Hockey

Hockey has been the main sport of interest here this winter.

After taking a sports intro class at the Y, Ray decided he really liked hockey (FLOOR hockey... no ice yet!) and he signed up to take a seven-week hockey class at the Y. That class just finished up this week. Ray LOVED every class and really wants to learn to ice skate now. He was thrilled to have his Pappy and Mary take him to his last class on Wednesday.

Tonight Adam and his best friend Ryan are at the *Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings* hockey game with their dads. Jon got tickets and "time off" to go tonight from his boss. We took the boys to an afternoon game earlier this season. Although Ray loves to watch hockey, he found the noise of the arena to be overwhelming. So tonight Ray and I had a "mommy date" and Adam and Jon had a "daddy date." (It's so great to get one-on-one time with them once in a while.)

Jon loves when the Wings come to town, but he is always conflicted about which team to cheer for in this situation. (Yes, he is a native Michigander!) So, you'll see in the pictures below which team won out for tonight.

Could "hockey mom" be part of my role in the future? I never imagined that.... but there are lots of things I never imagined myself doing or being. I do know that it is amazing and exciting to support the boys as they begin to discover their own interests and talents. Our last name sure would look great on a jersey!

Precious Prayer

This morning I had one of those moments that I wish I could have on tape, a moment I never want to forget. Ray slept until almost 7:00 (which is a miracle in itself). When he came into our room, Jon was in the shower. He snuggled in bed with me and said, "I think I'll say a morning prayer." He proceeded to pray the most beautiful prayer... with such a heartfelt and simple spirit. I was truly moved to tears. The prayer included these two sentences:

"Lord, I know that you love me completely."

"When I do good things, I carry your cross for you."

I am so inspired and humbled by his growing spirituality. I'm thrilled that he's "getting it." I hope to be able to pray that whole-heartedly and beautifully.

So, there's hope that he'll be a bishop someday, right?

I do have to contrast that moment, however, with a night last week when Adam was scared to go to sleep. I told him that God is with him and will watch over him and protect him. He looked at me, took a deep breath, and said, "Mommy, God is not real." Agghhhh!!!! We then had quite the conversation about what's real and what's not real. I hope he now understand that God is the most real being there is! Even more real than "Tom and Jerry." (Believe me, that was a major point of contention in this conversation.)

It's so great to "do theology" with three and five year olds! I learn so much. Thank you God!

*Slate Run Farm*

Today we visited one of our favorite places.... *Slate Run Historical Farm. It is part of a great metro park with awesome playgrounds and walking trails. The working farm replicates farming life in the 1880's. The boys love to explore the grounds, especially the house and the barn. In the summer they like to help pump water and take it to the garden. Today they were fascinated by all of the baby animals that have been born this Spring.


Hanging out in the yard ----

There were SO MANY baby pigs! Three litters I think. The boys were fascinated to see them fighting to get to their mama's milk. There were a full dozen piglets jockeying for position here--

This little lamb had made herself quite comfortable right on mama's back!

Here's the link for more information about this great park: http://www.metroparks.net/ParksSlateRun.aspx

Celebrating Easter for 50 Days

Here's how we decorated our prayer table for Easter:


This craft was actually saved from last year. We made this with our Church playgroup. You take a heavy paper plate and cut it in half. Then you cut out a hole for the entrance of the tomb. Glue the piece you cut out next to the hole (representing the stone). Then glue on pictures of an angel and the women who came to the tomb on Easter morning. (We made ours by xeroxing the figures from a set of Easter magnets.) Finish it off with butterfly and flower stickers and "Jesus is Risen!" and "Alleluia!" banners.

We made this craft this year on Holy Saturday. (My friend Shelly emailed this idea to me.) We took a heavy poster board and cut a hole in it. We drew a mountain and sunny sky and decorated it with butterfly and flower stickers. Then we covered a small paper bowl and small paper plate with foil. We taped the bowl to the back of the hole in the poster. (We made the foil stick out in the middle of the bowl, forming a platform and we placed a Kleenex on it.) We used a brad to secure the small paper plate to the front. We also added angel figures and "Alleluia" banners. Now we roll back the "stone" and see the empty tomb!

So far this Easter season, we've been singing lots of "Alleluia's" but we haven't started the "Garden of the Good Shepherd" activity I had planned to complete. We'll see if we can get that going. I really want to CELEBRATE all 50 days of Easter this year.

I highly recommend this blog: http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/. She posted a great idea today for hanging up 50 plastic eggs on Easter. Each egg contains an activity or prayer or treat. One egg is opened every day and the Easter season is celebrated for the full 50 days. I think we'll do that next year!

Another great idea that we haven't gotten to is creating a family Paschal candle.

I hope you're enjoying this Alleluia days and celebrating the Risen Christ in a special way.

Another Crazy Party at "Tee Tee's"

Our family Easter celebration was supposed to take place at my sister's house. When her daughter woke up with a 102 degree fever, the plans changed and everyone come to our place instead. (My niece and nephew call me "Tee Tee.") Even though I hadn't planned on hosting, I was able to pull off one of my famous crazy parties and everyone had fun. Don't let the smirks in these pictures fool you.... the adults had the best time of all!

Jon VOLUNTEERED to be the bunny for this ring toss game and had loved every minute of it. I was too busy laughing to get a better shot. None of us were very good at this game. My nephew Carter beat us all with just two rings on the ears.
The next activity was making Easter bonnets. This idea came from my sister-in-law Susan. She used to have Easter parades with her Kindergarten class every year. Basically, you take a sturdy paper plate, string a ribbon through it, and then decorate it with lots of crazy stuff. We glued on pom poms, chicks, flowers, mirrors, feathers, ribbons, Peeps, and little construction guys from the sandbox. The boys and I had made ours the day before and it was the grown-ups (especially my Mom and my uncle Duey) who really got into this one. So chic!

And of course we had a big Easter egg hunt. Ray was truly jubilant when he found the silver egg!
I hope your Easter celebrations were as classy and fun as ours! :)

Happy Easter!

Here we are... all cleaned up for Easter Mass! Thanks so much Aunt Susan for the really great suits. Notice Adam wanted his tie to be outside his vest! He creates his own style.
Here's Adam with Mamaw...


All smiles after Mass!

Holy Thursday

During this most holy week of the year we have been reading the stories of Jesus' Passion and Death. We have been praying the Stations of the Cross using the kits we made. The boys have been asking lots of very thought-provoking questions about how and why Jesus died.

When I taught and worked in a parish years ago, we tried to help the children really enter into the Triduum using drama and other experiences. Now I want my own children to be able to experience those things as well. Although I love Holy Thursday Mass, I decided it wouldn't be the best way for the boys to experience Holy Thursday this year. (Jon had to work late of course. Ray is ALWAYS tired and asleep by 8:00.) So, I made a special dinner and we had our own "Last Supper Experience." Jon even took a break from work to join us.

We had read and discussed the story of the Last Supper earlier in the day so we retold it in our own words as we went along. I was amazed at the details the boys remembered.

We started with the washing of the feet. Ray went first and even (on his own - without direction) pretended to be Peter. I washed his feet and then he insisted on washing everyone else's feet. I actually had my feet washed three times.... once by Ray and twice by Adam. ;)

After that we moved to the table, on which there was a candle, a plate of matzo bread, a pitcher of grape juice, and four fancy glasses.

Jon told the boys about the Passover meal that Jesus shared with his friends. He blessed the bread and broke it and gave us each a piece.


We had quite a conversation about how bread becomes Jesus' body. Then Jon poured the juice and reminded us that Jesus took the cup of wine and said, "This is my blood." Both boys expressed how eager they are to receive Holy Communion when they are old enough.

As we ate dinner we talked about Jesus going into the garden to pray and being arrested. We also told the boys about the very special Mass that happens only on Holy Thursday each year (with the washing of the feet, the stripping of the altar, and the reposition of the Eucharist).

It is so awesome to be at the point where the boys are old enough to enter into the Paschal Mystery (upon which our whole lives are based) and ponder and ask questions and experience so many emotions that go along with it. Sharing these stories and experiences with them is the most important thing that I do. It is my calling. It not only forms them in the faith, but it also challenges and inspires me in my own faith journey. We walk this road together.... with each other and our Lord.

***Reality check.... Although this WAS a beautiful and holy experience, please know that Adam was crying through the whole washing of the feet because he wanted to be outside on the new swing AND he didn't want anyone to take his picture. Dinner included whining and bargaining about how many bites had to be eaten before they could go back outside. Ray said that Holy Thursday Mass sounds cool but he never ever wants to go to it. So....these things are never as picture-perfect as we'd like them to be or as they sound on a blog. But I know the boys did get a lot out of the experience and will remember it as we celebrate this great and holy Mystery again and again.