to lunch. I even got to sneak away for a special girls' day out on Saturday!

One of the rituals Susan and I celebrate whenever she comes to town is a trip to the nail salon. I decided that I would turn 40 with obnoxiously sparkly purple toes!

Also, my dad and his wife Mary are in town for a few weeks. We always love visiting with Pappy and Mary and going on lots of special adventures! No pictures yet, but I'm sure there will be some soon.

10. Party at our house - On Friday night we hosted a get-together with my sisters, my dad, and some of his extended family. We had a fun time visiting. The kids enjoyed a peanut hunt and the slip and slide while the adults visited. Here are some special ladies from my dad's family -
And finally, here's Jon being a GREAT sport and attempting the Mento's / Diet Coke experiment. How about that poncho? Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get them all in and make the impressive spout we anticipated. It was still fun, though, and he got lots of cheers for all three attempts.
So, how's that for a monster-sized catch-up post? These have been busy and fun summer days including popsicles, playgrounds, cookouts, shopping, cleaning, lego's. I love this life! I hope you are having a summer as great as ours!

Greetings from the "OTHER SIDE!"

Well, I've officially crossed over to the other side. I can no longer pretend to be a young adult. Today I turned 40. Am I middle-aged? Old?

Something about that number - 40 - seems big. It has loomed in front of me for months. It feels significant, somehow monumental.

Life has been REALLY busy the past few weeks (as you can tell by my lack of blog posts.) I have a sticky-note on my desk with seven things I want to blog about.... I just haven't had time. We've been working, playing, celebrating, swimming,..... Hopefully I'll catch up with some of the highlights. But in the midst of all that busy-ness I have felt reflective, nostalgic, and prayerful.

In the forefront of my mind has been the thought that I don't want to be 40. It just seems old. I definitely can understand now why people have babies in their twenties instead of at 35!

But my heart is not really sad or scared, but filled with gratitude. I am so very blessed. As I look back on forty very full, rich, amazing years, I am absolutely awed --- brought to my knees --- by the steadfast faithfulness of God. One thing I know for certain is that God has been truly present in each and every twist and turn of my life. He has led, guarded, protected, taught, inspired, challenged, comforted, sustained, empowered, and amazed me. Most importantly, he has been PRESENT with me and for me. Without fail. Even (especially) when I have ignored Him and/or turned away from Him.

I am so independent and strong-willed and impatient. As a young adult I really tried to make a plan for my life and make it work. It just didn't. Then, I spent more than a decade just begging God for CLARITY, saying, "Lord, just tell me what to do and I will do it." I never got the "lightning bolt" I prayed for, but I can see now that God guided me in the baby steps that I could handle and brought me exactly to the place He wanted me to be.... to this place, this vocation of marriage and motherhood. Not just any marriage, but marriage to Jon. And mother to Ray and Adam. My life with them is challenging and crazy many times, but there is such a deep peace and joy at the heart of it. I longed to be here. I just couldn't make it work on my own. I didn't know what my life was "supposed" to look like. Thankfully, I have learned (not easily) how to let go of control just enough to allow God to lead me.

I know that the next phase of my life will be all about letting go.... a little bit at a time. I am treasuring these days with my young sons, knowing that they are on loan to me. My job as their mother and teacher is to equip them to live good, holy, healthy, happy lives WITHOUT ME some day. Perhaps a good image for my life journey is that of God unclenching my hands....teaching me to trust in Him and allow Him to work through me.

Today's Mass readings were very powerful for me. I was especially touched by the Responsorial from Psalm 90:

R. (1) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Some of the words of this Psalm can seem so harsh, but they made perfect sense to me today. I was reminded that time is not what we need to hold onto.... that God's time is not the same as our time. Rather, we are to open ourselves to God's voice, to His presence and Love. We are to seek "wisdom of heart" and allow ourselves to be filled with his joy and kindness. We have to let go of our own control and agendas to do that. And only then will our work bear real fruit. Only then will we find the wisdom, joy, and peace that we truly desire.

And so, I'm 40. Realizing what amazing things God has done for me and through me so far, I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

This weekend was filled with celebrations. I promise to post the details this week. I am so thankful for my family members and friends who celebrated in such special ways with me. I feel truly loved and cherished and supported, even in my "old age!" Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
All praise and glory to our magnificent God!